Form Name: Boards and Commissions Application
Unique ID: 1355684499
Applicant Information
Name Daniel J Karpelevitch
Are you a Sunnyvale resident? Yes
How long have you lived in
Sunnyvale?
1 year
Description Area Residence Notice:Unless otherwise noted, your principal place of residence must be in Sunnyvale. You must live in Sunnyvale at the time of appointment and at all times during service on a board or commission.
Current Main Residence
Email
Phone
Are you currently a registered
voter in Sunnyvale?
Yes
When was the last time you
voted? Month/Year
The last general election, November 2024
Have you ever served on a City of
Sunnyvale board or commission?
No
Have you attended a meeting of
the City Council, or a board or
commission?
Yes
Office Use Only
Date Received:
__________
Voter registration
verified:
By:
_________________
__
Office Use Only
Date Re
ceived: __________
Voter registration verified:
On: ___________________
By: ___________________
Date Received:
Voter registration verified:
On:
By: ___________________
6/24/25
6/25/25
MH
I
Daniel Karpelevitch
Briefly describe what you learned
by watching or attending a
meeting of the City Council,
board or commission. What
improvements would you
suggest?
Over the past year, I've attended several City Council and BPAC meetings as well as community meetings for bicycle and
pedestrian safety improvement projects and gained a clearer understanding of how city priorities are set and how projects move from concept to implementation. I've come to appreciate the complexity of balancing community needs, staff capacity, and long-term goals. I've also seen how public input, planning, and policy intersect to shape outcomes on the ground.
One key improvement I would suggest is fostering a more forward-thinking culture-one that's willing to challenge the status quo and not default to "this is how it's always been done." Too often, that mindset can stall innovation and prevent us from making the bold changes needed to improve safety,
sustainability, and equity in our transportation systems. I would also suggest making it easier to cut through red tap to make small fixes and improvements easier and faster to implement.
Have you attended meetings of
the board(s) or commission(s) for
which you are applying?
Yes
How many meetings have you
attended?
Not sure of the exact number but approximately 4-5
Board or Commission Selection
First Choice Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Applicant Qualifications
What motivated you to apply for
this board or commission?
I was motivated to apply for a position on the BPAC because I care deeply about making walking and cycling safer, more efficient, more comfortable, and more attractive. I believe that giving as many people as possible as many viable transportation modes as possible is one of the most impactful things local government can do to make our city more livable, safer, and environmentally friendly. I hope that as a member of the BPAC I can have a positive impact on the direction of our city's infrastructure.
Daniel Karpelevitch
What skills or attributes can you
bring to this board or
commission?
The skills and attributes I would bring to the BPAC include over a decade of experience as a multi-disciplinary cyclist, a broad base of knowledge of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in Sunnyvale, other Bay Area cities, cities in other states, and even internationally, and a positive attitude that can help bring people together, build bridges, find compromises, and achieve
consensus. I am a diplomatic and empathetic communicator. a logical thinker, and a thoughtful listener.
The primary role of a board or
commission member is to provide
advice to City Council on policy
issues that are within the scope
of the board or commission. What
steps would you take to
effectively exercise this specific
board or commission role?
To effectively advise the City Council, I would draw on both my experience serving on the City of Fremont's Mobility Commission and my growing understanding of this city's priorities and challenges.
From my prior service, I've learned how to work productively with staff, collaborate with fellow commissioners, and provide thoughtful, well-informed recommendations to elected officials. I understand the importance of grounding advice in community needs, policy frameworks, and data-while also recognizing the political and logistical realities that shape decision-making.
Here, I would focus on:
1. Listening to the community, especially those who rely on walking, biking, and transit.
2. Staying informed on the city's General Plan, Active
Transportation Plan, Climate Action Plan, Vision Zero efforts, and other relevant transportation initiatives.
3. Supporting long-term goals, including safety, sustainability, VMT reduction, and mode shift
Education – List college degrees,
majors and any relevant training
or experience that demonstrates
your ability to effectively serve
on this board or commission.
While my education and work experience are not directly applicable to the BPAC, I do have a broad range of experience that would make me an excellent candidate for the BPAC.
1. Prior service on a similar commission: Before moving to Sunnyvale, I served on the City of Fremont's Mobility Commission, a direct analogue of the BPAC, as a bicycling representative.
2. As a Board Member of the Team Fremont Bicycle Racing and Fremont Freewheelers Bicycle Club (as the race team liaison), I worked to steer the two organizations through a variety of challenges and help bring the two sister organizations closer together.
Daniel Karpelevitch
Describe your involvement in
community activities, volunteer
and civic organizations.
I am a member of the Fremont Freewheelers Bicycle Club, Wester Wheelers Bicycle Club, Team Fremont, and have been involved in advocacy organizations such as Bike East Bay, Bike Fremont, SVBC, Bike Sunnyvale, and Safe Streets Sunnyvale, just to name the ones relevant to BPAC. I volunteered on many occasions at free bike repair clinics hosted by FFBC and Bike Fremont, helping repair bikes for those who needed it most. I have participated in countless community meetings regarding various bike/ped projects, have been part of community outreach efforts such as meetings with local residents and flyering campaigns for various bike/ped projects, and while not technically a volunteer position, I have been a poll worker in nearly every election (including primaries, midterms, and special elections) since 2018.
Description Area The City has a Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials and an Attendance Policy (7.2.19), 2 G (II) that appointed members are required to follow.
Do you have any concerns related
to the above code and policy?
No
Are you willing to accept a
temporary appointment for the
remainder of an unexpired term?
Yes
Board or Commission-Specific Questions
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission
Category One: I am a bicyclist or
pedestrian residing in Sunnyvale.
Yes
Daniel Karpelevitch
Like many Santa Clara County
cities, Sunnyvale is faced with
problems stemming from traffic
congestion and air pollution.
Suggest ways the City can
improve facilities for bicyclists
and pedestrians. Also, how might
the City improve education and
safety programs for motorists,
bicyclists and pedestrians?
There are several common-sense improvements the city could make such as implementing elevated or separated bikeways and protected intersections on roads with high speeds and building safer crosswalks elements such as raised crosswalks, bulb-outs, median islands, and channelization. Looking at our roads more holistically, stricter segmentation of road classifications greatly improve the cyclist and pedestrian (and even driver) experience.
For example, removing driveways from high-speed roads (whose purpose is efficient movement, not serving as access to a destination) would reduce high-speed conflicts.
Another part of the holistic approach is separating routes that prioritize cars from those that prioritize bikes. This can be accomplished through implementing modal filters, road diets, bike-only routes, and strategic road improvements. As an example of an existing successful implementation of such a strategy is Mathilda Ave (which could be considered the "car route") and the parallel Borregas Ave and Sunnyvale Ave (the "bike route"). These two routes serve a similar purpose - serving as a North-South connector between downtown and areas of northern Sunnyvale such as Moffett Park. The highway overpasses on Borregas and the future bike/ped only Caltrain underpass on Sunnyvale Ave make Borregas/Sunnyvale only useful for cars accessing local destinations, but make it a useful and safe through route for cyclists. Another future example could be Central Expressway and Evelyn Ave, once the multi-use path is complete.
Education and safety programs could be improved by focusing messaging on laws that are either commonly ignored or that are new. Examples include: changing lanes to pass cyclists, giving at least 3 feet when passing if there is not another lane, and not crossing a double yellow line to pass. Another example is not parking in daylighting zones, which despite outreach efforts appears to not be widely known or obeyed. This could take the form of signage campaigns to remind and inform road users.
Description Area View the Active Transportation Plan
Have you read the Active
Transportation Plan?
Yes
Daniel Karpelevitch
What are your thoughts on the
Active Transportation Plan?
Overall, I think the ATP is a well-thought-out, realistic, and actionable plan. However, there is also room for improvement which could be implemented in future plans. For example, there are roads that were not included in the list of recommended projects for reasons other than the need for the project, such as perceived political viability, cost, or limited design options at the time. However, within the time span of a plan, there is potential for these factors to change. The ATP should include
"unconstrained vision" type projects, so as to not needlessly constrain our choice of projects in the future. We should also aim to set our sights higher and raise the bar on what consider to be safe enough.
Description Area View the Vision Zero Plan
Have you read the Vision Zero
Plan?
Yes
What are your thoughts on the
Vision Zero Plan?
I think the Vision Zero Plan is a step in the right direction and the suggested treatments, designs, and solutions are good ideas.
However, as with many American cities' interpretation of the original Swedish concept, some things were lost in translation.
Rather than just looking at "Vision Zero" as a buzz word or a box to check, we should evaluate our approach in a holistic way, such as aiming to reduce speeds below 25 mph on local streets, clearly distinguish between access streets and through roads, and deprioritize space allocated to cars where it can be put to better use. We should also explore other European road safety concepts such as Sustainable Safety to ensure we are benefiting as much as possible from others' experience.
Demographic Information
Your age
Your gender
Description Area LGBTQIA+ Identity (LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and the “+” is an all-inclusive way to include additional terms used to describe one’s gender, romantic, and sexual identities for those who do not identify with heterosexuality or the gender binary.)
LGBTQIA+ Identity
Daniel Karpelevitch
Race or Ethnicity (select all that
apply)
Do you speak a language other
than English?
Which languages?
Household Income
Residence - Are you a
Do you live in a
Your Agreement
Description Area IMPORTANT NOTICE – READ BEFORE SIGNING:By selecting both “Yes” and “Submit Form” below I am adding my digital signature to this application. I am also agreeing with the following statements:All statements I have made on this application are true and correct.I authorize the City of Sunnyvale (City) to investigate the accuracy of this information.I release the City from all claims and liabilities arising from such investigation.I acknowledge that any false statement on this application will be grounds for the City to deny my appointment. A false statement discovered later, will be grounds to dismiss me from my appointment at any time.I acknowledge that any false statement on this application could lead to criminal charges. Charges could fall under California Penal Code, Section 115 or other applicable law.
I agree Yes
Your full name Daniel Jacob Karpelevitch
Date Jun 22, 2025
Daniel Karpelevitch