Dang. From the photo this looks really bad. I'd guess this is going to be a BIG job -- heavy equipment, bank reconstruction, $$$, etc. I don't expect it reopen any time soon. Rats.

Wimps. We, as in neighbors and friends, fly to the Himalayas to hike up single track paths with 1000 foot drops.

O

And this adventure seeking contrast relates in what way to a paved, multi-use public pathway in the middle of a California town? Mighty heroic of you to point to it, though.

Is a map of the detour available, please?? A lot of people use this bike path to get to work or to school. So much safer than biking on city streets during rush hour. Thank you.

The great thing about this situation is that, I will not have to worry about bicyclists invading my lane while going on my morning run.
To the people who commute by bicycle, this trail is a freeway.

Hard to imagine how this could be fixed before summer. Much easier to imagine that upcoming storms will extend the collapse further, eating into the trail itself. As far as I can tell, the current detour is "play real-life Frogger on El Camino". I wish there were a better alternative!

I have posted a map of the detour on the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail website at Web Link
It is just slightly longer and does go out onto streets or sidewalks, but won't delay you too much.

You can be confident that our city knows how important this trail is to the community for both commuting and recreation and will do everything they can to get this reopened as soon as they can make it safe.

The posted detour is this: Web Link

Note that cyclists traveling southbound must dismount and walk on the sidewalk for the portion along El Camino Real (otherwise you'd be riding against traffic).

Couldn’t help but noticing all the garbage in the shrubbery, how did it get there and who is going to clean this up? Or will it ‘disappear” by itself when it floats to the bay / ocean? I would be happy to help.

Sorry Nicolás but it is not your lane, you are sharing it with those you pass and who pass you. Please stay to the right when you use this multi-use trail. It is so great to have this asset in our community that promotes exercise and reduces car traffic. We all must be respectful of each user. Bikes slow down and use your bell, walkers please stay to the right, dog walkers please keep your dogs on a short leash, and everyone lets go single file through the narrow sections.

cyclists are allowed to ride on the sidewalk any direction, just like people walking.

@Annie:

You are free to go down to the creek with a garbage bag and clean it up yourself. Many of the local beaches and coastal waterways are periodically cleaned up by neighborhood groups, grassroots environmental organizations, or larger planned events such as the Surfrider beach cleanups or California Coastal Cleanup Day.

Note that if the debris drifts away in the creek, the problem isn't solved, the problem simply moved elsewhere. And likely something that is further upstream will take its place here.

Cleanups are not a one-time only thing. They need to be done periodically.

If you have ever driven on any of this planet's roads, you will notice that there is trash and debris on the roadway and shoulders. Even if it gets cleaned up, more stuff will take its place. We wish that weren't the case, but sadly that's the way the universe functions.

We don't have trash collecting drones yet.

Stevens Creek & Trail Clean-up
Saturday April 15, 2017 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Web Link

Folks, please don't go down the banks to clean up trash, especially right now. The creek is currently flowing at several hundred cubic feet PER SECOND. That is a mighty force and if you were to fall in you'd be swept far away with possibly fatal consequences. Also, climbing down the banks causes more erosion.

I am afraid the trash you see on the banks is going to have to stay there for the time being. Depending upon the weather, there may be a chance to clean it up at the April Trail Cleanup, but I expect the creek will probably still be flowing strong this year and it will need to wait until later.

The best we can do is to keep trash from getting into the creek in the first place. Keep the trail clean.

Much of the trash comes from the "Campers" along the creek. When they closed The Jungle camp in SJ, our local "Campsites" became more populated and more numerous.

I have tried to walk along this trail but in fact it is far too onerous. My companion and I were unable to stroll side by side chatting, instead we had to walk single file and watch out for large groups of people on bikes who sped by as if they were on the tour de France.

Is this supposed to be a bike highway or a pedestrian recreational trail? As far as I can see, it can't safely be both.

@PA Resident,

It's a multi-use trail, so people of different modes of transit are meant to use it.

To be honest, though, Palo Alto residents should be barred from using it until they give us access to Foothills park.

Re: cyclists are allowed to ride on the sidewalk any direction, just like people walking.

Yes, cyclists are allowed to ride on the sidewalk in either direction (except where prohibited by local laws), just like pedestrians. But for your own safety, when riding on the sidewalk, ride slowly and be prepared to yield at every driveway/intersection. Motorists do not expect cyclists moving at vehicular speeds on sidewalks, and they especially do not expect cyclists moving at vehicular speeds in the "wrong" direction.

"I will not have to worry about bicyclists invading my lane while going on my morning run"

Unfortunately I still have to worry about runners invading my lane while going on my morning walk. *sigh*

@steve

Time for a 3 mph speed limit ;)

Re: Time for a 3 mph speed limit ;)

Great. Now people who walk quickly can get speeding tickets...

PA Resident, I bike and walk on the Stevens Creek Trail a ton. The overwhelming percentage of cyclists are very careful and polite when passing pedestrians. The overwhelming percentage of walkers are mindful and polite towards cyclists. The trail is an amazing community asset that, again, the overwhelming percentage of users make compromises so that all can use it safely and enjoyably. Strollers, Seniors, kids learning to ride bikes, everyone. Yeah, there are a few idiots and they have a disproportionate impact, but what do you do?

When I ride in the Palo Alto Baylands, I find dog walkers who let their near invisible leashes cross an entire trail, a pair of walkers who will go down the exact center of a trail and NEVER yield, and cyclists on their cell phone.

I like @MV Residents suggestion a lot. We paid for the Trail, just like your grandpa paid for Foothill Park. Dont feel the need to go to concerts at Shoreline either.

The detour using El Camino Real is a deathtrap. I protested against tunnels to the city of Mountain View at every community forum. The dark tunnels are dangerous for all users. Entry from sunshine to darkness, coupled with the sharp turns at the entrances creates a dangerous situation, also the dark tunnels are not visible to law enforcement.
I once was entering the tunnel at El Camino, and noticed a women with an empty child stroller. U slowed down and encountered the child playing in the middle of the trail in the tunnel.
Overpasses may seem too expensive, but the are safer and don't flood out.
We told you so...

The improvement should be a level with the creek bed trail. This design has been used with success under Speer Blvd in downtown Denver. Yes, we light the tunnels too. Yes, there are times when the bike trails get standing waters of a couple of inches during a Spring Runoff. Guess what? THE BICYCLISTS SLOW DOWN when that happens. We still have the pedestrian lights on the intersections and 4 way crosswalks. No worries about trail damage when a trail is properly designed. Your Boulder Google Campus employees will find MORE properly designed trails to ride on. Cut the bank wide enough for the trail, then set rip-rap and ( hopefully ) rock bolts to prevent erosion by anchoring the rip-rap. Yes, light the tunnels as part of the project. A cheap investment for safety and a possible solution to campers in the tunnels at night.

Yes, I_Got_Mine is ready to help pay for all his great, albeit very expensive ideas. Lets roll.

FYI, this is the actual detour Web Link

@Flushing, the assumption that the trash is from the campers, basically homeless people, is reactionary and not based on any evidence. Among the creek bed, of the bike trail, there are two or three shopping carts that look like they've been tossed from the overpasses, a few plastic totes that look like they've been used to teach high to paint graffiti, very large numbers of used spray paint cans, which is very much a suburban rebellious wannabe boy thing, large numbers of beer and soda cans the deposit on which no camper would forgo, surprisingly large number of golf balls from the golf course upstream, disposable plastic water bottles from the people who need to pay $1 for convenience water and dog shit bags. Almost all of the above is non camper trash, but no clothing or food trash that one would associate with homeless tent dwellers.