The Regnart Creek Trail (RCT) is a beautiful asset to the citizens of Cupertino that has proven extremely popular since opening. A recent survey of trail users by the City, using a video camera installed about 200 feet east of the Rodrigues Avenue entrance, confirmed this. Trail use on Thursday May 9, a school day, yielded a count of 510 pedestrians and 83 cyclists. On Saturday May 11, 401 pedestrians and 66 cyclists were counted. These numbers will likely go up as knowledge of the trail grows over time. (Read more about the Regnart Creek Trail approval here and here; see the trail opening here. How to use the trail–with maps–can be found here.)
The Regnart Creek Trail regularly sees more than 500 walkers and cyclists daily, which is a heavy “traffic” load.
The Trail Surface of the RCT
The trail surface predominately consists of decomposed granite with a pre-blended organic binder placed over an aggregate base, installed with a slight cross-slope. The first winter of use put the decomposed granite surface to test. While the trail surface on the section from Pacifica Drive to Blaney Avenue performed very well, the section from Blaney Avenue to East Estates Drive experienced some problems that included notable rutting and development of slippery areas.
Footprints and bike ruts made while the trail stayed wet caused difficulty for users.
Spot repairs eliminated the issues.
Repairs
The City initially closed this latter section of trail after periods of rainfall and then later kept the trail open but marked problem areas with construction barricades. During the summer of 2024, the City closed this section while it performed spot repairs at the identified problem areas. The repairs appear to have been generally successful as this section of trail surface has performed much better this winter. The City will monitor the trail performance through this rainy season.
With a high-use trail such as the RCT, it’s imperative that the surface be robust enough to handle the heavy foot and bicycle traffic. This is the second consecutive year after its opening in 2023 that the trail has seen rutting after the rains. Many people advocated for a harder surface for the trail–that still allowed for the necessary drainage which Valley Water requires–when the trail was being approved but instead $2 million was allocated to replace personal property fencing for 70 local homeowners adjacent and near the creek. It remains to be seen if the city will ultimately take action to permanently address these ongoing issues.
The information in this article is solely the opinion of the author and Walk-Bike Cupertino and does not reflect the opinions of any other organization or entity. For more information, contact WBC at info@walkbikecupertino.org.