To: "Lorenzo Lopez" 
From: "Akos, Modern Transit Society"
Subject: distribution: BAC Agenda item: Repeal of pedestrian prohibition
Cc: "Dave Pitton" 

Hi Lorenzo,

Please distribute our input to the agenda item to the BAC. Would you please email that today? It is sent separately (next email) to make it easier to copy and paste into a new email. If you prefer, you can forward, but it would be received with the message indented.

Please note that contrary to your statement below, John Sullivan told me that Mr. Pitton stated a recommendation can be made, and therefore is NOT an "informational item" as stated below.  If you have questions, please call me at 221-0694.

Thanks,
-Akos Szoboszlay
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To: BAC members
From: Akos Szoboszlay, President, Modern Transit Society

Agenda item: Repeal of pedestrian prohibition

Dear BAC members,

We ask the Committee to recommend the repeal of the pedestrian prohibition from city law.

This web page contains photos, the County's pedestrian-expressway map and forced-detour map examples. It also has a list of laws and policies that are violated by prohibiting walkers from San Tomas:

http://moderntransit.org/expy/st.html

The web page is titled "San Tomas Expressway" because the other three expressways within the City do not have pedestrian prohibitions. While the City Resolution also bans portions of Lawrence Expressway to walkers, all prohibitory signs were removed in 1991 from Lawrence. Sidewalks were constructed on Lawrence in 1997. 

It is important to note that on both Lawrence and Capitol Expressways, sidewalks were not constructed until after the repeal of the prohibition, when more traffic lanes were added. The recent new sidewalks on Montague, such as on the Montague bridge over Lafayette/railroad, would not have been constructed if Santa Clara had prohibited walkers from using the shoulders of Montague. Many people still use shoulders at other locations on Montague.

In the near future, bridges are planned to be built on San Tomas to cross over both Monroe and El Camino Real. It is important that pedestrian facilities be included on, or adjacent to, these bridges. On the Caltrain overpass on Lawrence, sidewalks were built on both sides of the bridge. On the El Camino Real overpass on Lawrence, sidewalks were included adjacent to both sides of the bridge. All these sidewalks were at no cost to the cities, and again, were only built after the repeal of the pedestrian prohibitions on Lawrence by both cities. 

Likewise, the San Tomas Expressway bridge over Los Gatos Creek, in Campbell, sidewalks were not constructed until after the "pedestrians prohibited" signs were already removed. This was also at no cost to that city.

The real motivation for all pedestrian and bicycle prohibitions on "expressway" roads was and is to avoid building sidewalks and to eliminate shoulders for bicycles in future lane addition projects. This is not for lack of room, but on account of lower costs to the lane-addition project budget. However, allowing walkers and bicyclists to use the shortest, safest and most efficient routes, even if the arterial road is called "expressway", has secured facilities in lane addition projects. 

Please recommend that the City Resolution that prohibits pedestrians from any expressway be entirely repealed.

Sincerely,

Akos Szoboszlay, President
-- 
Modern Transit Society
http://moderntransit.org            PO Box 5582, San Jose CA 95150            408-221-0694