County committee forwards Active Transportation Plan to supervisors with VTA conditions, asks for clearer equity prioritization

Santa Clara County’s Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee on April 17 voted to forward the countywide Active Transportation Plan (ATP) to the Board of Supervisors with the conditions recommended by the Valley Transportation Authority’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (VTA BPAC) and with a request that county staff supply a clearer equity-based explanation for how corridor priorities were selected.

The recommendation followed a lengthy staff presentation and public comment from nine speakers, including members of the VTA and county advisory commissions. The plan sets countywide goals for walking, biking and rolling, recommends separated shared-use paths on high-speed expressways, and outlines steps for project-level feasibility studies and grant applications.

The ATP is intended as a general-plan–level blueprint for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure across both unincorporated county roads and the county expressway system. Roads and Airports Director Harry Freitas and Deputy Director for Infrastructure Development Chris Lamb described the plan as the result of extensive outreach across the five supervisorial districts, city staff coordination and more than 200 public comments on the draft. Lamb said the plan ‘‘represent[s] a countywide plan for the utilization of our asset in terms of roads, so that they can be used more efficiently and more…