West Homestead Rd, Sunnyvale

As a resident of Homestead Road in Sunnyvale for over 10 years, I can confidently say that living on Homestead is comparable to living below a hydro-electric dammed river -at least in terms of noise. The traffic on this 35mph street flows heavily during commute hours, varys during the day, and virtually disappears at night.

Access to shopping is above average; there are shops of every sort along Homestead's arrow-straight ribbon of asphalt from Los Alto: Trader Joe's, Peet's Coffee, 'Green Grocer', etc., to Sunnyvale/Cupertino: 99 Ranch (with surrounding variety of Asian-themed shops), another 'Green Grocer', Sandwich shops and restaurants, etc., to Santa Clara: Ross Dress-for-less, Burger joints, Cleaners, etc.

PG+E uses Homestead Road as an access road to their corporation yard full of heavy equipment, thus increasing the noise level during commute hours.

Another noisy addition to Homestead is the Kaiser Hospital Emergency Department at Homestead and Lawrence Expy. Emergency vehicles love to use Homestead as an alternative to Highway 280, and race down the street with sirens blaring at all hours of the day and night.

The traffic on Homestead Road creates more than just noise pollution. Inconsiderate drivers toss various used food wrappers, empty drink containers, and other trash from their cars. This trash ends up blowing into residents' driveways and yards. Yuck.

I grow vegetables in my front yard, and have to diligently wash road grime off their skins before eating. The air quality is poor. I wash my cars regularly, as do all other Homestead Road residents.

I'm sure the problems of living on Homestead Road closely mirror the problems along any major road, but still warrant mentioning.

I'll end on a positive note. Homestead Road is a great street for people who want to live private lives. Since it is so forbiddingly loud to spend time in your front yard, people generally disappear into their houses and stay there. This is a great neighborhood for people who lock their doors, latch their windows, and watch their TVs every night. It would also be a great place for young commuting people, as it has great proximity to Highway 280, Highway 85, Lawrence Expressway, San Tomas Expressway, and Foothill Expressway.

Safety along Homestead Road is ensured by a combination of five police jurisdictions! As Homestead traverses four cities, it is patrolled by Los Altos Police, Sunnyvale Police, Cupertino Police, and Santa Clara Police. It is also unincorporated in several sections along its length, so the Santa Clara Sheriff patrols the entire route. I have been stopped while walking at night and asked for my ID. The great police coverage makes for incredibly short response times to emergency calls. Bravo!