The City of Palo Alto is committed to creating and sustaining a community partnership with the Palo Alto Unified School District and Palo Alto PTA to reduce risks to students and encourage more families to walk and bike or use other alternatives to driving more often.
In the spring of 2012, the City of Palo Alto initiated an expanded Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, funded by a two-year Vehicle Emissions Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) grant from the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority. The project will enhance the City's Five E's approach to Safe Routes to School programming: Education, Engineering, Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation.
The VERBS grant will allow the City to evaluate the existing conditions for students traveling to school, assess current education programs, develop new encouragement tools, and explore policy changes to improve school commute safety. In addition, the program includes development of Walk and Roll to School maps as well as Recommended Improvement maps for each school which will be posted online for public review. A summary of grant activities may be found here.
For more information about the Safe Routes to School Program or to make comments on the draft maps listed below, please contact Sylvia Star-Lack at saferoutes@cityofpaloalto.org or at (650) 329-2156.
This working paper presents the results of the Parent/Caregiver Survey conducted through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's (MTC) Climate Initiatives Evaluation Program and the Palo Alto Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program. Overall, 2,603 surveys were filled out, providing results for 4,265 students (each survey enabled a parent/caregiver to provide information for up to three students).
City/School Traffic Safety Committee (CSTSC) The CSTSC meets the second Thursday of every month during the school year. The CSTSC is composed of community members, City of Palo Alto staff and Palo Alto Unified School District staff who serve in an advisory capacity to the City Manager and the Superintendent on matters relating to school traffic safety for students. Members of the public are welcome to attend the monthly meetings. The CSTSC Charter describes the specific duties and responsibilities of the committee.
Educating Student Bicyclists and Pedestrians Palo Alto has a history as a bicycle friendly town. In addition to having flat terrain and many bicycle facilities, some form of bicycle education has been offered in the Palo Alto Unified School District since the 1960s. [more]
School Commute Corridors Network The School Commute Corridors Network designates a sub-set of Palo Alto’s street system for special consideration in infrastructure improvement and travel safety enhancement. [more]
Bicycling Improvement Feedback 311 The City of Palo Alto welcomes comments and suggestions from concerned bicyclists regarding bicycle safety through Palo Alto 311. [more]
Report Code Violations In an average year, the City receives several complaints related to possible code enforcement violations. Please call/email respective code enforcement officers with your complaint. [more]
