Sunnyvale consultants propose curb extensions or roundabout at Bernardo/Brookfield; residents raise bike, bus and driveway concerns

The City of Sunnyvale’s Bernardo Brookfield traffic study team presented two alternatives to address visibility and turning conflicts on Bernardo Avenue at Brookfield Avenue during a community meeting. Angela Wong, City of Sunnyvale project manager, said the study responds to resident and business reports that drivers have difficulty seeing oncoming vehicles when exiting driveways and making turns at Blair, Brookfield and Parkington Avenues.

Consultant Monica Tanner of Kimberly‑Horn summarized staff work that combined a five‑year collision review, field observations and community outreach. Tanner said the team found four reported collisions in the corridor during the most recent five‑year period, with several involving left‑turn movements. Counts showed Brookfield as the corridor’s busiest corner for pedestrians and bicyclists, and that “between 20 and 40 vehicles are making left turns at Brookfield Avenue in each of the peak time periods,” she said.

Why it matters: the corridor includes a preschool, church, a Mobil gas station, transit stops and a nearby Safeway, increasing the mix of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. The road width at several locations approaches 80 feet, which consultants said lengthens pedestrian crossings and can encourage higher vehicle speeds.

What the team proposed: at Blair Avenue the preferred elements include buffered bike lanes (following the city’s Active Transportation Plan), curb extensions to shorten crossing distances, and trimming landscaping that limits sight lines. At Bernardo/Brookfield the team presented two options: an enhanced side‑street controlled intersection with realigned approaches, curb extensions, raised bike lanes and a high‑visibility mid‑block crossing (estimated construction $1–2 million); or a single‑lane roundabout with raised bike lane connections, crosswalks and preserved access for emergency vehicles and the gas station (estimated $2–3 million).

The project team said they are coordinating with the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Sunnyvale public safety on operations and response‑time impacts. Angela Wong noted the design effort will be refined based on community input and further technical review; the project survey was open through Nov. 3 and staff published contact information for additional comments.

Public feedback at the meeting: Daniel (participant) expressed support for the roundabout but cautioned that “the devil’s in the details, the specifics of how it’s built, the inner circle, radius, the width of the lines, the signage and the markings, all those things are super important.” He and others pressed consultants on a triangular wedge of pavement and how fuel‑truck access and nearby resident driveways would be maintained.

Jonathan Blum, who identified himself by name, praised the proposed crosswalks and warned that current crossing distances make Bernardo feel unsafe: “Right now, it’s so wide. It’s like playing Frogger to try and get across,” he said. Blum and other commenters recommended smoothing bicycle track geometry where bike lanes make abrupt turns and considering protected‑intersection elements to reduce conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians.

Frederick Venter of Kimberly‑Horn explained the team’s intent for the bike lane adjacent to the preschool: “So I’m actually outside of the travel way, and then I can stop for a bike and a pedestrian, and they can cross, and then I enter this preschool site.” He said the design keeps a small staging area at that driveway so drivers entering the site can pause safely outside the travel lane.

Other comments included a request to evaluate bus‑stop islands or bus operations near the roundabout. Consultants said initial review showed limited space for full bus islands but they will coordinate with VTA; participants noted that short stops that block a lane for a bus dwell period are sometimes acceptable if they reduce other conflict points.

Next steps: staff will refine the concepts based on feedback, coordinate with VTA and public safety, and return with a final study summarizing findings and recommended treatments. Angela Wong provided the project contact listed on the city website for further input (awong@sunnyvale.ca.gov; (408) 730‑7579).