The City of Cupertino is embarking on two major projects, the Stevens Creek Corridor and a New Civic Center.  I know the New Civic Center will cost upwards of $52 million and from the size of the Stevens Creek Corridor it will cost tens of millions of dollars as well.

In light of what has been said on this blog about developing a Bicycle infrastructure for Sustainable Growth, I feel this will require many tens of missions of dollar as well spent money investing in an infrastructure to enable sustainable growth into the distant future that needs to start very soon.  It will make Cuprtino a leading City with a Vision towards health, fitness, economic prosperity, and most of all Sustainable Growth.  This has the potential of improving the health, financial welfare, and quality of life of every citizen in our city into the future.

More safe biking solves some seemingly insoluble traffic congestion and dangerous bicycle riding conditions around our schools.  It will save lives in the future.  Its benefits are extremely far reaching and hugely benefits for all citizens into the future as will as long term savings for the city.

In the short run it will be expensive to get started, but perhaps not quite as expensive as the two major project being considered.  It will happen in stages over many years and decades.  I’m sure our City is doing things to benefit Cupertino residents so if they could be convinced or at the very least consider the merits of the Vision being proposed on this blog perhaps they might think about investing resources into making Cupertino more sustainable into the future.  This Vision isn’t original.  Other city’s and countries are actively perusing it, some starting decades ago.  There are example and knowledgeable experts and consultants.  So what is the downside?

Perhaps if the City could make a road map of how it will deal with increasing and inevitable growth today it could make it sustainable into the future as well as solve many of the traffic issues and growing pains of today.  But first it must deal with our crumbling road infrastructure and associated traffic congestion and dangerous street conditions for bicyclist and pedestrians as well as cars.

Currently issues are being handled peace meal as crisis occur.  There is no long term Vision.  Why not have a Vision of the future and a road map showing us how to get there instead of stumbling into the darkness of the unknown?  Why not this be the First City Council to develop such a Vision of Sustainable Growth for the next 50 years?  Is that not a better legacy to leave the city rather than what is being done now?  There is money.  Why not leave a living legacy of a Vision toward the future for all generations instead of some edifices for a few to enjoy and no one to greatly impact?

Think of the future, the distant future, 50 or more years into the future and imagine how Cupetino will look regarding growth and traffic and space and the health and safety of citizens if the City continues down its current path.  Then compare it to the future that is proposing in the Vision on this blog.  See which make the most sense.

New and innovative ideas have always been frowned upon.  I’m sure Bill Gates and Steve Jobs ran up against their critics.  But innovation is the future when conventional wisdom fails.  Cupertino is no stranger to innovation.  Steve Jobs built his first computer in a garage here.  It is going to take innovation to solve our long term traffic and growth issued because conventional wisdom doesn’t work in the long term.  Even if this is not an entirely original idea it is new here and very different from our current way of think.  But that does not make it wrong.  So Civic Leaders think about it on its logical and comparative merits.