TO: TRANSPORTATION AND
ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
FROM: John Ristow
Jon Cicirelli
SUBJECT: Bike Plan 2025 and Trail
Network Annual Report
DATE: March 17, 2025
Approved Date:
3/27/2025
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the annual report on Bike Plan 2025 and the trail network.
BACKGROUND
A high-quality, interconnected network of on-street bikeways and off-street trails advances City of San José goals for safety, equity, and transportation mode shift away from automobiles and toward walking, biking, and transit use. This memorandum provides background on:
• The goals, policies, and planning efforts that guide implementation of the City’s bikeways and trail network;
• The implementation status of bikeways and trails;
• Maintenance and operational needs;
• The City’s approach to funding bikeway and trail implementation Implementing the City’s bikeway network is a collaborative effort. The Department of Transportation (DOT) leads on-street bikeway development; the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) leads off-street trail development.
Goals, Policies, and Plans
The City has adopted several plans that guide its bikeway and trail network development. Together, these documents identify goals and strategies to increase bicycle trips and safety, as well as to reduce automobile use and greenhouse gas emissions. These plans include:
• Vision Zero San José (2015, updated 2025): eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries
•
T&E AGENDA: 4/7/25
ITEM: (d) 3
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
• Trail Program Strategic Plan (2016): plan for a 100-mile world-class trail network
• Climate Smart San José (2018): achieve 20% of trips by bike by 2050 • ActivateSJ (2019): 20-year plan for Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services
• Better Bike Plan 2025 (2020): complete a 550-mile low-stress bikeway network • Move San José (2022): transportation plan for safety, equity, and mode shift
ANALYSIS
Implementation Updates
Completed On-Street Bikeways (2024)
In 2024, the City installed 7.4 miles of new on-street bikeways and upgraded 32.8 miles of existing on-street bikeways. New and upgraded mileage combined adds an additional
29.7 miles of protected bikeways to the City’s on-street network, more than doubling the total miles of protected bikeways, and an additional 4.4 miles of bike boulevards.
Protected bikeways and bike boulevards are key components of the City’s planned lowstress bikeway network. The current 484-mile on-street bikeway network combines with the City’s existing 66 miles of off-street trails to provide a 550-mile usable network.
Notable on-street bikeways completed in 2024 include:
• Lane reductions on paving corridors for new and upgraded bikeways on Almaden Boulevard, Moorpark Avenue, Snell Avenue, Taylor Street, Vistapark Drive, and Winfield Boulevard;
• Upgrades of existing bike lanes to parking-protected bikeways on Almaden Boulevard, Technology Drive, and Winfield Boulevard;
• Implementation of 11 new bike boulevards as part of the grant-funded En Movimiento San José, providing low-street bikeway connections between East San José and Downtown on corridors including 33rd Street, Bonita Avenue, Jose Figueres Avenue, and William Street, among others; and
• Completion of numerous protected bikeways across the City by adding bollards to existing bike lanes using a variety of pavement maintenance funds and onetime grant funds; corridors include Aborn Road, Berryessa Road, Cherry Avenue, Hamilton Avenue, Hedding Street, Lundy Avenue, McKee Road, Murphy Avenue, and Ocala Avenue.
Figure 1 shows year-to-year progress of completed on-street bikeways. Note that mileage for certain bikeway types will decrease over time as facilities are upgraded to higher-quality bikeways. See Appendix A for examples of each bikeway type and Appendix B for a map of the City’s existing bikeway network.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Figure 1: Existing bikeway mileage by type per year.
See Appendix C for select on-street bikeways implemented in 2024, Appendix D for a map of on-street bikeways completed in 2024, and Appendix E for a comprehensive table detailing 2024 on-street bikeways implementation by corridor and funding source.
Upcoming On-Street Bikeways
The annual pavement maintenance program continues to be one of the main vehicles for on-street bikeways implementation as it allows for roadway design improvements to be made in a cost-effective manner. DOT is currently in the process of developing its 2025 pavement maintenance bikeways plan.
Better Bikeways – Phase II will upgrade several corridors of existing protected bikeways by upgrading plastic bollards to concrete islands and landscaping on San Fernando, Third, Fourth, and San Salvador streets in the Downtown core along with Taylor Street-Mabury Road, connecting Downtown to the Berryessa BART Station.
Additionally, existing striped bike lanes on Second and Third streets will be upgraded to bike boulevards (see Fig. 2). Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in summer/fall 2025. San Fernando Street is funded through $9.9 million in state grant funds. The remaining corridors are funded through a $4 million in federal funds. This work follows the quick-build protected bikeway network completed Downtown in 2018- 2019 and the bike boulevard frontages completed on 10th and 11th streets in 2023.
The Story-Keyes Complete Streets project will convert existing bike lanes on Keyes Street-Story Road between Third Street and King Road to a protected bikeway. The project will also feature upgrades for people walking and taking transit. The project is fully funded for construction through $36.3 million in federal and state funds.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Construction is anticipated to begin in 2027. This project follows the Story-Keyes Complete Streets Study completed by Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in 2018.
See Fig. 3 for existing conditions on Keyes Street.
Figure 2: Example of bike boulevard frontage Figure 3: Existing bikeway will be upgraded Lane on S. 10th St. by the Story-Keyes Complete Streets Project.
DOT has several planning grants to develop improvements across the City. Notably, the City received VTA Measure B funding for walking, biking, and transit improvements on Story Road between King and Clayton roads, continuing VTA’s Story-Keyes study eastwardly. Additionally, the City is conducting a study funded through a Caltrans grant to make on-street improvements to help residents use bikes in the vicinity of the Guadalupe River Trail during flood events when portions of the trail are impassable.
The City is also pursuing grant funds to update its bike plan. Rather than create a new bike plan, this effort would identify projects, policies, and programs not currently included in the bike plan that would help advance safety, equity, and mode shift. This effort would rely heavily on community engagement along with best practices and technical analysis. DOT recently applied to the Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Grant program for this effort. Notice of award is expected in August 2025.
Completion of the Trimble Road / Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing The US 101 / De La Cruz Boulevard / Trimble Road Interchange Improvement project (delivered in partnership with VTA; the City of San José DOT, Airport, and PRNS; Caltrans; the County of Santa Clara; and the City of Santa Clara) enhances safety, operations, and multimodal access. The project includes a new bicycle/pedestrian path, providing a separated connection to the Guadalupe River Trail. The path is expected to open for use in spring 2025.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Figure 4: New pathway along US 101. Figure 5: New pathway along Trimble Road.
Off-Street Trail Program
The City is developing one of the largest urban trail networks in the nation. The 100-mile trail network is planned to be entirely off-street; 66 miles currently exist. PRNS has several notable trail projects in various stages of development. Trail development occurs in phases as seen in Figure 6.
Figure 6: Phases of trail project development.
Completed Trail Projects (2025)
Coyote Creek Trail: Mabury Road to Empire Street: Construction of the 0.59-mile Coyote Creek Trail from Mabury Road to Empire Street began in July 2023 and is estimated for completion in March 2025. This segment crosses Coyote Creek and US 101 via a new pedestrian bridge and a new undercrossing, connecting the Berryessa BART station with Watson Park (see Fig. 7 below).
Coyote Creek Trail: Phelan Avenue to Tully Road: Construction of the 1.39-mile Coyote Creek Trail from Phelan Avenue to Tully Road began in December 2023 and is estimated for completion in April 2025. This segment fills a critical trail gap. Of the almost 40-mile planned Coyote Creek Trail, once construction is completed, trail users will be able to ride approximately 24 miles along the Coyote Creek between Downtown San José, at William Street and Selma Olinder Park, to Morgan Hill (see Fig. 8 below).
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Figure 7: Coyote Creek Trail, Figure 8: Coyote Creek Trail, Watson Phelan Avenue to Tully Road. Park to Mabury Road.
Other Trail Development Projects
• Design of Coyote Creek Trail: Watson Park to Julian Street Design phase funded through: VTA Measure B
Seeking grants for future construction
• Design and Construction of Bay Trail between Highway 237 and Alviso County Park
Seeking grants for design and construction phases
• Technical Memo and Permitting: Lower Silver Creek Trail Seeking grants for finalizing/updating design and construction phases • Master Plan of Five Wounds Trail: Santa Clara to Story Master plan and design phases funded through: VTA Measure B Seeking grants for remediation and construction phases
• Design of Guadalupe River Trail: Branham to Chynoweth Design phase funded through: VTA Measure B
Seeking grants for construction phase
Community Perspectives and Facility Use
In 2024, the City completed a community bicycling perceptions survey, the 2024 Trail Count, and the 2024 Annual Trail Survey. Key findings can be found in Appendix F.
Maintenance, Safety, and Operations
Maintenance, safety, and operations must be appropriately resourced as the City continues to implement its bikeway and trail networks. Appendix G provides a discussion of the City’s approach and challenges.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Funding Strategies and Needs
While the City continues to make significant steps toward implementation of its planned bikeway and trail networks, funding remains a challenge.
Better Bike Plan Funding
Capital costs for build-out of the on-street bikeway network in Better Bike Plan 2025 are estimated between $263-$370 million, depending on the types of materials used for protected bikeway separation. The Transportation Development Act, Article III (TDA3) state grant is the only guaranteed (non-competitive) source of funding received annually for bikeway improvements. TDA3 funding from Fiscal Year 2024-2025 was $1,388,980, with $1,253,980 dedicated to constructing bikeways. Total TDA3 funds for the City for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 will be $1,171,000; a significant portion of this will be allocated to building bikeways. Successful implementation of Better Bike Plan 2025 requires securing additional funding.
To best leverage resources, DOT coordinates with City programs such as pavement maintenance and Vision Zero; pursues grant funding; incorporates bikeway elements in major infrastructure projects, such as the 101/Trimble interchange; and coordinates with private development. DOT currently manages approximately $15 million in multiple grants explicitly for constructing bikeways. This does not include larger projects, such as Story-Keyes, that include bikeway elements but are not solely bikeway projects.
Better Bike Plan 2025 emphasizes quick-build implementation to allow for cost-effective near-term implementation of protected bikeways. However, quick-build materials can carry ongoing maintenance needs, such as replacement of damaged bollards. Five percent of bikeway bollards are forecasted to be replaced annually. When funding is identified, quick-build bikeways are upgraded with permanent materials, such as concrete, which will reduce ongoing maintenance needs.
Trail Network Funding
The pursuit and management of external funding sources is an essential role in the development of the trail network. PRNS staff currently manage multiple grant contracts for trail development, equaling approximately $14 million, from various local, state, and federal funding sources. In addition, PRNS has five trail projects awarded under the VTA Measure B grant program: the Coyote Creek, Five Wounds, Guadalupe River, Los Gatos Creek, and Thompson Creek trails. PRNS staff continually monitor grant opportunities to best match external funding sources with prioritized trail projects to build out the trail network strategically.
Estimated costs for build-out of the remaining segments of the trail network range from $300-$400 million, including costs for studies, master plans, environmental work,
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
design, construction, and project management. The 2016 Trail Program Strategic Plan confirms that there is no defined funding to build the remaining trail network. To date, the trail network has mostly been built by aligning and leveraging local resources to competitive grants.
COORDINATION
This memo has been coordinated with the Department of Environmental Services, the City Manager’s Budget Office, and the City Attorney’s Office. /s/ /s/
JOHN RISTOW JON CICIRELLI
Director, Department of Transportation Director, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood
Services
For questions, please contact Ryan Smith, DOT Associate Transportation Specialist, at [email protected], and Liz Sewell, PRNS Trail Program Manager, at [email protected].
ATTACHMENTS
Appendix A - Bikeway Typology Examples
Appendix B - San José Existing Bikeway Network Map
Appendix C - Select On-Street Bikeways Implemented in 2024 Appendix D - 2024 On-Street Bikeway Implementation Map
Appendix E - 2024 On-Street Bikeways Implementation Table Appendix F - Community Perspectives and Facility Use
Appendix G - Maintenance, Safety, and Operations
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Appendix A
Bikeway Typology
The following describes the bikeway types implemented throughout the City. The class number indicates the State of California legal designation for each bikeway type. • Trail (Class I) - multi-use paths for people walking or biking fully separated from motorized traffic
• Basic Bike Lane (Class II) - an area for people biking indicated by a painted stripe
• Buffered Bike Lane (Class II) - the addition of a painted buffer to a striped bike lane
• Bike Route (Class III) - a roadway that uses a combination of signs and markings (bike symbols commonly referred to as “sharrows”) that are installed in vehicle travel lanes, indicating a shared space for users, typically on neighborhood streets with lower speeds and traffic volumes • Bike Boulevard (Class III) - a bike route with traffic calming elements such as traffic circles, curb extensions, or traffic diverters
• Protected Bikeway (Class IV) - a bikeway with vertical elements physically separating bicyclists and motorized traffic, typically on higher-volume streets; elements may include plastic posts, concrete islands, or parked cars Trail (Class I), Coyote Creek Trail Basic Bike Lane (Class II), Bird Avenue
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Buffered Bike Lane (Class II), McLaughlin Avenue Bike Route with Sharrow (Class III), William Street Bike Boulevard (Class III), San Antonio Street Protected Bikeway (Class IV), Park Avenue
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Appendix B
San José Existing Bikeway Network
The following map displays the City of San José’s existing bikeway network as of January 2025.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Appendix C
Select On-Street Bikeways Implemented in 2024
Left: Lane reduction and new bike lanes on Right: New protected bikeway on Almaden Blvd.
Taylor St. implemented via pavement maintenance. upgraded from existing bike lanes during paving.
Left: New bike boulevard on Kammerer Av. Right: New protected bikeway on Murphy Avenue near Cesar Chavez Elementary School. implemented via one-time grant funding.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Appendix D
Map of 2024 On-Street Bikeway Implementation
The following map displays the on-street bikeways work completed in calendar year 2024.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Appendix E
Table of 2024 On-Street Bikeway Implementation
New On-Street Bikeways Added in 2024
Street From To Bikeway
Type
Length
(Miles)
Council
District Funding or Program Source
21st St Santa Clara
St
Roosevelt
Park
Bike
Boulevard 0.1 3
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) 28th St Santa Clara
St
San
Antonio St
Bike
Boulevard 0.2 3
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Almaden Bl Balbach Av Grant St Buffered
Bike Lane 0.1 3 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Almaden Ex Alma Av La Rossa
Ci
Buffered
Bike Lane 0.3 7 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Bernal Rd San Ignacio
Av
Highway
85 Buffered
Bike Lane 0.9 2, 10 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Bonita Av William Ct San
Antonio St
Bike
Boulevard 0.2 3
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Coleman Av Santa
Teresa St Julian St Buffered Bike Lane 0.4 3, 6 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance Devcon Dr Bering Dr Zanker Rd Protected
Bikeway 0.2 3 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Julian St Montgomery
St
Almaden
Bl Bike Lane 0.4 6 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Julian St 21st St 28th St Protected
Bikeway 0.4 3
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Ruby Av Evergreen
Village Sq Delta Rd Buffered Bike Lane 0.5 8 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance Snell Av Santa
Teresa Bl
Highway
85 Buffered
Bike Lane 0.7 10 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Story Rd Jackson Av Capitol Ex Buffered
Bike Lane 0.4 5 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Story Rd King Rd Jackson
Av
Protected
Bikeway 0.8 5 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Taylor St The
Alameda
Stockton
Av
Buffered
Bike Lane 0.4 6 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Vistapark
Dr
Hyde Park
Dr
Branham
Ln
Protected
Bikeway 0.2 2 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
William Ct Bonita Av McLaughlin
Av
Bike
Boulevard 0.4 3
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Winfield Bl Coleman
Rd
Old Quarry
Rd
Protected
Bikeway 0.8 10 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Subtotal of New On-Street Bikeways
Added in 2024 7.4
Upgrades to Existing On-Street Bikeways in 2024
Street From To Bikeway
Type
Length
(Miles)
Council
District Funding or Program Source
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
10th St Humboldt
St Alma Av Protected Bikeway 0.2 7
DOT Neighborhood Traffic
Management Program
33rd St Melody Ln San
Antonio St
Bike
Boulevard 0.9 3, 5 Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Aborn Rd Ruby Av Gurdwara
Av
Protected
Bikeway 0.8 8
MTC Technical Assistance Program
(Regional Grant Funds)
Almaden Bl Santa Clara
St
Balbach
Av
Protected
Bikeway 0.7 3 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Berryessa
Rd Mabury Rd Lundy Av Protected Bikeway 1.0 3, 4 Transportation Fund for Clean Air Program (Regional Grant Funds) Branham Ln Snell Av Hounds
Haven Wy
Protected
Bikeway 1.2 2
Transportation Fund for Clean Air
Program (Regional Grant Funds)
Cherry Av Almaden
Ex
Sanchez
Dr
Protected
Bikeway 0.3 9
Transportation Fund for Clean Air
Program (Regional Grant Funds)
Coleman Av Santa
Teresa St Taylor St Protected Bikeway 0.6 6
MTC Technical Assistance Program
(Regional Grant Funds)
Coleman
Rd
Almaden
Ex
Santa
Teresa Bl
Protected
Bikeway 0.8 10 MTC Technical Assistance Program (Regional Grant Funds) Hamilton Av Campbell
Av Beck Dr Protected Bikeway 1.0 1 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance Hedding St Elm St Chestnut
St
Protected
Bikeway 0.3 6
MTC Technical Assistance Program
(Regional Grant Funds)
Hillsdale Av Narvaez Av Charter
Park Dr
Protected
Bikeway 0.6 2, 7 MTC Technical Assistance Program (Regional Grant Funds) Hostetter
Rd Lundy Av Capitol Ex Protected Bikeway 1.1 4
MTC Technical Assistance Program
(Regional Grant Funds)
Jose
Figueres Av
Alum Rock
Av McKee Rd Bike Boulevard 0.5 5
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Kammerer
Av King Rd Jackson St
Bike
Boulevard 0.8 5
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Los GatosAlmaden
Rd
Rosswood
Dr Union Av Protected Bikeway 0.3 9 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance Lundy Av Trade Zone
Bl
Hostetter
Rd
Protected
Bikeway 1.4 3, 4 Transportation Fund for Clean Air Program (Regional Grant Funds) McKee Rd King Rd El Rancho
Verde Ln
Protected
Bikeway 0.4 5
One Bay Area Grant Program (Federal
Grant Funds)
McKee Rd Jose
Figueres Av
Interstate
680
Protected
Bikeway 0.3 5
One Bay Area Grant Program
(Federal Grant Funds)
McKee Rd Interstate
680
Sorge Park
Pl
Protected
Bikeway 0.3 5
One Bay Area Grant Program
(Federal Grant Funds)
McKee Rd Francis Dr White Rd Protected
Bikeway 0.1 5
One Bay Area Grant Program
(Federal Grant Funds)
Meridian Av Coleman
Rd
Redmond
Av
Protected
Bikeway 0.7 10 MTC Technical Assistance Program (Regional Grant Funds) Moorpark
Av Boynton Av Saratoga Av
Protected
Bikeway 0.7 1 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Murphy Av Oakland Rd Lundy Av Protected
Bikeway 0.6 3, 4 MTC Technical Assistance Program (Regional Grant Funds) Nieman Bl Goldendew
Dr
Yerba
Buena Rd
Protected
Bikeway 0.8 8
MTC Technical Assistance Program
(Regional Grant Funds)
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Ocala Av Ridgemont
Dr Capitol Ex Protected Bikeway 0.4 5, 8 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance Orchard Py Atmel Dr 1st St Protected
Bikeway 1.5 4 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Packing Pl Preservation
Dr
San
Antonio St
Bike
Boulevard 0.1 5
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Phelan Av Roberts Av McLaughlin
Av Bike Lane 0.6 7 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Ringwood
Av
Trade Zone
Bl McKay Dr Protected Bikeway 1.2 3, 4 MTC Technical Assistance Program (Regional Grant Funds) Ruby Av Aborn Rd Norwood
Av
Protected
Bikeway 1.2 8
DOT Neighborhood Traffic
Management Program
San Antonio
St 19th St 24th St Bike Boulevard 0.4 3
Transportation Development Act, Article
III (State Grant Funds)
San Ignacio
Av
Santa
Teresa Bl Bernal Rd Protected Bikeway 1.1 10 Transportation Fund for Clean Air Program (Regional Grant Funds) Sanchez Dr Cherry Av Blossom
Hill Rd
Protected
Bikeway 0.4 9
Transportation Fund for Clean Air
Program (Regional Grant Funds)
Santa
Teresa Bl Chantilly Ln Bailey Av Protected Bikeway 2.7 10 MTC Technical Assistance Program (Regional Grant Funds) Scharff Av Alum Rock
Av
San
Antonio St
Bike
Boulevard 0.2 5
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Sierra Rd Bellemead
St
De Rome
Dr
Protected
Bikeway 0.5 3, 4 Transportation Fund for Clean Air Program (Regional Grant Funds) Snell Av Hillsdale Av Branham
Ln
Protected
Bikeway 1.4 2, 7 Transportation Development Act, Article III (State Grant Funds) Sunset Av Alum Rock
Av
Lavonne
Av
Bike
Boulevard 0.7 5
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Technology
Dr Skyport Dr Airport Pk Protected Bikeway 0.4 6 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance Thornwood
Av
Santa
Teresa Bl
Winfield
Dr
Protected
Bikeway 0.4 10 Transportation Development Act, Article III (State Grant Funds) Tully Rd Flint Av Capitol Ex Protected
Bikeway 1.3 8
MTC Technical Assistance Program
(Regional Grant Funds)
Westmont
Av Quito Rd Harriet Av Buffered Bikeway 1.0 1 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance William St McLaughlin
Av
Brookwood
Av
Bike
Boulevard 0.3 3
Safe and Seamless Mobility QuickStrike Program (Federal Grant Funds) Winfield Bl Blossom Hill
Rd
Coleman
Rd
Protected
Bikeway 0.2 10 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Woz Wy Almaden Bl Locust St Protected
Bikeway 0.4 3 DOT Annual Pavement Maintenance
Subtotal of Upgrades to Existing
On-Street Bikeways in 2024 32.8
Total Bikeways Miles Completed in 2024 40.2
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Appendix F
Community Perceptions and Facility Use
Bike Plan Survey Update
In 2024, the City surveyed 1,117 residents to gauge community perceptions of bicycling in San José. This follows up on a similar survey conducted in 2019. Each survey garnered responses from approximately 100 residents per City Council district. Key findings from the 2024 survey include:
• Approximately one in ten residents regularly bike for transportation, while a majority drive alone as their primary mode of transportation. • Protected bikeways and trails increase residents’ comfort level with biking. • Fifty-two percent of residents are interested in biking more for transportation. • A majority of those surveyed agree that making streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists should be a priority, even if it means slowing vehicle speeds or removing on-street parking.
• Top concerns include aggressive drivers, sharing the road with motor vehicles, getting into collisions, and having one’s bicycle stolen. • In 2019, 39% of respondents reported that one of the biggest challenges to bike riding in San José was “inadequate bike lanes / lack of bike lanes.” This percent decreased to 18% in the 2024 survey
Additionally, data from the City’s micromobility operators shows that significant trips are being made using the City’s shared micromobility systems. In 2024, more than 75,000 trips were made in San José using the Bay Wheels bike share program. Shared electric scooters saw an even higher amount of usage, with more than 223,500 trips made in 2024. Electric scooters should be ridden on streets and in bikeways, not on sidewalks, which is factored into the City’s efforts to build out its protected bikeway network.
Annual Trail Count and Survey
Trail Count 2024 occurred on Wednesday, September 11 between the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and included three manual count stations and four automatic count stations, along seven different trail systems. Results from the 2024 show an overall increase in trail use citywide, with significant increases on the Guadalupe River Trail and the Thompson Creek Trail, at 29.3% and 140% increases, respectively. See the table below. New this year, through a partnership with the San José Conservation Corps, the annual Trail Count is beginning the transition from conducting manual, once-per-year counts to receiving year-round count data through the installation of automatic counters at multiple trail locations across San José. As of this year’s Trail Count, conducted in September, four automatic counters were operational, with more planned installations coming soon.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Comparison of trail counts per year.
*Automatic counter data provided through partnership with the San José Conservation Corps and i8Labs.
Available in three languages, the 2024 Annual Trail Survey was open for six weeks from early September to mid-October and received 535 survey responses. Some of the findings from the survey include:
• Continuing a recent trend, this year showed health as the primary reason for trail users accessing the Trail Network (60%).
• Almost 80% of survey respondents agree or strongly agree that proximity to a trail positively affects where they choose to live.
• When asked what negatively impacts trail use, recurring messages included lack of shade during hot weather months, lack of parking near trail entrances, water fountains being unavailable, fast motorized bicycle users, and seasonal flooding requiring closures.
• When asked what would encourage increased trail use, common topics included:
more frequent garbage removal, faster clean up response after seasonal flooding, more water fountains and seating for rest breaks, and continued use of San José Conservation Corps Trail Safety Patrol teams.
• The highest stated feature to encourage increased trail use centered on the theme of cleaning encampments and removing debris, glass, off-leash dogs, and vehicles on the trails to improve the feeling of safety.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Feedback on trail user experiences is beneficial for improving design, operations, and long-range project planning to continue advancing the City’s goal of a 100-mile interconnected trail network. A full copy of the 2024 Annual Trail Count and Survey Report is available on the City’s Trail Count webpage.1
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March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Appendix G
Maintenance, Safety, and Operations
Maintenance, safety, and operations must be appropriately resourced as the City continues to implement its on-street bikeway network and off-street trail network.
Appendix E provides an overview of the City’s approach along with a discussion of challenges.
On-Street Bikeways
Maintenance activities must be appropriately resourced as the City continues to implement its on-street bikeway network. Currently, all public streets in the city are swept at least one time per month. Major arterials, commercial streets, and bikeways are swept two to four times per month between the hours of 2:00 am and 11:00 am, to minimize impacts on residents and businesses. The City currently has one narrow sweeper designed to fit into a protected bikeway, and a second, all-electric narrow sweeper coming online soon. DOT coordinates internally to ensure that newly designed protected bikeways are wide enough for sweeper access. Additionally, in the Downtown area, Groundwerx sweeps bikeways and sidewalks as part of their downtown maintenance.
The City faces two challenges in addressing bikeway maintenance. The first is insufficient resources to enforce or maintain the bikeway network. Enforcement mechanisms exist within various City departments, including in DOT and the Environmental Services Department (ESD), however capacity for enforcement is currently limited. ESD’s Integrated Waste Management enforcement program is complaint-based and education-focused. In 2024, the team investigated public reports of solid waste containers obstructing the bicycle lane and mailed 83 reminder letters about container set out options. Integrated Waste Management Division Recycling Ambassador field staff, who are in neighborhoods daily inspecting recycling carts, note occurrences where containers obstruct bicycle lanes for follow up reminder letters to be mailed beginning spring 2025. At the March 2024 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting, a question was asked about whether the City’s Code Enforcement staff, who enforce early residential yard trimmings pile set-out from April to October, could extend enforcement to November. Integrated Waste Management staff met with Code Enforcement staff in April 2024 and passed along this request, which resulted in Code Enforcement’s agreement to extend enforcement by one month, to November 1.
The second challenge is constrained public right-of-way. In many locations, the combination of high on-street parking demand, frequent driveways, and bikeways creates competing uses for space, resulting in residents placing yard waste, recycling, and trash out for collection in ways that violate set-out requirements in the San José Municipal Code. As bikeways infrastructure is utilized, concerns have increased regarding debris, waste bins, and yard trimming collection blocking on-street bikeways.
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
Additionally, many challenges exist to effective sweeping within bikeways, including parked cars, yard trimmings piles, solid waste containers, and narrow bikeways that limit or prevent sweeper access. City staff in several departments, including DOT and ESD, are evaluating possible solutions to these concerns.
Integrated Waste Management continues to provide education and outreach to discourage set-out practices in bike lanes whenever possible. In 2024, a comprehensive Residential Services Program guide with set-out instructions was mailed to all singlefamily and multi-family dwelling residents. Integrated Waste Management Division staff also reached out to all five residential and commercial solid waste collection service providers to request that they return emptied containers back to the curb, provide feedback about areas where curbside set out is challenging, and to solicit ideas and best practices from their work in other cities. DOT and Integrated Waste Management Division staff have coordinated on multiple topics including Downtown improvements, on-street bikeway design and implementation, solid waste collection and storage issues, right-of-way use, safer available solid waste container set-out locations in multiple bikeway configurations, and locations that might benefit from a pilot project to draw attention to container set-out and street safety.
Constrained right-of-way creates competing uses for space (left). Education to residents regarding appropriate set-out locations is under development (right).
Additionally, the need to accommodate bike storage and facilitate first-last mile transit use (such as bike racks, bike lockers, bike share stations, and shared scooter and bike share deployments) present additional challenges in competing for limited right-of-way space, especially in commercial areas and near transit facilities with limited sidewalk space. The City currently has approximately 5,000 bike parking spaces at numerous bike racks citywide, 218 bike locker spaces, 82 bike share stations with 1,250 shared bikes, and 1,500 shared scooters, all of which provide transportation service for residents while competing for right-of-way space. The City anticipates adding
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
approximately eight more bike locker spaces in 2025. The bike share program is planned to increase by an additional 32 stations, primarily in East San José, through a variety of grant sources. Implementation of a select number of these stations is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2025. To address these competing needs for right-ofway, DOT is coordinating its planning efforts internally and with other departments including PBCE, Public Works, and ESD.
The need to accommodate bicycle parking/storage and to provide first-last mile micromobility service via shared bikes and scooters creates additional right-of-way use challenges, particularly in areas with onstreet bikeways, narrow sidewalks, pedestrian activity, transit/commercial vehicle loading, and on-street automobile parking.
Off-Street Trails
A trail safety pilot was formulated by PRNS in 2021 to make meaningful improvements to community safety. The pilot deploys San José Conservation Corps (Corps) members under the oversight of Park Rangers to improve safety along the Coyote Creek Trail between William Street and Phelan Avenue. The Corps members provide “eyes on the trail” and perform light maintenance and landscaping to support a sense of environmental safety. Initially undertaken as part of the City's Resilience Corps funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, this pilot has continued with the State of California Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant which was exhausted in the spring of 2024. Staff is supporting the Corps' pursuit of grants, seeking to continue the Trail Safety Program.
The park maintenance teams use a contractor to address weeds along trails near residential areas to reduce fire fuel load by mowing and spraying 3 to 5 feet on each side of the trail. This also assists with visibility, as the weeds can reach 6 feet tall if not treated. Staff on maintenance routes are also assigned to clearing trails, making minor repairs, and ensuring health and safety of the trail system. Due to limited staffing resources, this service is performed approximately once per week on lighter trails, while higher-use trails such as the Downtown section for Guadalupe River Trail from Alviso to Virginia Street have dedicated staffing and are serviced daily. Additionally, volunteers
TRANSPORTATION & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
March 17, 2025
Subject: Bike Plan and Trail Network Annual Report
play a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the trails throughout the City of San José. Each year, the Volunteer Management Unit participates in Bay Area Ridge Trail Day, an event that aligns with one of PRNS's core principles: "Stewardship." During this event, staff and volunteers collaborate with various partners to build new trails and maintain existing ones along the Ridge Trail. In 2024, the Volunteer Management Unit partnered with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful to host a day of service at Coyote Creek Trail on Saturday, November 2nd. A total of 60 volunteers joined forces, contributing 195 volunteer hours, which is valued at more than $6,900. This event is just one example of the ongoing impact that volunteers and our partners have in sustaining and improving our trails throughout the year.
In January 2022, the City and Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) established the Coyote Creek Trail Patrol Program, in which the San José Police Department patrols a three-mile stretch of the Coyote Creek Trail between William Street and Tully Road. The patrol was initially established on a one-time basis, with each organization providing $400,000 in funding for a one-year term. In 2022-2023, the City and Valley Water continued the then-jointly funded program for an additional year and expanded it to include the Guadalupe River Trail. The agreement between the City and Valley Water ended June 30, 2023. Valley Water did not renew the agreement and has not contributed any funds for the program since then. However, the City has continued the program in 2024-2025 on a one-time basis, allowing one police officer and one police sergeant to perform eight-hour shift patrols three to four days per week.
Patrol duties include discouraging illegal activities and ensuring residents feel safe when using the trail. These patrol shifts are said to be popular among police officers who undertake proactive enforcement along the trails and engage the trail users. Staff and the community have reported their appreciation for the presence and service of the police officers in the Trail Patrol Program.