Escuela Avenue is a unique street. It’s only half a mile long, yet it has numerous destinations such as Castro Elementary School, the Senior Center, Day Worker Center and Teen Center, Rengstorff Park, several churches, a community garden, and a handful of apartment buildings. This unique mix of neighborhood places in a relatively small area means that there’s potential for people to easily walk or bike to these places.
The park, Senior and Teen Centers, and Castro Elementary School draw people who are less likely to drive. Acknowledging this fact, the city recently installed a mid-block crosswalk in front of the Senior Center. However, the street could function even better for pedestrians and especially cyclists.
Escuela needs bike lanes! The street carries approximately 4,000 cars per day, and cyclists must share the lane with cars, which can be harrowing given the rows of parking and relatively high traffic counts. If you are headed to the Senior Center, or are a parent who wants to cycle with your child to school, the road can be intimidating. Despite the width, the entire length of the street could accommodate bike lanes, but approximately 50 on-street parking spaces would have to be removed.
Pedestrian connections could also be improved. New human-scaled lighting and curb extensions at intersections would shorten the crossing distance and make pedestrians more visible to drivers at street corners.
Park to Bay Connectivity
Below is a map showing how the Escuela Avenue bike lanes could connect to the new Permanente Creek Trail that goes over Highway 101 and other proposed elements of the Great Streets Mountain View vision. Imagine a 12-minute bike ride from Rengstorff Park to the Bay, all on trails or low-speed streets!
Numerous Destinations on Escuela
Escuela Avenue is home for many community service facilities such as the Senior Center, Teen Center, Community Garden, and Castro Elementary School. Additionally, there are several churches, a number of local businesses, and the Day Worker Center, all on this half mile long street.