Traveling to Cisco via the Guadalupe River Trail
December 19, 2007
Stephen Boniface is an engineer with Cisco Systems in North San José. Two to three times per week, he uses San José’s trail network to get to work, stay in shape and personally reduce his impact on the environment.
Living in the Washington Area of central San José, Stephen catches the trail at Grant Avenue, at the current southern boundary of Downtown’s Guadalupe River Park. His 45 minute bike ride lets him enjoy the park’s paved trail, as well as travel north of I-880 along the unpaved reaches of the Lower Guadalupe River Trail and River Oaks Parkway. His office near Highway 880 and Tasman Drive requires that he follow some on-street routes.
His employer is definitely pro-environment. Cisco Systems, in support of the Clinton Global Initiative, launched the Connected Urban Development program to help mitigate global warming by integrating advanced network technologies into urban infrastructures. In San José, Cisco Systems supports employees who commute by bike by providing lockers and showers in most buildings on campus. These facilities are in addition to the many gyms and locker rooms located throughout the campus. Cisco has a team dedicated to the promotion of transportation options. The company also supports Bike to Work Day annually by providing event bike jerseys, breakfasts and networking opportunities. To make commuting by bike even easier, the company is in the process of providing additional bike storage on campus and posts commuter information on its Intranet site.
Stephen reports that many Cisco employees find their way to the Coyote Creek Trail for daily exercise.
San José’s goal of developing a 100-mile trail network should encourage more commuting. “I think that an inter-connected trail network will address some current issues that prevent coworkers from using the trails. My coworkers often complain that trails are difficult to find, not interconnected, and challenging to navigate.”
Another issue for San José to tackle is in the area of promotion. Many of Stephen’s coworkers are unaware of the City’s trails and perhaps most surprising; many do not know of the Guadalupe River Park and trail through downtown. Stephen thinks that more promotion of the trail network could encourage greater usage. Having lived in San José for 17 years, he thinks that the City has plenty of great features to promote; “the City should proudly advertise the Guadalupe River Trail as a great way to get to work”.
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