Sunnyvale BPAC recommends buffered bike lanes on Hollenbeck Avenue, voting to remove on‑street parking

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) on Tuesday recommended that City Council adopt buffered, non‑parking bike lanes on Hollenbeck Avenue between Danford Drive and Alberta Avenue, a change that would remove on‑street parking along the study corridor.

Transportation Planner Eric Trujillo presented the Hollenbeck Avenue bike lane study and described three principal options the city analyzed: (1) full removal of on‑street parking to install buffered (Class 2) bike lanes; (2a/2b) bike lanes that retain parking on one side of the street (two variations were analyzed); and (3) maintain existing conditions aligned with the Active Transportation Plan. Trujillo said the study included two rounds of outreach, on‑street counts and collision data, and a high‑level cost estimate: “The cost to implement this option is approximately $5,000,000,” he said of the build alternatives.

Why it matters: Hollenbeck is a residential collector that serves several schools, parks and community destinations. Residents and parents described children who bicycle or walk to school and urged safer, continuous bicycle facilities. Supporters of a full buffered design said the treatment would remove the “door zone” created by parked cars and could increase safe bicycling for children and adults. Opponents said removal of street parking would harm residents, service providers and people with mobility needs who rely on curb access.

Public comment ran for more than two hours. Speakers who supported full removal and buffered lanes (Option 1) included Charlene Liu, speaking for Sunnyvale Safe Streets: “Option 1 is the only safe option for everybody, especially our children.” Mark Colady, a local cycling coach, told commissioners children “never get to learn those skills” needed to ride safely in narrow unbuffered lanes. Several parents and bicycling advocates told the commission they would allow their children to ride on Hollenbeck only if a buffer removed the door zone.

Opponents emphasized parking needs for residents and service vehicles. Resident Rupa Ball said many service providers — gardeners, repair technicians and medical visits — rely on curbside parking and heavy equipment, and asked commissioners to consider how those functions would be preserved. Multiple speakers said most homes on the corridor have driveways and garages, but they argued that driveway capacity does not remove the need for occasional curb access.

Study findings presented by the consultant included these highlights: the corridor contains about 340 existing on‑street spaces; observed maximum on‑street parking utilization during the study was about 96 parked vehicles; Option 2a could retain roughly 144 on‑street spaces, Option 2b about 106; and the largest single implementation cost driver is intersection work at Hollenbeck and Fremont. The consultant also reported that a majority of survey respondents lived within one to four blocks of Hollenbeck and that public survey support in the study sample was split across alternatives (the presentation cited roughly 37% for Option 1, 16% for Option 2 and 52% for Option 3 across the full sample, with variation by neighborhood).

BPAC discussion focused on speed, enforcement, traffic calming and equity. Commissioners asked staff about the posted speed (staff said 30 mph is posted and earlier report text listing 35 mph and an 85th percentile of 40 mph were typographical errors; the observed 85th percentile cited in the meeting was about 34 mph). Staff told the commission the city will prioritize an updated engineering speed survey within the next six months and had already begun a separate traffic‑calming study initiated by residents; staff emphasized the two efforts are separate processes but will be coordinated if both move forward.

Motion and vote: Vice Chair Beagle moved and Commissioner Bonnet seconded a motion recommending City Council approve Option 1 (buffered bike lanes with removal of on‑street parking). The motion passed on a roll‑call vote: 5 yes, 1 no, 1 absent. BPAC staff noted their written recommendation to council had been for a different variant (a bike lane option that retains parking on the west side in certain segments, referred to as Option 2b), but the commission voted to send Option 1 to council.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of consent calendar (minutes of Sept. 18 BPAC meeting): motion carried (recorded earlier in the meeting as 5 yeses, 2 absent). - Hollenbeck Avenue bike lane study: BPAC recommends City Council approve Option 1 (buffered bike lanes, removal of on‑street parking). Motion passed 5–1–1.

What comes next: Staff said the study and alternatives will go to City Council for a public hearing and selection; the presentation noted a planned council hearing on Dec. 2. If Council selects a build alternative, staff said the project would require funding (the high‑level build estimate presented was about $5 million) and additional design work, including detailed crossing studies and right‑of‑way considerations. Staff said the city will explore grant and project‑pairing opportunities to move any selected alternative toward design and construction.

Commissioners asked staff to return to BPAC or council with implementation sequencing, traffic‑calming coordination, and clarified parking‑mitigation steps for residents. The commission’s recommendation sends the more protective, buffered design to council for final decision.