Great post! I was reading the SPUR report on the future of San Jose — because of the suburban nature of San Jose, it’s more applicable to Castro Valley than you might think. Anyway, under Big Idea #5 in their report, they promote a “park once” strategy for San Jose (among others), which is along the lines of what we’re talking about here.
Castro Valley Walkability, Bikeability, and Public Transportation
- By : Dot Theodore
- Category : Public Safety
Public Safety
12
Castro Valley Walkability Score: 23
If you look up the Castro Valley walkability score on www.walkscore.com by putting in the zip code 94546, we get a walkability score of 23…out of 100. That score is not so good; it means that you have to get in your car to run most errands. We cannot redesign Castro Valley. Homes on beautiful hills will stay there; roads will still meander through neighborhoods and around parks. What can be changed is enhancing our most walkable area to make it more attractive and safe for pedestrians.
Walkability had declined over the years as America had been built out, moving into suburban sprawl. We love the ‘burbs but we have to get in a car to do most things. Americans spend a lot of time in cars and this contributes to unhealthy habits and higher stress levels.
A Trend of Change
The American Public Transportation Authority reports that record numbers of people are taking public transportation . A report in LAWeekly discusses the increase in trips made by foot, bicycle and train in the Los Angeles Area. With upgrades and improvements in San Francisco, bike ridership has increased there too. More and more people are aware of the cost, environment and health benefits of alternatives to driving (and in fact, many indicators point to the U.S. passing “peak car” back in 2007).
Let us focus back on Castro Valley. We are fortunate in Castro Valley to have a BART station. We have easy access to a lot of the Bay Area without having to get in a car (although most BART riders from Castro Valley drive to the station). Another key point in our favor is that the downtown area has a walkability score of 83, which means that most errands can be done on foot. There is SO much within a 5-minute walk: public transportation, restaurants, banks, grocery stores, pharmacies, bakeries, coffee shops, pet stores, clothing and shoes and much more. Yet Castro Valleyans still get in their cars and drive over the hill.
What is a big complaint about our downtown area? Parking. People are frustrated by the lack of parking. If you cannot park, you drive away and run your errands elsewhere. I’ve done it myself. We need more parking to support the downtown businesses and serve their customer base.
However, there is another way to increase the number of people downtown, and that is increasing the Castro Valley Walkability score. Wouldn’t it be great to have sidewalks on Somerset to safely walk to Al’s Market? Families riding bikes to lunch in the Village would be much safer in a bike lane down Santa Maria Avenue than out in traffic. It would be more inviting to walk down Anita Avenue to see a movie at Chabot Theater if there were sidewalks. And if you do have to drive down town, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to park your car once, and walk to the Farmers Market, shops, banks and restaurants?
Healthier vibrant places to live include walking paths, bike paths, and are centered on mass transportation. This sounds to me, what Castro Valley CAN become. We have many of the key pieces of the puzzle (including multiple bike shops!). Improving Castro Valley walkability and bikability is a solution to increasing economic growth, a sense of place, and overall well-being.
