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By Kevin Rennie
The asphalt ribbons of Highways 84 and 35 are prized for their sweeping curves and breathtaking vistas of the Santa Cruz Mountains. But for those on two wheels, these roads have become corridors of tragedy. The deaths of Eric Biron at Four Corners and Jakub Solovsky on Highway 35 are not isolated accidents; they reflect a systemic failure to prioritize human life over vehicular speed.
For too long, the approach to bicycle safety on these highways has been one of passive suggestion — a few painted lines, warning signs, or appeals to share the road. But paint is not protection. When a cyclist shares a narrow, twisting road with pickup trucks and high-performance sports cars, the margin for error is dangerously small. A driver’s momentary miscalculation or reckless decision should not be a death sentence.
The solution requires more than additional signs and appeals for caution. It requires meaningful investment in safer infrastructure, effective speed enforcement and alternative routes that allow cyclists to avoid dangerous highways altogether.
We must move beyond the traditional “shared road” philosophy and prioritize Class I or Class IV bicycle infrastructure wherever feasible. Class I paths — completely separated multi-use trails — would eliminate direct conflicts between cyclists and motorists. Where separate paths/trails are not feasible due to geography, protected bike lanes — physically separated from vehicle traffic by barriers such as concrete curbs or posts — can provide an important additional layer of safety for people riding bicycles. In more constrained areas, roadway redesign, safer intersections and measures to reduce vehicle speeds must become priorities.
Equally important, we need automated speed safety cameras along these corridors. Excessive speed dramatically increases the severity of collisions, yet traditional enforcement on remote mountain highways is intermittent at best. Speed safety cameras can provide consistent enforcement and deter drivers who treat these public roads as private racetracks. California must expand authorization for automated speed enforcement to high-risk mountain highways, allowing this technology to be deployed where it is most needed.
We must also create a meaningful network of alternative bicycle routes through the mountains. Existing roads, parklands and open space offer opportunities to provide safer connections without requiring cyclists to share every mile with high-speed vehicles. Bear Gulch Road and Star Hill Road deserve evaluation for bicycle through-access, while Huddart Park, Wunderlich Park and La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve offer opportunities to develop or connect appropriate multi-use routes. The proposed Bay to Sea Trail should be accelerated with an explicit commitment to continuous bicycle connectivity. These routes should be evaluated in partnership with landowners and park agencies, with appropriate environmental protections, but access restrictions and disconnected trail networks should not be accepted as permanent barriers without exploring solutions.
A connected network of alternative routes would not only provide recreational opportunities; it would give cyclists meaningful choices about how to cross the mountains. We should not force people onto dangerous highways simply because safer potential connections remain closed, fragmented, or undeveloped.
Critics will cite cost, difficult terrain, environmental considerations and competing transportation priorities. These are legitimate challenges, but they cannot become excuses for continued inaction. We routinely invest substantial public resources to accommodate motor vehicles. We must demonstrate an equally serious commitment to protecting the lives of people traveling by bicycle.
Caltrans, San Mateo County, state legislators and regional park and open-space agencies must work together on a comprehensive safety plan for Highways 84 and 35. This must include dedicated funding for protected bicycle infrastructure, state authorization for automated speed safety cameras, meaningful speed reduction measures, and a coordinated plan to open and connect alternative bicycle routes through the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The deaths of Eric Biron and Jakub Solovsky should serve as a final wake-up call. We cannot continue to treat cyclist fatalities as an inevitable cost of mountain riding. These roads and mountains belong to everyone, not just those behind the wheel.
Kevin Rennie is a Menlo Park resident and member of the Menlo Park Complete Streets Commission who is writing as a private citizen.
