Prioritize Zones for East Channel Trail
- Jason Feinsmith
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
Editorial
Sunnyvale is planning a 6-mile trail from the Bay Trail to Homestead Road, known as the East Channel Trail. This walking and biking trail would provide a convenient, low stress way to commute, socialize, exercise, and enjoy the outdoors across Sunnyvale.
According to the City, 40% of Sunnyvale residents live within a 10-minute walk or 3-minute bike ride of the planned trail.
The City is currently deciding which of the 6 zones of the trail to prioritize. High priority zones will be finished likely at least a decade before low priority zones, so it is crucial that they are prioritized well. Sunnyvale is looking for public feedback, and this is where you come in.
Please take this short city survey to rank your top 3 zones.
In my opinion, the highest priority zones should be sections that 1) connect to the most destinations and 2) can be implemented as quickly as possible, which translates to low cost and low complexity. Based on this framework, I recommend the following:
First Priority: Green Zone
The Green Zone is the longest and has the greatest return on investment. This 2 mile section will connect to the VTA Light Rail on Tasman Drive, the future Tasman Dr multi-use paths, the JWC Greenbelt, Fair Oaks Park, Lakewood Park, Lakewood Tech EQ Elementary School, San Miguel Elementary School, Columbia Middle School and The King’s Academy. As a resident of North Sunnyvale, I know first hand that the lack of safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities in this area isolates residents from the rest of the city. Completing the Green Zone will greatly improve mobility while connecting to several historically underprivileged neighborhoods. Additionally, this will include building a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over Tasman Dr, which would fix a very dangerous crossing.
Second Priority: Orange Zone
Currently, the only safe crossing for bicyclists over SR-237 is at the Borregas Bridge. However, the completion of the Orange Zone will include a crucial new bridge over SR-237. This new bridge will become increasingly important as the Moffett Park area develops over the next 20 years. By the 2040s the Moffett Park area is expected to have 20,000 new units of housing and 10.0 million SF of new office space. Completing the Orange Zone will enable new residents and commuters car-free access in and out of Moffett Park. It will also connect to the Bay Trail and Baylands Park, which will encourage more recreational biking.
Third Priority: Pink Zone
The Pink Zone is low hanging fruit. It is the least expensive and least complicated to build because no bridges or tunnels are needed. It will provide connections to Ortega Park, Stocklmeir Elementary School, and the City of Cupertino.
The remaining three zones are important too, but I did not rank them as highly because they either have a passable short-term existing route or their expense and complexity would lead to excessive delays in the project.
The Purple Zone will build a new bike/ped bridge over US-101. I did not rank this as high because the existing San Miguel pedestrian bridge is 200 feet away from the East Channel Creek and serves as a workable interim solution. However, this bridge is old, hard-to-find, and not ADA compliant, so a replacement would be welcome in the long-term.
The Yellow Zone will provide a very useful connection between Central Expwy and Evelyn Ave. However, the required bridge over Central Expwy and under the Caltrain tracks will be very expensive, meaning this project is likely a long way out.
Finally, the Blue Zone features a crossing at El Camino Real, which is the most dangerous street in Sunnyvale according to the City’s Vision Zero analysis. If this zone was less expensive, I would have ranked it as my Third Priority.
Overall, the East Channel Trail is an incredibly exciting project. It is the most important active transportation project in the City of Sunnyvale. Once completed, it will transform the mobility for tens of thousands of residents. I cannot wait for work to get started!
To learn more about the East Channel Trail, see the City's fact sheet and webpage.
About the Author
Jason Feinsmith lives a stone's throw from the East Channel Trail in the Green Zone. He enjoys bicycling around Sunnyvale and the Bay Area. He is a 35-year resident of Sunnyvale, together with his wife and two children.
