"There wasn't a bike lane, so I was having to bicycle in traffic, and that's why I got hit,"
"Frankly, I'm really lucky to be alive."
Sunnyvale Councilmember Richard Mehlinger was hit by a car while riding his bike on California Avenue Aug. 30, breaking his left thumb and right wrist. Mehlinger attributes the collision to the absence of a bike lane, which forced him to bicycle in traffic and led to the crash. The two-month recovery and associated costs could be devastating for uninsured individuals. Sunnyvale has recorded 11 pedestrian or cyclist fatalities since 2020 and hundreds of injuries, with two deaths and 36 injuries in the first half of 2025. The city adopted a Vision Zero plan in 2019 to halve fatalities and serious injuries by 2029 but has not reduced injury-sustaining crashes. The 2020 Active Transportation Plan proposes 17.1 miles of physically protected bike lanes, yet less than one mile has been built. Advocates call for faster implementation, reduced study time, broader funding, and protected lanes on key streets, while funding constraints and long timelines remain barriers.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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