El Camino Actual (ECR), State Freeway 82, the primary thoroughfare connecting San Jose with San Francisco, is sandwiched between Federal Highways 280 and 101. Upkeep and Rehabilitation is essentially 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 People 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 smooth white-posts-and-green-marker separated bike lanes. I’d guesstimate not more than $2 million.
Eating places and different business institutions complained concerning the lack of avenue parking and enterprise earlier than, throughout, and after the lane posts have been put in. Patrons typically need to seek for avenue parking in residential neighborhoods. It’s arduous to know precise enterprise losses, however I’ve watched some potential prospects surrender and drive away.
What about bicyclists’ use of the brand new devoted bike lanes since their completion? Each Sunday, my spouse and I am going out to lunch at a restaurant on ECR, or a facet avenue 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 huge 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 have been seated subsequent to a big window looking on the avenue. 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 couple of hundred miles between July 1 and August 17.
A number of thousand college students, workers, and college experience bicycles to Stanford every working day, having achieved so for years with out devoted bike lanes alongside ECR. Stanford’s inner bike lanes are merely demarcated with paint and phrases.
Are the brand new bike lanes definitely worth the direct price of set up and oblique price of misplaced enterprise? I feel not, until and till they’re extra closely used, with fewer vehicles on the street 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.
