The city isn't willing to pay $11,000 a year to post meeting agendas in a newspaper someone might actually read.

But they will spend $3 million on the following:

$50,000 for bike racks
$150,000 to extend the Premanente Creek Trail
$160,000 to create a Bicycle Transportation Plan for the city
$75,000 to add flashing lights to three crosswalks on Shoreline blvd
$600,000 to study a cycle track
$250,000 to study "road diets"
$565,000 for something called "Safe Routes to Schools Program"
$845,000 for Premanente Creek Trail overcrossings
$475,000 for an undercross under 101 near Ellis

Not to mention all the dollars it will take to maintain some of this stuff for the next 50 years.

LA has bike lanes that are painted bright green. Maybe we should consider that here in MV too.

Bicycles use much less road space and parking space than cars. More bikes and less cars is a really cheap way to reduce traffic congestion around the city.

Just think how clear 101 would be if everyone else was on a bike but you. For the "Never bike, always drive" crowd, this should be a hugely motivating factor to support bike infrastructure: LESS CARS IN YOUR WAY!

They should use some of that money to educate people that Shoreline and Villa only has 3 crosswalks. That fourth crosswalk (the one without any crosswalks) is not for pedestrians and can be dangerous, especially in the morning when the sun is in left-turning drivers' eyes.

Awesome news. In my opinion, these projects are money well-spent to continue to improve the health and safety of our city.

Everyone has got a pet peeve or an idea that puts the onus on "the other guy" to clean up his act, as if that's the biggest problem: the other guy. Well we really can't control the other guy, so I'll try and do something constructive other than just sniveling about everyone else.

I plan on helping the city's traffic situation by being more focused on pedestrians and cyclists, anticipating their actions and not trying to force my way, right or wrong. I hope to improve my driving safety by keeping my ego in check, not always trying to get in front of the other guy, or beat him to the spot. I also hope it helps that I will be adhering much more strictly to the speed limit (sorry if I'm in your way, 25 is 25).

There. Those are all things _I_ can do to help. Now tell me what _YOU_ can do to help. Don't tell me about what the other guy should do, tell me what YOU can do.

I am so happy to see a bunch of cyclist out of there cars. Yet what do they do? They press the walk button on every street they cross, stopping traffic for way longer than needed.

I would rather the cyclist be safe in their cars rather than risk death.

850 thousand for 2 studies.

Dear Try it, I donated my 3 series BMW to Karsforkids a few months ago and now I ride a bicycle to work.

Yay for bicycle improvements but forget the studies...
We all know that whether they go ahead or not depends on politics and not on study results.
So we may as well jump straight to the design phase.

I guess it will take someone's child getting hit near McKelvey Ballpark, Saint Joseph School, or at the Hans Avenue intersection before Miramonte Avenue gets reduced to one lane each way.

I am a cyclist and "Road Diets" are the worst. For example the sections of road on Arastradero and Charleston in Palo Alto, I felt safer when there were 2 lanes going both ways. Drivers were off the road faster, there was no bumper to bumper traffic with irritated and angry drivers and now there is way more exhaust fumes that I have to breath in.

Don't narrow the roads so there is more traffic and congestion, this pisses off the drivers and makes it more dangerous for cyclist!!

Make it safer by painting the bike ways all bright neon green, I guarantee the drivers will see the bike lanes and slow down and not drive in them.

Is it in the City charter that we require a STUDY for everything we do? Does anyone possess any common sense? What a waist of money when in the end its all about the politics.

Hopeful even then it won't get turned into a one lane for each way.

I have to agree that I am stunned that the city spends so money for studies for things that are not a priority and will dither for hours on restoring $50,000 to the library and paying $11,000 for publishing meeting agendas in a local paper! The paper the city uses requires people to pay about $150 per year for a subscription, which is ridiculous. According to my understanding, the city is required to publish in the paper of the paper with the lowest bid and of widely available distribution. In my opinion, a paper that charges so much for a subscription cannot possibly qualify as being "widely available" (unless of course you mean widely available to the wealthy). Information about matters that affect the lives of all who live in Mountain View should be freely available us! This brings new meaning to the term "Dollars for Democracy"!


Jim Neal
Old Mountain View

Back to the topic, I'm very please MV is keeping relatively well paced in the evolution of municipal transportation options. The idea is sound, even though the gov't waste getting there is tiresome, i.e. endless studies,

this is great news for bikers pedestrians and drivers alike. we need a more humane city. next, please, make downtown castro pedestrians only!

Glad there is more of a push for cycling as the traffic is due to get worse and worse with no one wanting to carpool. Just an observation from driving past so many single occupant cars while in the carpool lane.

Would like to remind all cyclists that there are speed limits (and it's not the Tour de France) on trails, as well. With two elementary school kids who cycle to school and back each day, there are many people trying to get to work on the Stevens Creek Trail who are inconsiderate to young children and families. If you are a cyclist and want to encourage a cycling culture, the next generation needs to be encouraged and not frightened to cycle to school.