El Camino Actual (ECR), State Freeway 82, the principle thoroughfare connecting San Jose with San Francisco, is sandwiched between Federal Highways 280 and 101. Upkeep and Rehabilitation is basically paid by the state with modest native authorities participation. Certainly, Caltrans can repave and redesign ECR even with out metropolis approval.
In 2024, Caltrans determined to repave ECR from Menlo Park southward by means of Palo Alto (which parallels Stanford College), Los Altos, Mountain View, to Sunnyvale. The work included upgrading curb ramps and sidewalks to adjust to the Individuals with Disabilities Act. It additionally added bicycle lanes. The work was largely accomplished by July 1, 2025.
Caltrans allotted $7,133,000 for the undertaking, however didn’t explicitly listing the price of the gentle white-posts-and-green-marker separated bike lanes. I might guesstimate not more than $2 million.
Eating places and different industrial institutions complained in regards to the lack of road parking and enterprise earlier than, throughout, and after the lane posts had been put in. Patrons generally need to seek for road parking in residential neighborhoods. It’s laborious to know precise enterprise losses, however I’ve watched some potential clients surrender and drive away.
What about bicyclists’ use of the brand new devoted bike lanes since their completion? Each Sunday, my spouse and I’m going out to lunch at a restaurant on ECR, or a facet road off ECR. On common, I drive weekly to Safeway Pharmacy and Grocery Retailer in Menlo Park alongside ECR. My spouse drives weekly alongside ECR to every of two large field shops and biweekly to Ranch 99 in Mountain View. That’s 4 journeys every week and 9 biweekly. On August 17, 2025, our 62nd anniversary, we went to our favourite Chinese language restaurant on ECR. We arrived early and had been seated subsequent to a big window searching on the road. After which, we remarked concurrently, “Look, a bicyclist!” the primary we noticed utilizing the brand new bike lane. I estimate that we had pushed a few hundred miles between July 1 and August 17.
A number of thousand college students, employees, and college experience bicycles to Stanford every working day, having finished so for years with out devoted bike lanes alongside ECR. Stanford’s inside bike lanes are merely demarcated with paint and phrases.
Are the brand new bike lanes definitely worth the direct value of set up and oblique value of misplaced enterprise? I feel not, except and till they’re extra closely used, with fewer cars on the highway unclogging site visitors and lowering carbon emissions. Even when that happens, companies will proceed to lose cash. However, hey, that is California!
Alvin Rabushka is the David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow, Emeritus on the Hoover Establishment.