HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 11-04-2025 Item No. 13 Active Transportation Plan_Written CommunicationsCC 11-04-2025
Item #13
Active Transportation
Plan
Written Communications
From:Santosh Rao
To:City Council; City Clerk; Tina Kapoor; Chad Mosley; David Stillman; Matt Schroeder; Prashanth Dullu; City Clerk
Subject:Please include past resident feedback on ATP that have been entirely omitted by city transportation staff.
Date:Tuesday, November 4, 2025 3:50:09 PM
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Dear City Clerk,
Please include the below in written communications on the ATP agenda item for today.
[Writing on behalf of myself only as a Cupertino resident]
Subject: Resident Feedback and Representation on the ATP Project
Dear Mayor Chao, Vice-Mayor Moore, and Cupertino City Council Members,
I wish to bring to your attention the written communications submitted by Cupertino residents
and voter families regarding the June 4, 2025, City Council meeting on the ATP project. These
are not the usual attendees or frequent speakers at council meetings. The fact that they took the
time to write reflects the depth of their concern and how strongly this issue matters to them.
You were elected to represent Cupertino residents and voters. Some of you will again be
seeking votes from these same families in 2026. It is clear from their feedback that dismissing
or disregarding their views risks losing not only their support but also that of their neighbors
and community networks who share their concerns.
A key issue is the lack of bike count data, despite over a decade of investments in bike lane
projects. Without such data, it is difficult to justify further spending until a few years of
reliable usage data is collected.
Additionally, resident feedback has not been meaningfully incorporated into staff reports or
the ATP project’s public outreach materials. The online feedback page, difficult to navigate,
especially on mobile devices, cannot serve as the sole channel for public input. The voices of
the below residents and families deserve to be heard and reflected in council decisions.
Council members seeking reelection in 2026 should carefully consider whether disregarding
the views of these voter families who seek efficient roads for commutes rather than bike lanes
that are idle join a multitude of other residents and voters from neighborhoods such as Garden
Gate, Linda Vista Drive, McClellan Road, Scofield Drive, and Portal Avenue already upset at
council ignoring them.
Is it worth losing their trust and support?
Please honor the trust Cupertino residents have placed in you by ensuring their feedback is
respected and by acting in alignment with the community’s input.
https://cupertino.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=E2&ID=1245860&GUID=90F3618D-91E1-
4E16-A69D-F86AD0183C87
Sincerely,
San Rao (writing on behalf of myself only as a Cupertino resident)
From:Ravi Kiran Singh Sapaharam
To:City Council; Tina Kapoor; City Clerk; Chad Mosley; David Stillman; Matt Schroeder
Subject:Request to Pause Bike Lane Projects and Prioritize Proven Traffic Safety Measures
Date:Tuesday, November 4, 2025 3:40:12 PM
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Dear Mayor Chao, Vice-Mayor Moore, Council Members, Interim City
Manager Kapoor, Director Mosley, Transportation Manager Stillman, and
Planner Schroeder,
I respectfully request a two-year pause on all new bike lane and lane
reconfiguration projects until accurate bicycle usage data is collected for key
routes like De Anza Blvd, Stevens Creek Blvd, and Blaney Ave.
Proposed changes—such as lane reductions, bulb-outs, and turn restrictions—
may worsen congestion and affect seniors, parents, and emergency response
times.
Please consider focusing instead on proven, data-driven safety measures such
as:
Red-light and speed cameras
Coordinated, synchronized traffic signals
Improved signal timing and visibility
These steps enhance safety without increasing congestion or frustration.
Sincerely
Ravi Kiran Singh
Cupertino Resident
From:Greg Shtilman
To:City Council; Tina Kapoor; City Clerk; Chad Mosley; David Stillman; Matt Schroeder
Subject:Request to Pause Bike Lane Projects and Prioritize Smart Traffic Safety Measures
Date:Tuesday, November 4, 2025 3:35:20 PM
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Dear Mayor Chao, Vice Mayor Moore, Council Members, Interim City Manager Kapoor,
Director Mosley, Transportation Manager Stillman, and Planner Schroeder,
As a long-time Cupertino resident, I urge the City to defund and cancel all Active
Transportation Plan (ATP) bike-lane projects and to place a two-year moratorium on any
further lane changes or reconfigurations. During that pause, the City should collect at least two
years of reliable bicycle-count data on De Anza, Stevens Creek, Blaney, and other proposed
corridors before making permanent changes.
My concerns are practical and safety-driven. The current ATP recommendations - lane
removals and narrowing, curb bulb-outs, and no-turn-on-red restrictions - will add congestion,
slow emergency response, and make daily life harder for families who rely on cars for school,
work, and errands. These changes can also reduce safety by creating unpredictable traffic
flow.
I’m also seeing specific issues on the ground:
The separated bike lane on McClellan feels unsafe and unproven. I routinely see cyclists
using it the wrong way and pedestrians stepping into the lane. That false sense of
security invites a serious collision.
On wider roads with buffered painted lanes, the risk is similar, and confusion is higher.
Wolfe and Stevens Creek already feel gridlocked; more congestion tends to lower
safety, not raise it.
Buffered lanes along De Anza appear nearly unused during the day. I have seen a total
of one or two cyclists riding along De Anza, and I use it multiple times a day. It’s hard
to justify spending here - with uncertain safety benefits - while parts of town still lack
basics like sidewalks and lighting.
There are more targeted, data-driven tools that improve safety without sacrificing mobility.
Live speed-feedback signs are inexpensive, widely shown to reduce speeds, and in my
experience prompt immediate driver compliance. Coordinated signal timing across major
corridors can cut stop-and-go traffic, shorten trips, and reduce idle-time emissions, increasing
safety and convenience for everyone. We desperately need investment in the latter along De
Anza and Wolfe/Miller corridors.
I respectfully request that the Council:
1. Suspend and defund all ATP-related bike-lane projects.
collecting and publishing corridor-level bicycle and traffic data.
3. Prioritize citywide safety and flow measures: live speed-feedback signs, and
synchronized signals, red-light and speed cameras.
4. Direct near-term funds to proven pedestrian basics where they’re still missing, including
sidewalks and lighting.
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for focusing investments on solutions that
serve all residents.
Sincerely,
Greg Shtilman
From:Mahesh Gurikar
To:City Council; City Clerk; Tina Kapoor; Chad Mosley; Matt Schroeder; David Stillman
Subject:Modifications to key roads in Cupertino
Date:Tuesday, November 4, 2025 3:25:25 PM
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Dear Mayor Chao, Vice-Mayor Moore, Council Members, Interim City Manager Kapoor, Director Mosley,
Transportation Manager Stillman, and Planner Schroeder,
I respectfully request that the City of Cupertino cancel and defund the current ATP bike lane proposals and pause all
new bike lane or lane reconfiguration projects for at least two years until accurate bicycle usage counts are gathered
for De Anza Boulevard, Stevens Creek Boulevard, Blaney Avenue, and other key routes.
The proposed design changes, such as lane reductions, narrowed lanes, bulb-outs, and turning restrictions will
seriously disrupt traffic flow and increase congestion on already busy streets. These actions will also impact the
ability of seniors, parents, and emergency services to move efficiently through our city.
Instead, Cupertino should emphasize technological and balanced traffic safety improvements, such as:
Red-light and speed enforcement cameras to discourage dangerous driving, Coordinated and synchronized traffic
signals to reduce unnecessary idling and cut emissions, and
Improved signal timing and visibility for all road users.
These strategies enhance safety without reducing mobility or increasing frustration for drivers.
I urge the Council to redirect funding away from ATP bike lane projects and invest instead in smart, efficient traffic
management that truly benefits all Cupertino residents.
Sincerely,
Mahesh Gurikar
Cupertino Resident
From:Ajith Dasari
To:City Council; Tina Kapoor; City Clerk; Chad Mosley; David Stillman; Matt Schroeder
Subject:Request to Pause Bike Lane Projects and Prioritize Smart Traffic Safety Measures
Date:Tuesday, November 4, 2025 3:12:43 PM
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Dear Mayor Chao, Vice Mayor Moore, Council Members, Interim City Manager Kapoor, Director Mosley,
Transportation Manager Stillman, and Planner Schroeder,
As a long-time Cupertino resident, I strongly urge the City to defund and cancel all proposed Active Transportation
Plan (ATP) bike lane projects and place an immediate two-year moratorium on any further bike lane work until the
City collects at least two years of solid data on bicycle counts along De Anza, Stevens Creek, Blaney, and other
proposed routes.
The ATP recommendations, including lane removals, lane narrowing, curb bulb outs, and restrictions on right turns
on red, will only increase congestion, delay emergency vehicles, and inconvenience working families who depend
on cars for school, work, and errands. These measures also risk reducing safety by creating unpredictable traffic
flow.
Instead, the City should prioritize modern, data-driven traffic solutions that improve safety without hurting mobility.
This includes installing speeding and red light cameras to deter unsafe driving and synchronizing traffic signals
across major corridors to improve travel efficiency and reduce emissions from idling vehicles.
I respectfully request the Council to:
1. Suspend and defund all ATP-related bike lane projects.
2. Impose a two-year moratorium on any new lane reduction or reconfiguration.
3. Implement red light cameras, speeding cameras, and synchronized traffic signals citywide to improve safety and
flow.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
-Ajith
From:J Shearin
To:City Council; City Clerk; Cupertino City Manager"s Office
Subject:Adopt Planning Commission recommendations for item #13 ATP scoring criteria
Date:Tuesday, November 4, 2025 9:39:22 AM
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Please include this letter as part of Written Communications for the City Council meeting.
Dear Mayor Chao and City Councilmembers,
I encourage you tonight to adopt the recommendations of the Planning Commission, built
upon the work of the BPC, for the Active Transportation Plan scoring criteria.
These recommendations were agreed to unanimously by the commission and are a thoughtful
and appropriate way to evaluate city Active Transportation projects.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Shearin
Cupertino resident
From:Helene Davis
To:City Council; City Clerk; Cupertino City Manager"s Office
Subject:Regarding Item #13 on Tonight"s Agenda
Date:Tuesday, November 4, 2025 9:32:47 AM
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Dear Members of the City Council,
I encourage you to support and to adopt the planning commission's recommendations
on the ATP. They had a thoughtful and in-depth discussion and unanimously voted on
edits to the scoring criteria.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Helene Davis
From:louise saadati
To:City Council; Kirsten Squarcia
Cc:City of Cupertino Planning Commission
Subject:Email regarding Nov 4, 2025 City Council Meeting Item 13 Study Session on ATP
Date:Monday, November 3, 2025 10:28:15 PM
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Please attach this email to the written communication for City
Council Meeting for 11/4/25.
Honourable City Council, as you know, the Planning
Commission voted unanimously on recommended edits to the
staff proposed scoring criteria for prioritising projects for the
ATP.
The City Council should adopt these well thought out
amendments to the staff proposed criteria, unanimously
approved by the Planning Commission. It will enable the city
to move forward with projects in an intelligent, inclusive and
balanced manner.
Please adopt the amended scoring criteria that the Planning
Commission voted unanimously to recommend to the
Council.
Louise Saadati
40 year resident of Cupertino
From:Santosh Rao
To:City Clerk; Tina Kapoor; City Council
Subject:Fw: 11/04/25 Staff report for ATP makes no mention of the hearing at Planning Commission.
Date:Monday, November 3, 2025 9:06:09 PM
Dear City Clerk,
Please include the below in written communication for the 11/04/25 city council meeting to
ensure planning commission recommendation and motion is made available to council and
members of the public.
Santosh Rao
Chair, Planning Commission
SRao@cupertino.gov
From: Tina Kapoor <TinaK@cupertino.gov>
Sent: Monday, November 3, 2025 8:43 PM
To: Santosh Rao <SRao@cupertino.gov>
Cc: Chad Mosley <ChadM@cupertino.gov>; David Stillman <DavidS@cupertino.gov>; Liang Chao
<LChao@cupertino.gov>; Kitty Moore <KMoore@cupertino.gov>; Matt Schroeder
<MattS@cupertino.gov>; City Clerk <CityClerk@cupertino.gov>
Subject: Re: 11/04/25 Staff report for ATP makes no mention of the hearing at Planning Commission.
Hello Santosh,
We will issue a desk item tomorrow with the updated staff report.
Best,
Tina
Tina Kapoor
Interim City Manager
City Manager's Office
TinaK@cupertino.gov
(408)777-7607
On Nov 3, 2025, at 5:02 PM, Santosh Rao <SRao@cupertino.gov> wrote:
Hello Chad, David, Matt, ICM Kapoor,
The staff report for ATP at the 11/04/25 council meeting makes no mention of the
Planning Commission hearing or the recommendations. Is there a reason this was
omitted?
Will an amended agenda be posted that includes the PC hearing recommendations
and details of the motion that was voted on to be sent to council as PC
recommendation.
I am including the agenda and minutes with recommendations from the Planning
Commission below.
PC Agenda on ATP (09/09/25):
https://cupertino.legistar.com/View.ashx?
M=A&ID=1249296&GUID=C612785C-7425-4B72-B342-F40612F15CC6
PC Minutes on ATP (09/09/25):
https://cupertino.legistar.com/View.ashx?
M=M&ID=1249296&GUID=C612785C-7425-4B72-B342-F40612F15CC6
Commissioners provided the following feedback and
recommendations:
MOTION: Lindskog moved to modify the scoring criteria as
follows:
• Add a project to make the most high-injury network
intersections with red lights
and stop signs safer using tools such as red light cameras,
and modify the scoring
criteria as follows:
• Access Criteria: Change the school proximity score to “fifteen
points if within half
mile of a school”. Add “senior housing and senior facilities
such as the senior
center” to the metric definition of “Parks and Other
Destinations Proximity”
• Sustainability and Connectivity Criteria: Change
“Sustainability” name to
“Connectivity”. Add ten points if it is within quarter mile of a
trail or low-stress
facility like class IV bike lanes, making the total max scores for
this section twenty
points instead of ten points.
• Balance Criteria: Focus on impact rather than infrastructure.
Subtract ten points if
a removal of a substantial number (five or more) of parking
spaces used regularly
fifty one percent or more of the time. Subtract ten points of it
eliminates a car lane
for ten percent or more portion of the project length.
• Fairness Criteria: Delete this criteria, as it is not an objective,
measurable measure
of the positive or negative impact of a project, and it will lead
to an escalating arms
race of competing public comments and create more
divisiveness and animosity
within the community.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to add
speeding cameras in addition to red light cameras to the first
section of Lindskog’s motion.
Lindskog accepted the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to modify
the “Access” metric, by specifying that the senior center
portion should only adhere to
pedestrian criteria.
Lindskog accepted the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Kosolcharoen proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion
to modify the “Balance” section to change the negative ten
points for removing a
more) to negative five points,
and changing the negative ten points to negative fifteen points
if it eliminates a car lane.
Lindskog accepted the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Kosolcharoen proposed a friendly
amendment to the motionPlanning Commission Minutes
September 9, 2025
to do a bike count of existing usage as a baseline before
starting a project on major
proposed bike infrastructure.
Lindskog accepted the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao made a friendly amendment
to modify the “Access”
criteria to specify middle schools and high schools.
Lindskog did not accept the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Scharf proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to
partner with bicycle education providers to offer routine adult
and family education
classes in Cupertino.
Lindskog accepted the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to keep
the fairness criteria. He withdrew this friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Fung proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to move
red light runners and speeding section to the end of the
motion.
Lindskog accepted the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to add a
negative score if it caused a no right turn on red to the
additional project
recommendations.
Lindskog did not accept the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to add
prioritize sensor driven pedestrian bicyclist detection to the
additional project
recommendations.
Lindskog did not accept the friendly amendment.
FRIENDLY AMENDMENT: Rao proposed a friendly
amendment to the motion to add
“Consider adaptive right-turn-on-red technology where
feasible” to the additional project
recommendations.
Lindskog accepted the friendly amendment.
AMENDED MOTION: Lindskog moved and Rao seconded to:
Modify the scoring criteria as follows:
• Access Criteria: Change the school proximity score to
“Fifteen points if within one-
half mile of a school”. Add “senior housing and senior facilities
such as the Senior
Center” to the metric definition of “Parks & Other Destinations
Proximity.” For
pedestrians.
• Sustainability/Connectivity Criteria: Change “Sustainability”
name to
“Connectivity.” Add ten points if it’s within one-quarter mile of a
trail or low-
stress facility like Class IV bike lanes, making the total
maximum score for this
section twenty points instead of ten points.
• Balance Criteria: Focus on impact rather than infrastructure.
Subtract five points if
removal of a substantial number (five or more) of regularly
used parking spaces
(used fifty-one percent or more of the time). Subtract fifteen
points if it eliminates a
car lane for a substantial (ten percent or more) portion of the
project length.
• Fairness Criteria: Delete this criterion as it is not an objective,
measurable measure
of the positive or negative impact of a project and will lead to
an escalating arms
race of competing public comments and create more
divisiveness and animosity
within the community.
• Additional Project Recommendations: Add a project to make
the most high-injury
network intersections with red lights and stop signs safer using
tools such as red
light and speeding cameras. Consider adaptive right-turn-on-
red technology
where necessary. Conduct a bike count of existing usage as a
baseline on major
proposed bike projects. Partner with bicycle education
providers (in addition to
SVBC) to offer routine adult and child education courses in
Cupertino.
The motion passed with the following vote:
Ayes: Rao, Kosolcharoen, Scharf, Fung,
Lindskog. Noes: None. Abstain: None. Absent: None.
Santosh Rao
Chair, Planning Commission
SRao@cupertino.gov