HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2503-4396CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Monday, April 21, 2025
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
9.Adoption of a Resolution Endorsing the Updated Safe Routes to School Consensus
Statement and Approval of the Amended City/School Transportation Safety Committee
Bylaws; CEQA Status – Not a Project. Public Comment
City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Transportation
Meeting Date: April 21, 2025
Report #:2503-4396
TITLE
Adoption of a Resolution Endorsing the Updated Safe Routes to School Consensus Statement
and Approval of the Amended City/School Transportation Safety Committee Bylaws; CEQA
Status – Not a Project.
RECOMMENDATION
The City/Schools Liaison Committee and staff recommend that Council adopt the attached
Resolution (Attachment A) to endorse the proposed Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National
Partnership Consensus Statement and approve the City/School Transportation Safety
Committee (CSTSC) Bylaws. This action recognizes the City of Palo Alto, the Palo Alto Unified
School District (PAUSD), and the Palo Alto Council of Parent Teacher Associations (PTA)
Partnership in reducing risk to students commuting to and from school, re-aligns the current
local Consensus Statement to match the National Partnership Consensus Statement, and
initiates minor edits to the Bylaws.
BACKGROUND
The National SRTS Partnership Consensus Statement was developed by a coalition of partners
working to address historic declines in walking and biking to school in 2006. In 2005 and 2006,
the City, PAUSD, and the PTA endorsed a local version of the SRTS National Partnership
Consensus Statement (Attachment B). The Palo Alto Council of PTAs approved the proposed
Consensus Statement and Bylaws at their General Association meeting on February 19, 2025,
followed by City/School Transportation Safety Committee approval on February 27, 2025, and a
recommendation that the City Council and the PAUSD Board of Education endorse the
proposed revisions by the City/School Liaison Committee (CSLC) on April 1, 2025. An equivalent
Resolution has been forwarded to the Board of Education for Palo Alto Unified School District
review and approval.1
1 The original National SRTS Partnership Consensus Statement and original CSTSC bylaws are available at the City’s
Safe Routes to School Partners and Program History webpage.
ANALYSIS
The recommended action replaces the local Safe Routes to School local Consensus Statement
with the National Safe Routes Partnership Consensus Statement. The two substantive changes
add Equity to the five program pillars of Education, Engineering, Engagement, Encouragement
and Evaluation, and rename the Enforcement program pillar Engagement. The CSTSC informally
added Equity as a sixth E in 20172 and changed Enforcement to Engagement in 2020.3 The
amended Bylaws rename the City School Traffic Safety Committee the City School
Transportation Safety Committee to recognize that the work of the CSTSC extends beyond
traffic considerations.
The 2024-25 school year marks the thirty-year anniversary of the (SRTS) Partnership. Thirty-
year Partnership achievements include in-school K-3, 5 and 6 grade bicycle and pedestrian
safety education, a local commitment to prioritizing school commute route safety and
accessibility, and success in growing and sustaining nearly four times the national student walk
and bike mode share rate. Programs help eliminate roughly 3,824,000 yearly car trips from
local roadways, reducing risk for families who walk, bike and use transit, and improving
roadway access for families who must drive.4
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The SRTS has 3.0 FTE supporting the program, with 1.0 FTE funded through 2016 Measure B
Local Streets and Roads Funding. The program has an annual operating budget of $0.4M and
receives an annual appropriation of $0.1M in the SRTS Capital Improvement Project (PL-00026).
Staff is not requesting any supplemental funding at this time, and no additional budgetary
action is required.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Safe Routes to School Partnership is a collaborative program. According to the International
Association of Public Participation (IAP2), collaborative programs allow for partnership with
members of the public to identify problems and develop solutions. SRTS partners include the
Palo Alto Office of Transportation and Police Department staff, PTA-appointed Transportation
Safety Representatives for each PAUSD school and PAUSD Facilities staff, school principals and
other PAUSD administrators. For decades, the City of Palo Alto, PAUSD, and the PTA have
hosted a monthly student-transportation safety-focused collaboration called the City/School
2 2016-17 Safe Routes to School Annual Report; https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-
minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports-cmrs/year-archive/2017/7867.pdf. Page 2
3 2021-22 Safe Routes to School Annual Report;
https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/files/assets/public/v/1/transportation/safe-routes-to-schools/annual-reports-
information/srts-annual-report-2021-2022.pdf. Page 2
4 City School Liaison Committee, April 1, 2025. Agenda Item #4 SR# :2503 4407
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=17126
Transportation Safety Committee (CSTSC). A Five-Year Action Plan guided the work of the CSTSC
through 2023.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Council action on this item is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) because approval of this resolution endorses a continuing administrative activity.
CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(2). Individual Safe Routes to School projects that make
physical changes to the environment undergo appropriate CEQA review.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Resolution endorsing SRTS National Partnership Consensus Statement and
Approving amended CSTSC Bylaws
Attachment B: PAUSD and City of Palo Alto Resolution endorsing the original SRTS Partnership
Consensus Statement
APPROVED BY:
Lily Lim-Tsao, Interim Director, Office of Transportation
*NOT YET ADOPTED*
131_20250403_ts24 1
Resolution No. ___
Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Endorsing the Safe Routes to
School National Partnership Consensus Statement and Approving Updated
Bylaws for the City/School Transportation Safety Committee
R E C I T A L S
A. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a national and international movement to create safe,
convenient, meaningful and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk to school;
and
B. Safe Routes to School programs provide a variety of important benefits to students and
their communities, including improved health and fitness, reduced traffic congestion,
better air quality and enhanced neighborhood safety; and
C. In Palo Alto, the Safe Routes to School program has been a successful collaboration
between the City of Palo Alto, the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), and the Palo
Alto Council of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAC); and
D. The 2024-2025 academic year marks the 30th anniversary of the Safe Routes to School
partnership between PAUSD, PTAC and the City, and their collective success and shared
commitment to supporting in-school bicycle and pedestrian safety education, prioritizing
school commute route safety and accessibility, and encouraging families to choose
healthy, active, and sustainable school commutes; and
E. The City Council endorsed a Safe Routes to School Consensus Statement (the 2006
Consensus Statement) on February 6, 2006 in Council Resolution No. 8590; and
F. The 2006 Consensus Statement was also endorsed by the PAUSD Board of Education on
February 14, 2006 and by PTAC on October 12, 2005; and
G. Policy T-6.4 of the City’s Comprehensive Plan affirms that the city will “Continue the Safe
Routes to School partnership with PAUSD and the Palo Alto Council of PTAs;” and
H. In light of updates and developments since the adoption of the 2006 Consensus Statement,
members of the City/School Liaison Committee recommended at their meeting on April 1,
2025, that the Council and the PAUSD Board of Education endorse the proposed revised
Consensus Statement (Proposed Consensus Statement) and proposed revised City/School
Transportation Safety Committee Bylaws (Proposed Bylaws); and
I. Members of the City/School Transportation Safety Committee voted to adopt the
Proposed Consensus Statement and Proposed Bylaws on February 27, 2025; and
J. PTAC endorsed the Proposed Consensus Statement and Proposed Bylaws at its General
Association meeting on February 19, 2025; and
K. The City Council intends through this resolution to endorse the Proposed Consensus
Statement and approve the Proposed Bylaws and to reaffirm its commitment to the Safe
Routes to School Partnership.
NOW THEREFORE THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
*NOT YET ADOPTED*
131_20250403_ts24 2
SECTION 1. The Council hereby endorses the Safe Routes to School National
Partnership Consensus Statement (Exhibit A) and approves the amended City/School
Transportation Safety Committee Bylaws (Exhibit B) as a means of reaffirming its commitment to
the Safe Routes to School program and to encourage the continued collaboration of the City,
PAUSD and PTAC in their efforts to reduce risk for students and encourage more families to use
alternatives to driving to school more often.
SECTION 2. This Resolution supersedes Resolution 8590.
SECTION 3. The Council finds that this Resolution is exempt from CEQA under CEQA
Guidelines section 15378(b)(2) as a continuing administrative activity.
SECTION 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
INTRODUCED:
PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:
__________________________ _____________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
__________________________ _____________________________
Assistant City Attorney City Manager
_____________________________
Chief Transportation Official
SAFE ROUTES PARTNERSHIP
CONSENSUS STATEMENT
We believe that Safe Routes to School is catalyzing and inspiring safe, healthy and livable communities.
Our vision is that school environments are a focal point for healthy living. Our mission and vision
statements can be reviewed here.
The Problem
Since the 1970s, we have seen a loss of mobility among our nation’s children that has severely impacted
their personal health and their ability to explore their neighborhoods, even by walking or bicycling to
school. Parents also have concerns about safety – both real and perceived – and children today have fewer
opportunities to develop their independence. Consider these facts:*
●Mobility: In 2009, just 13 percent of children ages 5 to 14 walked and bicycled to and from
school—a dramatic drop from 1969 when nearly 50 percent of children got to school under
their own power.1
●Health: Estimates show that only about half of youth meet the current Physical Activity
Guidelines for Americans’ recommendation of at least 60 minutes of daily vigorous or
mod-erate-intensity physical activity.2 There were more than four times as many overweight
children in 2008 as there were in 1965.3 Childhood obesity is associated with an increase in
heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
●Air Quality: A national study found that approximately one in three U.S. public schools are
located in “air pollution danger zones” within a quarter mile or less of high-traffic roadways.
Health effects of exposure to traffic pollution include increased respiratory illness, asthma
exacerbations, decreased lung function and decreased lung growth.4,5 Air pollution also
increases school absences.6
●Traffic Congestion: During the morning commute, driving to school represents 10 to 14
percent of traffic on the road.7
●Traffic Safety: Nationwide, 25 percent of all children’s traffic fatalities and 15 percent of all
children’s traffic injuries happen when children are walking or bicycling and are struck by
cars.8
●Equity: In low-income communities, fewer sidewalks and crosswalks plus more high-speed
traffic9 result in a higher risk of children from lower-income families being injured or killed
by cars when walking.10
●School Location: Public school enrollment has nearly doubled since the 1930s; however,
during this time the number of public schools has decreased by 60 percent,11 resulting in
larger schools that are further away from the families they serve.
●School Transportation: School districts are under economic pressure to cut costs and this has
impacted school busing. During the 2010-2011 school year, approximately 22 percent of
school districts made busing reductions due to fuel price increases, leaving many children
without a safe way to school.12
Exhibit A
These problems are all related to the fact that many communities lack basic infrastructure—sidewalks,
bike lanes, trails, pathways, and crosswalks—and are no longer designed to encourage or allow children
to walk and bicycle safely. Concerns about traffic, crime, and other obstacles result in children being
driven to school, which further adds to the traffic on the road and pollution in the air and misses an
important opportunity for physical activity.
The Solution
Safe Routes to School programs began in several communities in the United States in the late 1990s, and
spread nationwide in 2005 with the passage of the federal transportation bill SAFETEA-LU. A study on
the use of federal funds for Safe Routes to School in five states showed that Safe Routes to School
investments increased active travel to school by 37 percent.13 Safe Routes to School continues to be
eligible under the 2012 federal transportation bill MAP-21, and many states and communities are passing
policies to provide additional Safe Routes to School funds.
Safe Routes to School has proven to be an effective and popular strategy for increasing physical activity
among children, improving safety, reducing pollution and engaging policy makers in community design
to promote smart growth and livability. Several studies and resources about Safe Routes to School’s
effectiveness are available on our website.
As demand grows for healthy community design options, communities around the country are organizing
Safe Routes to School programs and passing policies, with the common goals of increasing safety and
improving mobility for children. Safe Routes to School also engages families and school communities to
increase physical activity opportunities for children to help reverse childhood obesity trends. While each
program is unique, Safe Routes to School programs and policies have common objectives:
● Mobility: Safe Routes to School gets more children walking and bicycling to schools safely,
and aims to ensure that streets around schools have an adequate number of safe places to
cross and access schools.
● Health: Safe Routes to School encourages students, families, and school staff to be
physically active by walking and bicycling more often. Physical activity improves
cardiovascular and muscular fitness, attention, cognition and mood, while decreasing the risk
of developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer.14
● Air Quality: Safe Routes to School helps convert car trips to walking and bicycling trips,
reducing the number of cars around schools that are producing traffic pollution.
● Traffic Congestion: Approximately 43 percent of children who live less than a mile from
school are currently driven to school.15 These short trips can be shifted to walking and
bicycling with the help of Safe Routes to School initiatives, easing traffic congestion on the
morning commute.
● Traffic Safety: Safe Routes to School makes streets, sidewalks, pathways, trails, and
crosswalks safe, convenient and attractive for walking and bicycling to school and in daily
life. The impact of this safe infrastructure is amplified by enforcing all traffic laws near
schools, on school routes, and in other areas of high pedestrian and bicycle activity, and by
keeping driving speeds slow near schools, on school routes and at school crossings.
Exhibit A
● Equity: Safe Routes to School recognizes that lower-income communities and schools often
have the highest obesity rates and most dangerous traffic safety conditions, and therefore
need to be prioritized for infrastructure improvements.
● School Location: Safe Routes to School seeks to locate schools within walking and bicycling
distance of as many students as possible, and not along busy streets (which are dangerous to
cross and expose children to higher air pollution). It is also important to ensure high quality,
equitable and diverse schools.
● School Transportation: Safe Routes to School programs are a critical tool for school districts
seeking to manage transportation costs, by prioritizing improvements in areas close enough
where children could walk or bicycle to school but are currently bused due to “hazard
busing” conditions.
Every community is unique, so each Safe Routes to School program must respond to the needs of the
school and the community. Successful programs include some combination or all of the following
approaches to improve conditions for safe walking and bicycling:
● Equity: Ensuring that Safe Routes to School initiatives are benefiting all demographic
groups, with particular attention to ensuring safe, healthy, and fair outcomes for low-income
students, students of color, students of all genders, students with disabilities, and others.
● Engagement: Listening and working with students, families, and organizations to be
intentional in programming.
● Encouragement: Using events and activities to promote walking and bicycling.
● Education: Teaching children about the broad range of transportation choices, instructing
them in important lifelong safety skills, and launching driver safety campaigns.
● Engineering: Creating operational and physical improvements to the infrastructure
surrounding schools, reducing speeds, and establishing safer crosswalks and pathways.
● Evaluation: Monitoring and researching outcomes and trends through the collection of data.
Our nation continues to learn about best practices for Safe Routes to School programs and policies. As the
Safe Routes to School movement matures, it is critical to evaluate the most effective and equitable uses of
funding.
The Safe Routes Partnership
The Safe Routes Partnership is comprised of multiple constituencies at the local, state, and national levels.
It includes:
● Parents, students and educators
● Health professionals
● Transportation, urban planning, and engineering professionals
● Policy makers
● Business leaders
● Community groups
Exhibit A
● Social equity leaders
● Walking and bicycling advocates
● Environmental advocates
● Safety and injury prevention advocates
The Safe Routes Partnership is a leading national organization advancing policies, strategies and
programs which connect transportation with safe, healthy community designs that increase physical
activity opportunities for children, families and schools. We achieve our mission by focusing on
advancing policy change, and inspiring action and leadership in states and local communities, and sharing
our deep knowledge and expertise through a wide range of programs, initiatives and partnerships.
In 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognized the Safe Routes Partnership with
the Game Changer Award, one of six Pioneering Innovation Awards. The award recognized the Safe
Routes Partnership for its accomplishments that have led to paradigm shifts that have advanced obesity
prevention efforts. The Safe Routes Partnership will continue to evolve to advance the overall movement,
mobilize the grassroots, work with policy makers and serve as a catalyst to leverage funding and policies
that result in healthy community design that serve children and families nationwide. For additional
information on the annual progress of the movement and the Safe Routes Partnership, visit here.
Please Join Us!
Exhibit A
CITY/SCHOOL TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE POLICY
CITY/SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY COMMITTEE BYLAWS
The City/School Transportation Safety Committee (the “Committee”) is composed of (i) representatives of the Palo Alto PTA Council (“PTAC”), (ii) City of Palo Alto (“City”) staff, and (iii) Palo Alto Unified School District (“District”) staff, which serve in an advisory capacity to the City Manager and the District Superintendent, respectively, as well as the joint City/School Liaison Committee, on matters relating to school transportation safety for students.
Administrative Procedures:
1. Voting Committee Members (“Voting Members”)a.One representative from the City Office of Transportationb.One representative from the Police Departmentc.One representative from the District administrationd.One representative from District principalse.Three Transportation Safety Representative liaisons approved by PTAC, which shall includePTAC’s Safe Routes to School chairperson and deputy chairperson(s)
2.Meetings. In order to promote cooperation within the community, meetings shall be regular, well-publicizedand open to the public. A chairperson shall be elected annually by the Voting Members. Procedures for setting the agenda, recording minutes, receiving requests for action, etc., shall be discussed by the Committee at its organizational meeting each year.
On an annual basis all new Committee members will receive a briefing by the Committee chairperson on policies and procedures. All Committee members will be provided materials on City and State ordinances regarding safety control devices and other relevant information needed to make informed decisions.
3. Duties and Responsibilities. The Committee shall guide and coordinate all engineering, education,encouragement, engagement, evaluation and equity-related activities connected with the school transportation safety program. The committee's primary duties shall include the following:
a.Recommend general policies and procedures regarding school transportation safety.
b.Evaluate the adequacy of the school transportation safety program.
c.Receive, review and process complaints and requests involving school transportationsafety.
d.Review any and all improvement projects involving school transportation safety.
e.Promote good communication, understanding, and provide liaison with the community
at large.
f.Initiate recommendations for immediate remedial action to appropriate city and/orschool officials when necessary to correct school transportation safety problems
considered to be of an emergency nature.
g.Provide information to local school communities on suggested routes to school.
4.Appeals. Recourse to the above action by any person or group should follow the normal channels withinthe City, District and PTAC organizational structure.
Exhibit B
From:Matt Bryant
To:Council, City
Subject:Please support Safe Routes to School
Date:Monday, April 21, 2025 11:55:55 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking
on links.
Dear City Council of Palo Alto,
Please support safe routes to school in Palo Alto. As the parent of two children in PAUSD who rode their bikes to
school over the years, it was very reassuring to know that there was an organization overlooking the safety of our
children as they biked to and from school every day. As a safe routes to school parent representative at Gunn high
school, I can attest that safe routes to school is always meeting with the community to make sure that any routes to
school are being closely monitored to ensure our children’s safety is being protected. If you have any questions
about the organization, please reach out to me.
Thank you again for your support.
Best regards,
Matt
Matthew D. Bryant, PharmD
(415) 846-1239
DrMattBryant@gmail.com LinkedIn/in/DrMattBryant
From:Rachael Panizzo
To:Council, City
Subject:Support for safe routes to school program
Date:Monday, April 21, 2025 9:05:24 AM
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Dear Palo Alto City Council Members
I am writing in support of the Safe Routes to School program. I have been a parent transport
safety rep at Fairmeadow and JLS for the past four years.
Palo Alto is incredibly unique in making it the norm to bike or walk to school every day. Itwas the first thing I noticed when our family moved here six years ago.
This is not something that happens organically and should not be taken for granted. The levels
of walking and biking to school that the city has achieved will quickly dissipate withoutsupport from the safe routes to school program. Parents need to know that the city prioritises
student safety, bike routes and traffic calming around schools to feel safe letting their kids biketo school independently. The PTA, school district and city safe routes to school team worked
very hard together to re-establish these norms coming back to school in person after the coviddisruption.
Apart from the physical health benefits, fitness and independence that students gain from
biking to school, the safe routes to school program hugely reduces car trips and congestionduring rush hour. Every student that bikes to school is one less car journey. You can easily see
this on bad weather days when fewer students bike and instead get dropped off by car. Thetraffic multiplies, dangerous driving, illegal parking, driving in bike lanes and U-turns on
school streets occur regularly. This would become our new normal without the safe routes toschool program.
I understand that budget cuts are anticipated and am writing to ask that the City please fill the
currently vacant Safe Routes to School Planner position, despite budget shortfalls, to ensurecritical bicycle safety and education programs are sustained for our children.
Whatever savings you make from budget cuts will be dwarfed by the knock on effects of
traffic, parking needs and congestion. It would be a step backwards and undermine the city’ssustainability and climate goals. How else are kids supposed to get to school?
Please also support the SRTS Resolution and Partnership Consensus Statement and Bylaws to
support our strong, effective and longstanding partnership.
Thank you Rachael Panizzo
JLS parent and transport safety representative
From:Rachel Vazquez-Reina
To:Council, City
Subject:Supporting Safe Routes to Schools
Date:Sunday, April 20, 2025 9:14:24 PM
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Hi,
My name is Rachel and I'm a Transportation Safety Representative at Palo Verde. I am
writing in support of the Safe Routes to School program. The important work this
program does is vital to our children's safety and our community.
I understand that budget cuts are anticipated and am writing to ask that the City
please fill the currently vacant Safe Routes to School Planner position, despite budget
shortfalls, to ensure critical bicycle safety education programs are sustained for our children.
Thank you all for your service to our community and for your long standing support
and partnership on Safe Routes to School!
Sincerely,
Rachel Vazquez-ReinaPalo Verde Transportation Safety Representative
Proud Palo Verde mom
From:Sanne Smith
To:Council, City
Subject:Writing in support of the Safe Routes to School Program
Date:Saturday, April 19, 2025 6:07:31 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links.
Dear City Council members,
I’m writing to support the Safe Routes to School Program. I am a parent in the PAUSD
district and consider this program incredibly important for several reasons.
First, encouraging children to walk or bike to school helps them stay active and build healthy
habits. It also reduces car traffic around schools, which benefits the environment and
improves safety for everyone in the community. In addition, promoting independent travel
helps kids develop confidence and responsibility. I believe SRTS supports all of this. I have
heard that budget cuts are anticipated and that the bike safety education that SRTS provides
might be at risk. Therefore, I am writing to voice my appreciation of SRTS and I hope that the
city will continue to support SRTS.
Best,
Sanne Smith
PAUSD parent
From:Kara Baker
To:Council, City
Subject:Support for Safe Routes to School - thank you for your continued commitment!
Date:Saturday, April 19, 2025 12:35:36 PM
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Dear Palo Alto City Council,
This is Kara Baker writing, co-Traffic Safety Rep for Escondido Elementary School and
parent of a Greene Middle School 8th grader. I wanted to express my support for the SafeRoutes to School program and truly hope the City will continue investing in the program at the
current level to keep our students safe on their way to and from school.
My 8th grader bikes over 4 miles round trip to Greene Middle School every day and without asafe route including crossing guards, I would be reluctant to have him out on the roads. He
rides down the very busy Stanford Ave with parked cars along the side, crosses El Camino,goes under the Alma tunnel by the Cal Ave Caltrain, and enjoys the opportunity for
independence, being outdoors, and riding with friends.
If the City does not plan to spend funds to offer buses for students to get to school, it is ourobligation as a community to provide our students with safe routes and continue to provide a
bike safety education so that they can get themselves to school. Particularly with school formiddle schoolers and high schoolers starting at 8:30 or 9am, it is not reasonable for all parents
to be able to drive their students to school before getting to their places of employment. Not tomention the traffic that that would entail. The bus used to serve this function where I grew up
in Cleveland, Ohio, but absent a bus, and with the amazing weather that we have in Palo Alto,we cherish the opportunity for our students to bike or walk themselves to school. But in order
to do that, they must have safe spaces to ride and bike safety education to help them makegood choices along the way.
I would like to thank you for your service to our community and your long standing support
and partnership on Safe Routes to School.
Thank you again for your time, Kara Baker
From:Silvana Gaia
To:Council, City
Subject:Please Continue Supporting Safe Routes to School
Date:Thursday, April 17, 2025 1:28:05 PM
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Dear City Council Members,
As a Palo Alto resident and the mother of two children—ages 13 and 15—who bike to school
every day, I am writing to express my strong support for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS)program and to urge you to continue fully funding it at current levels.
This program has been essential to our family's daily life. My kids’ ability to safely and
confidently ride their bikes to school gives them not only independence, but also dailyphysical activity and a mental health boost—benefits that are so important during the middle
and high school years. The safety improvements and bike education made possible throughSRTS have helped make this possible.
However, there is still important work to be done—particularly in addressing safety concerns
related to rail grade separation.
I hope you will continue prioritizing this vital program and to maintain its current fundinglevels, even in the face of anticipated budget challenges.
Thank you for your leadership and for your continued support of Safe Routes to School. This
program is one of the reasons Palo Alto continues to be a wonderful place to raise a family.
Sincerely,Silvana Gaia
Mother of two PAUSD students
From:pennyellson12@gmail.com
To:Council, City
Cc:"Lara Anthony"; "Melissa Oliveira"
Subject:Resolution and Safe Routes to School Partnership Consensus Statement, Consent Calendar Item 9 on April 21,2025 City Council Agenda
Date:Tuesday, April 15, 2025 2:14:16 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Honorable City Council Members,
I am writing to ask you to please vote in support of the updated Resolution and Safe
Routes to School Partnership Consensus Statement, Consent Calendar Item 9 on
your April 21, 2025 agenda.
In 2006, unanimous endorsement of a similar resolution by both PAUSD Board of Education and Palo
Alto City Council sparked nearly two decades of steady mode shift to walking bicycling, carpooling,
riding local buses, scootering, and other active, healthy and environmentally sustainable alternatives
to driving solo.
That partnership commitment was the impetus for transformation of school commuting in PAUSD
schools. The three-pronged partnership commitment of Palo Alto PTAs, PAUSD, and City of Palo
Alto formalized shared Goals and Vision with a foundation of mutual trust and respect and a shared
commitment to support comprehensive programs.
Each partner receives significant benefits. However, students benefit most from
improved physical and mental health, connection to community, readiness to learn,
opportunity to become increasingly independent and confident as they grow and learn to
move about the community with transportation safety skills every person needs.
Better Use of Valuable Land, Transportation ROW and Staff Time
The school district and city have enjoyed significant reductions in auto congestion and safety impacts
over time. Mode shift away from driving to school has enabled the district to construct facilities for
education on valuable land that formerly was needed for student and parent automobile parking,
drop-off and pick-up. Mode shift has released site staff from auto traffic management at bell times to
spend that time on more productive educational purposes. The city has seen greatly reduced auto
congestion, especially in areas where work and school commute trips converge.
Less Risk. More Joy.
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.
This is their first mail to some recipients.
Mark Safe Report Powered by Mimecast
One of the greatest risk factors to student safety on public streets and school campuses is cars, a
safety liability that is very difficult to manage. By reducing and managing car traffic better and
improving separated, safer foot-powered access to and through school sites, PAUSD schools and
city streets have become more welcoming to foot-powered students who now start and end their
days with happy, healthy walks or bike rides with friends or family that lift spirits and connect them to
community. Exercise and connectedness are great contributors to good mental and physical health.
Reducing Automobile Congestion and Related GHG Emissions Make Our Community
Safer, More Comfortable and Greener for Everyone.
As your predecessors did in 2006, please support this resolution in support of the
updated Partnership Consensus Statement. Renew this commitment to engage our
organizations in renewing and sustaining a city, school, community partnership to reduce risk to
students commuting to and from school and to encourage more families to choose alternatives to
solo driving more often.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Safe Routes to School. Thank you for considering my
comments.
With gratitude for your service to our community,
Penny Ellson
(former 17-year Safe Routes to School PTA leader, currently engaging in collegial support of Palo Alto
PTAs Safe Routes to School Volunteers)
650-387-8707
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