BPAC backs Caltrain station access concepts but asks staff to avoid traffic‑circle fixes and drop Washington Avenue striping

The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission on Nov. 20 recommended City Council adopt the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station pedestrian and bicycle access concept plans, but the commission attached several modifications after lengthy public and commissioner discussion.

The proposal, presented by city transportation engineer Angela Wong and consultant Monica Tanner, covers six key corridors with proposed improvements that include new Class 1 shared‑use paths, Class 2 buffered lanes, Class 3b bicycle boulevards, raised intersections, a pedestrian scramble at Evelyn and South Francis, and targeted parking removals in county‑owned areas. Monica Tanner told commissioners that outreach for Round 2 included in‑person pop‑ups and roughly 94 online survey responses; the team said “nearly 48% of people said they actually would walk or bike more to the station if these improvements were made.”

Why it mattered at BPAC: commissioners praised the study’s detailed outreach but repeatedly questioned specific design choices — most notably small traffic circles and striping that can create unprotected bike lanes where right‑of‑way is too narrow for buffers. After discussion and an informal deliberation period, the commission moved and approved a recommendation to Council that approves Alternative 1 (all corridors) with three changes: (1) the commission stated that traffic circles, as shown for several intersections, are insufficient to limit speeds at the specific intersections in this study and asked staff to consider alternate intersection designs; (2) proposed changes for Washington Avenue (Corridor 6) should be removed from the recommendation because available curb‑to‑curb width and existing parking make meaningful safety improvements infeasible within this study’s scope; and (3) Corridor 2 should remain unstriped — no center lane or parking‑lane striping — unless a separate, more detailed study identifies safe, funded options.

Voices from the meeting: Monica Tanner highlighted outreach results and the scramble concept; she said the Evelyn scramble and protected lanes on Evelyn were among the most requested items from the public. “Nearly 48% of people said they actually would walk or bike more to the station if these improvements were made,” Tanner said. Commissioners argued trade‑offs between quick‑build striping and higher‑quality, protected infrastructure; one commissioner summarized the commission’s amendment, saying traffic circles are insufficient and that staff should instead examine alternate measures that demonstrably reduce vehicle speed.

Funding and next steps: staff gave a concept‑level estimate range across corridors totaling about $13.6 million for all proposed improvements (high‑level planning estimates). Several items (for example, projects on county right‑of‑way or within Caltrain property) will require additional coordination with Santa Clara County and Caltrain and potentially separate outreach and approvals. The commission’s recommendation (Alternative 1 as amended) will go to City Council in January; if council directs final design, staff will pursue funding and, where needed, additional study phases that would return to BPAC or Council as required.

Bottom line: BPAC supported moving the Caltrain station access concepts forward to council but explicitly rejected relying on small traffic circles as the primary speed‑management tool at the study intersections and asked staff to remove or defer changes to Washington Avenue pending a separate traffic‑calming or funding study.