Sunnyvale Bicycling Advocates Score Victory Over Disgruntled Neighbors 

Despite much resident uproar, Sunnyvale will eliminate parking along Hollenbeck Avenue.

At its most recent meeting, Dec. 2, the Sunnyvale City Council opted to take the recommendation of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC).

The topic came up as part of a study issue to explore buffered bike lanes on Hollenbeck Avenue between Danforth Drive and Alberta Avenue. The item went through several rounds of public outreach and three BPAC meetings.

Angela Obeso, transportation and traffic manager, told the council that city employees are exploring traffic calming measures in light of resident input. Many said safety along Hollenbeck Avenue would be better served by traffic calming than by eliminating parking.

The city was only focused on feasibility, she added.

“There wasn’t discussion of an existing safety concern or safety condition, and so there was no extra scope included in here to look into any specific safety concern,” Obeso said.

The council considered two options: one that eliminated parking with two buffered bike lanes and another that eliminated parking on the east side of the street with unbuffered bike lanes.

A tide of public comments supported eliminating parking, but many also urged the council to maintain the status quo.

Ari Feinsmith, a transportation engineer and planner, said eliminating parking was the safer option, adding that it is the best way to achieve traffic calming measures. 

Angela Rausch, former BPAC chair, said the city needs to encourage the use of public transit more. She supported eliminating parking.

“If we are being true to our strategies and want safe streets, this is the only option we should choose,” she said.

But many pushed back with opponents pointing to long walks for the disabled and elderly, issues surrounding pick-up and drop-off for the neighborhood’s schools and church, as well as construction workers, delivery people, and rideshare drivers.

Sandhya Panicker, a Hollenbeck Avenue resident, implored the council to consider everyone’s safety, not just cyclists.

“I have heard my fellow cyclists mention ‘oh this is a minor inconvenience,’ but if I ask my fellow cyclists to bike two or three minutes extra to access the bike lanes on the parallel streets, then it becomes a life-threatening inconvenience,” she said. 

Several council members characterized the decision as difficult. 

The stretch of Hollenbeck Avenue runs through the districts of Vice Mayor Linda Sell and Council Member Murali Srinivasan.

“This is a tough, tough decision. There is no easy way we can satisfy everybody,” Srinivasan said. “Any design should be safe for everyone.”

Srinivasan called the street parking option the “right decision,” but only Mayor Larry Klein joined him in support of it.

During her opposing comments, Sell said she wanted the closest option to protected bike lanes.

“We will be increasing population in Sunnyvale the next few years. Everybody that bikes is one more car off the road, less congestion,” Sell said.

Klein said he went back and forth between the two options. 

“If you are somewhat pissing off two groups equally, you are probably doing the best thing for the city,” he said. 

Council Member Alysa Cisneros said the option that offered parking on one side of the street “satisfies very few people” but “creates challenges for the majority.”

Klein said he felt the strong support for bike lanes was likely, at least in part, a byproduct of a highly mobilized bicycling community, not necessarily reflective of the community at large.

However, Klein still supported the motion to eliminate parking. Only Srinivasan dissented.

City employees estimate the project will cost $5 million, but have yet to identify a funding source.

Obeso told the council that the city has budgeted for the first phase of exploring traffic calming, but city employees will return to the council for money should it become necessary to progress further. That effort would see completion prior to alterations to the street. 

Consent Calendar Spending

The council approved the following spending via the consent calendar: 

• A $300,000 increase to a purchase agreement with Chemtrade Chemicals for aluminum sulfate. The total amount is now $545,000.

The council meets again at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave. in Sunnyvale. 

To submit public comments ahead of the meeting, visit http://Sunnyvale.ca.gov/PublicComments; Meeting online link: https://sunnyvale-ca-gov.zoom.us/j/96111580540; meeting call-in telephone number: 833-548-0276, meeting ID: 961 1158 0540 

Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com