New buffers were added to the standard bike lanes on DeAnza Boulevard in December 2024.
Prior to this decision, there was great concern expressed by biking and bike lane opponents that this change would negatively affect car travel times along DeAnza in Cupertino. Despite the comprehensive analysis by the city staff and real-world examples such as El Camino Real which has higher traffic loads, fears were stoked that the associated minor lane reductions in two locations to commonize the number of lanes along the length of DeAnza and reduce the number of merges would cause “massive” congestion and gridlock.
Now, in February 2025, it has been found that these fears have not been realized. According to David Stillman, Cupertino Transportation Manager, “[The] Transportation Division staff has been monitoring traffic progression along De Anza Blvd since the changes were made. In response to observed conditions, staff has been making traffic signal timing adjustments as necessary to ensure delays are minimized, and as a result travel times along the corridor have been achieved which are consistent with those experienced prior to the changes. Staff continues to monitor traffic and will continue to make adjustment as necessary or as conditions change.” The measurements were taken during all times of day, including peak travel times on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (peak travel days in Cupertino).
Watch below to see a first-person viewpoint of a cyclist biking the corridor before and after the changes!
(To learn more about this project, click here.)
Before the buffers were installed
After the buffers were installed
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.