ROAD DIET & BICYCLE PROJECTS

Willow Glen's Lincoln Avenue has been proposed for a “road diet”  since about year 2009, when Stakeholders SGV was formed.  Coming into that group were two members from WGBA, two from WGNA and one from Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.

Later on, additional members were added into Stakeholders SGV.   For example: San Jose’s Deputy Fire Chief; Deputy Police Chief; Willow Glen’s Community Center Manager and so on.  Committee members made an initiative for Lincoln Avenue’s traffic calming.

The  "Road Diet" has misleadingly been described as a wholesale reduction of Lincoln Avenue, from four lanes to just two.  That’s not exactly right.

First: two lanes will be established: one going north and the other south.

Second: at the center of the street, there will also be a lane dedicated for left or right turns, as well as for emergency vehicle access.

Third: there will be bicycle lanes added at the side of the street.  Bicyclist will have a 5-foot wide lane on each side of the road, going north and south.

Fourth (lastly): parking spaces at the curb will remain.  Side parking is not going anywhere, despite all the wrongful gossip.

Example from U.S. Department of Transportation

One of the founding initiatives of Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village (SGV) included advocacy for bicyclists in Willow Glen; that is, specifically in regards to bicycle lanes and bike trails linking Lincoln Avenue to the rest of the City of San Jose.  Finally, as of 2014, the results of long and hard work are now coming into recognition.

The roots of this began with a position paper that was written as early as 11 December 2009 to Michael Brilliot, Envision San Jose 2040 Task Force. This letter was submitted to the the City of San Jose by Chairperson, Richard Zappelli, and members of Stakeholders for a Safe Green Village. The subject was "Bicycle-Pedestrian friendly Lincoln Avenue." Therein, it framed bicycle issues within the greater concerns of traffic calming, road sharing, livable streets, plus the Bike to School/National Safe Routes to School Program and more.  See a copy of that letter, attached in the below.

This letter can also be seen online at the City of San Jose, here:
http://planning.sanjoseca.gov/planning/gp_update/meetings/12-14-09/public%20correspondence/Bike_Lanes_2040.pdf


Richard Zappelli, former President of Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, is also founding chair of Stakeholders SGV.  Zappelli termed-out after nine years on the WGNA Board.  As of May 2014, Richard Zappelli is no longer affiliated with WGNA.

As a liaison person to Willow Glen Business Association for over eight years, Zappelli also got that group to write a two-page letter in support of bicycle lanes, therein submitted to San Jose DOT.   (WGBA, aka “Downtown Willow Glen).

Zappelli introduced Tom Trudell, Chair of the Our Avenue Committee, to Hans Larsen, Director of San Jose DOT.  Zappelli has also been on the Our Avenue Committee, himself..


As of Wednesday 13 August 2014, Stakeholders SGV promoted a City of San Jose official Public Meeting, "Future Bicycle Projects," which represented a building up of years of work by this organization's neighborhood stakeholders; that is, a collaboration with the city's Department of Transportation (DOT).

Read more about this from the San Jose Mercury News,
"Reducing Lincoln Avenue from two lanes to one in Willow Glen is under consideration"


As well as from the de·Anza Post:
"PROPOSED BICYCLE LANES & SHARROWS ON WILLOW GLEN’S LINCOLN AVENUE ARE TOPIC OF SAN JOSE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MEETING, 13 AUG"