Action Alert: Contact Palo Alto City Council to Support Funding Bike Boulevards

Hear ye, hear ye! For people who live or work in Palo Alto: Please email city.council@cityofpaloalto.org NOW with your support for bike boulevards funding and Safe Routes to School programs to ensure that they will continue being funded through next year. You can also attend one of the next two meetings, at which these items will be on the agendas. More details and suggested talking points below.Monday, June 19 City Council meeting:

• 6 pm: Safe Routes to School will present their work in a study session, including infrastructure projects with strong safety components as well as education and encouragement efforts and community participation.
• 7 pm: Penny Ellson will be honored for her Safe Routes to Schools work with a city proclamation, come and show your support and gratitude!
• 7:15 pm: Public comment on items not on agenda: this is a good opportunity to put in an early word of support for the next year's budget for bicycle and pedestrian related improvements, which will be the main item June 27 meeting. Being present, wearing an "I bike Palo Alto" t-shirt or BikePA shirt, if you prefer, and bringing your helmet to the meeting to hold up when appropriate is being encouraged by advocates. Goal is to show solidarity for not just Safe Routes to School but for the next generation of engineering, education and encouragement efforts to enable more people to safely and confidently bike more places more often.

Tuesday, June 27 City Council meeting:

• 5:30 pm: Consent calendar: Six Bike Boulevards (Amarillo Avenue, Bryant Street, East Meadow Drive, Montrose Avenue, Moreno Avenue, Louis Road, Palo Alto Avenue, and Ross Road) are up for funding approval on the consent calendar (Staff report). If it’s pulled from the consent calendar for discussion, it will be heard on 6/28 at a special city council meeting.
• 5:35 pm: The City’s budget will also be discussed at this meeting. We need to ensure that bike project funding stays in the budget! Be prepared to speak if there's discussion of pulling bike project funding from the budget.

Sample Talking Points for email or public comment

• Name, neighborhood or employment in Palo Alto, and length of time you’ve lived or worked here.
• Thank Council for making progress toward
• Why you like biking in Palo Alto
• Specific comments on the bike projects being approved (Amarillo Avenue, Bryant Street, East Meadow Drive, Montrose Avenue, Moreno Avenue, Louis Road, Palo Alto Avenue, and Ross Road)
• These aren’t just “bike projects” but include safety improvements that address the needs of all road users, including people who drive, walk, and use transit.
• Thank you