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Commissioners press staff for data as Cupertino updates Active Transportation Plan
Summary
Staff presented Phase 2 results and revised scoring for Cupertino's Active Transportation Plan; commissioners criticized the weighting, asked for detailed scoring outputs and stress‑testing, and suggested programmatic review of emergency response impacts before building protected facilities.
City staff presented an update to Cupertino's Active Transportation Plan (ATP) during the Planning Commission study session on Feb. 10, describing Phase 2 outreach, revised project scoring criteria and new programmatic guidance aimed at project delivery and accountability.
Senior transportation planner Matt Schroeder told the commission the ATP is intended "to make it easier to walk and bike in the city," summarized Phase 2 public outreach and described revisions to scoring that prioritize school routes, Vision Zero high‑injury network alignment and added cost‑effectiveness as a factor. Staff also proposed five "transportation technology corridors" focused on signal and enforcement improvements and two new policy memos: a project impact assessment (to present impacts at 30% design) and project effectiveness guidelines (pre/post counts to measure outcomes).
What commissioners asked for: several commissioners requested the detailed scoring outputs and stress tests applying the draft criteria to sample projects. Commissioner Lynn Scogg said the scoring "is putting too heavy a weight on safety on school routes" at the expense of other safety measures derived from the Vision Zero high‑injury data; she pointed to intersections with multiple serious collisions that rated low under the draft matrix and urged staff to re‑examine weights and include collision severity in scoring. Commissioners also asked for more transparency on how council direction was incorporated and for the consultant to run additional analyses before the plan proceeds to adoption.
Emergency response and maintenance concerns: commissioners raised operational questions about protected bike lanes and emergency response. The chair reported a sheriff contact who said concrete barriers can slow emergency response during peak periods; other commissioners recommended gathering data and consulting emergency‑response agencies during project design. Staff suggested that programmatic policy (the project impact assessment) is the appropriate mechanism to evaluate specific impacts at 30% design and to bring findings back to council for a decision.
Next steps: staff said the ATP draft will be prepared, released as an editable PDF for public review, and returned to council for adoption consideration in June 2026. Commissioners urged staff to provide the detailed scoring outputs and to consider adjustments that better reconcile Vision Zero priorities with the proposed school-route emphasis.
Quotes from the record: "So the purpose of the active transportation plan, just as a quick reminder, is to make it easier to walk and bike in the city," Matt Schroeder said during his presentation. Commissioner Lynn Scogg said, "the scoring system is putting too heavy a weight on safety on school routes, to the detriment of... the Vision Zero high‑injury network." Several commissioners also recommended programmatic steps to study the ATP's safety and operational impacts before construction.
What this means: the ATP sets the policy and project pipeline for walking and cycling infrastructure in Cupertino. Commissioners generally supported the plan's intent but asked the city to improve transparency about the scoring model and to ensure high‑injury corridors are not deprioritized by the revised criteria. Staff will incorporate commission feedback and bring a draft plan for public review and council consideration.
