The streets are for everyone: How SJ is becoming one of America's most bike-friendly cities

In the last 10 years, San Jose has made substantial changes to its streetscape to make it more bike-friendly. In an Opp Now exclusive, we talked to John Brazil, Transportation Options Program Manager, and Colin Heyne, Public Information Manager in the City's Dept. of Transportation. They described the unique opportunities and challenges of creating a bike-friendly environment while respecting vehicular traffic.

Opportunity Now: Let's start with the basics: SJ has done a lot of work to expand its bicycle facilities and network in the last 10 years. What are the major improvements and expansions that are of note?

John Brazil/Colin Heyne: Here are some highlights from the past couple of years:

2018 & 2019: We implemented Better BikewaySJ, which added 10 miles of protected bike lanes and slow shared streets in and around Downtown.
Combined with locations outside of Downtown, 11 miles of protected bike lane were added in San José in 2018/19
2020: After completing implementation of the 400 miles of on-street bikeways called for in our 2009 Bike Plan 2020, City Council unanimously approved our new city bike plan, Better Bike Plan 2025.
2021: Another 38 miles of bikeways were added to San José streets, 2 miles of which were protected bike lanes and 5 miles of which were paint buffered.
Our bike parking has dramatically expanded and now offers free bike rack installation to private property owners. Read more here.
Programs such as Bike to Work Day (now called Bike to Wherever Days), Viva CalleSJ, and Walk ‘n’ Roll, as well as press conferences, workshops, and speaker events have sought to build bike culture and foster understanding from drivers in San José.

ON: Do you have data re: how many people ride bikes now as compared to, say, ten years ago?

JB/CH: Upwards of 3 percent of people bike to work as their primary means of traveling throughout the city. In addition, 9 percent of people reported using a bike as their secondary mode, which means they use other means, like driving, taking transit, or walking, most of the time but still use a bike often. Unfortunately, our best source of similar data from a decade ago is the American Community Survey, which only asks about primary mode of travel to work and ignores multi-modal trips such as bike + transit. In 2010, the estimate for biking to work in San José was 0.8%.

ON: How does SJ compare to other cities in terms of the amount of bike riding?

JB/CH: The advocacy organization People for Bikes ranks San José as #64 for biking, out of 104 large cities.

ON: When you do demographic analysis of bike ridership, does it skew towards  young male like in other cities?

JB/CH: We surveyed San José residents using statistically representative sampling for the bike plan. 13% of men who responded said they are “Strong and Fearless” or “Enthused and Confident” when it comes to riding a bike, versus 6% of women. 11% of White respondents indicated as such, versus 10% Hispanic/Latino and 10% Asian. 12% of 16-44-year-olds agreed with those statements, versus 10% for 45-54-year-olds and 8% for 55+.

ON: What's a realistic target for successful bike ridership in next ten years?

JB/CH: While only 3 percent of trips in San José are currently made by bike, our Plan advances the ambitious Envision San José 2040 General Plan goal of reaching 15 percent of trips by bike by 2040.

ON: What are the obstacles towards getting there?

JB/CH: Feeling unsafe riding on the street is the most commonly cited reason for not riding a bike. Surveys conducted for Better Bike Plan 2025 found that safety was the biggest concern. Other common barriers to bicycling, as identified by the community on page 32 the bike plan, include:

Carrying things I need (54% of respondents)
Bike theft (66%)
Lack of secure bike parking (62%)
Transporting other people (45%)
Long distances (61%)
Knowing the route (60%)

ON: Does bike usage decrease traffic congestion?

JB/CH: Yes. Generally, if a person rides a bike instead of driving a car, less space on the road is used and space is freed up for the remaining vehicles. Additionally, 8-10 bikes can be parked in the space of one car. A recent study from Carnegie Mellon University looks more closely at this issue and finds that more bike infrastructure is needed to fully realize this potential.

ON: What do you say to people who complain that bike lanes take up car lanes and increase traffic?

JB/CH: It’s unusual for a bike lane to “take up a car lane.” More often, we narrow general travel lanes if we need room for a bike lane. Sometimes, we reconfigure lanes in what is often called a “road diet.” But road diets usually are considered when we have excess capacity, meaning we have more room for cars than is considered needed in federal and local guidelines. If any road reconfiguration adds bike lanes, whether lane narrowing or a road diet, it gives more people the option to ride a bike and thus potentially reduces vehicle traffic on that street.

ON: Any bicycle safety metrics of note?

JB/CH: We look at bike safety alongside the safety of all travel modes in the city. Overall reported crashes declined from 2014 to 2017, but severe and fatal crashes generally held steady.