As Sunnyvale expands its bicycling community, one neighborhood is grappling with decades-old limitations.
Residents in North Sunnyvale, a portion of town that traditionally lacks sources, are enthusiastic about deliberate secure transit infrastructure on Tasman Drive, from Honest Oaks Avenue to Lawrence Expressway. Different residents are much less enthusiastic, saying the proposed modifications — bike lanes and expanded sidewalks — will worsen site visitors congestion.
This stretch of Tasman Drive has two lanes in each instructions, with a partial sidewalk on one aspect. Street house is restricted by the VTA Orange Line gentle rail route, which cuts between either side of site visitors. The improved sidewalk undertaking proposes lowering the road to at least one lane in each instructions.
Ari Feinsmith is a member of Protected Streets Sunnyvale and Bike Sunnyvale who grew up and lives within the Casa de Amigos cell residence park. He mentioned the proposed bike lanes would make the road safer. Tasman Drive has a velocity restrict of 40 mph and a blind curve at one level, which makes it onerous for drivers to see cyclists.
There is no such thing as a sidewalk on the aspect of Casa de Amigos, so residents need to jaywalk throughout the road and VTA tracks to succeed in a sidewalk. Feinsmith recounted a time when he noticed a younger couple strolling towards the cell residence park’s entrance from the grocery retailer on the finish of Tasman Drive, luggage in tow, compelled to wade by foliage lining the highway fairly than cross the practice tracks.
“It’s so sad that we’ve created our infrastructure where to get basic necessities like groceries, you have to risk your life,” Feinsmith instructed San José Highlight. “I’m grateful that my parents have a car, that’s something a lot of people take for granted, but cars are expensive and we need to be designing our streets for everyone.”
The primary intersection on this stretch of Tasman Drive is Vienna Drive, which feeds into two of the biggest cell residence parks in California — Casa de Amigos and Plaza del Rey. The 2 parks have greater than 1,700 properties mixed and hundreds of residents, lots of whom have spoken at quite a few Metropolis Council conferences over the previous months to voice their frustrations with the plan.
Judy Pavlick, founding father of the Sunnyvale Cellular Dwelling Park Alliance, mentioned chopping the variety of lanes on Tasman Drive would worsen present site visitors issues, particularly throughout peak commute hours. The proposed lanes require modifications to the Vienna Drive intersection’s site visitors alerts, corresponding to proscribing automobiles turning proper, which she mentioned would make it tougher to go away both cell residence park.
Pavlick, who has lived in Plaza Del Ray Cellular Dwelling park for about 35 years, mentioned the close by roads are harmful for cyclists.
“The residents in the mobile home parks cannot be held captive for a bicycle path that comes (out of) nowhere and goes nowhere,” Pavlick instructed San José Highlight. “Fair Oaks is not safe, Lawrence is not safe, so you just have one block here.”
Sunnyvale has been working to develop its bike community, and enhancing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on Tasman Drive is a part of that plan. A 2024 metropolis survey on the bike lanes obtained 371 responses, with 265 from residents residing close to the undertaking.
Sunnyvale resident Elana Feinsmith mentioned the deliberate bike lanes and improved sidewalks on Tasman Drive would make the road safer for the cell residence park residents. (B. Sakura Cannestra/San José Highlight)
The survey discovered half of all respondents indicated including the lacking sidewalk parts as the highest precedence. Different priorities included safer crosswalks and new bike lanes. Roughly 70% mentioned they’d stroll, cycle or use transit extra typically with both of the proposed enhancements.
Elana Feinsmith, Ari’s mom, has lived at Casa de Amigos since 1996. Earlier than the VTA gentle rail existed, Tasman Drive had a shoulder on both aspect that served as an unofficial pedestrian path. She and her husband used to stroll there earlier than it was eliminated.
“They’re going to save lives if they put these lanes in here,” she instructed San José Highlight.
Pavlick mentioned she’s hoping town accepts a compromise to go away the stretch between Vienna Drive and Lawrence Expressway with no bike lane, so automobile site visitors has extra leeway to exit towards commuter roads. Nonetheless, after watching town overlook North Sunnyvale for many years, she mentioned she’s ready to see what occurs.
District 6 Councilmember Eileen Le, who represents the cell residence parks, mentioned town must stability site visitors issues with higher bicycle owner and pedestrian infrastructure. The town council is scheduled to obtain an replace this spring.
Le mentioned she desires extra site visitors knowledge on what number of autos journey the road and extra research on the way it will have an effect on the folks residing within the space.
“I think there are reasonable people on both sides, who are raising reasonable issues and reasonable asks, that we’re going to be taking back to staff,” Le instructed San José Highlight.
This story initially appeared in San Jose Highlight.
