Sunnyvale’s lack of protected bike lanes frustrates residents

Sunnyvale residents have been waiting for the city to implement its grand plan for a bicycle safety network, but a lack of action has led to mounting frustration.

The city’s plan to build more bike lanes with protective barriers remains stalled, because officials haven’t prioritized funding or a way to keep the bike lanes clear of debris. Advocates said the City Council might finally consider prioritizing funds in this year’s budget for a specialized street sweeper and more maintenance staff.

The city is considering one of two options because standard street sweepers can’t fit around protective bike lane barriers. It can buy a compact street sweeper and deploy two city workers to sweep the lanes weekly, or have four city workers keep leaves and debris off the lanes using leaf blowers.

Sunnyvale officials are considering both options in the budget proposal. Although buying the compact street sweeper would be more expensive, it’s more efficient and requires less manpower than maintaining the bike lanes using leaf blowers. The sweeper option would cost $975,000, of which $375,000 would cover staffing costs.

Bryce Beagle, chair of Sunnyvale’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, said it’s hard to quantify how the city’s lack of a maintenance system has impeded the development of new protected bike lanes. He said there have been multiple projects reviewed by the commission that could have included protected bike lanes, but none have ever proposed.

“It’s right there in the (Active Transportation Plan),” Beagle told San José Spotlight. “The city can’t do what the city has declared it wants to do because of this restriction.”

Sunnyvale’s Active Transportation Plan, approved in 2020, proposes 17.1 miles of protected bike lanes on major roads throughout the city. To date, only 1 mile along Mary Avenue has been completed due to a delay in funding a sweeper.

Installing protective barriers is a clear way to keep cyclists safe on the road. Beagle also suggested the city could look into raising bicycle lanes to be at the same height as the sidewalk, which would limit the debris build up and further separate cyclists from vehicle traffic.

Sharlene Liu, founder of the advocacy group Sunnyvale Safe Streets, said safety is the primary barrier to biking versus driving.

“I’m always trying to see how to get more people on bikes so we can reduce our reliance on automobiles,” Liu told San José Spotlight. “When I talk to people, their main concern is that it’s just not safe to bike, and I can see what they’re talking about.”

Liu proposed having the city study a street sweeper option during the 2023-24 fiscal year. She’s encouraged by the budget proposal, since that would move faster than a study.

Certain individual streets are also dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, such as Fair Oaks Avenue. Liu said these streets can be improved once the city is able to begin installing new bike lanes.

Multiple neighboring cities have protected bike lanes and continue to build safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. San Jose has about 48 miles of protected bike lanes, according to city transportation spokesperson Colin Heyne. He said the city owns one compact street sweeper and cleans protected bike lanes at least twice a month. San Jose residents can call 311 to report when a bikeway needs to be cleaned.
Cupertino has about 5 miles of protected bike lanes. City spokesperson Samantha LoCurto said a city-hired contractor uses leaf blowers to clean debris from the protected bike lanes into the street, where it’s cleaned by a normal street sweeper.

The Sunnyvale City Council will review study issues and budget proposals at its workshop Thursday, including the compact street sweeper and maintenance staff.

Beagle said he believes the council will prioritize work on safe bicycle infrastructure.

“I’m optimistic about the current layout of the council seeing it as a problem and driving it over the line,” he told San José Spotlight.

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X.