City and PAUSD committee recommends renewing Safe Routes to School consensus statement

The City of Palo Alto–Palo Alto Unified School District City–School Liaison Committee on April 1 reviewed a three-year summary of the Safe Routes to School partnership and voted to recommend that the City Council and the PAUSD Board endorse an updated Safe Routes to School consensus statement and the City School Transportation Safety Committee bylaws.

Rose Messer Daisy, Safe Routes to School senior planner for the City of Palo Alto, told the committee the partnership has achieved sustained high rates of walking and biking and long-running education programs. "Since secondary travel data collection began in 2016, students have completed an estimated 16,900,000 walk and bike school commutes," Messer Daisy said, and PAUSD has taught safety lessons to more than 23,000 students in grades K, 3, 5 and 6.

Committee members heard staff analysis that walk-and-bike mode share has declined since the pandemic. The presentation compared pre-pandemic (2016–2019) and post-pandemic (2021–2024) averages and reported an overall 8% decline in combined walking and biking mode share, with declines concentrated among middle- and high-school students. Staff estimated that an 8% decline could translate to as many as 4,584 additional daily car trips on school commute corridors.

Lara Anthony, co-chair of the PTA Council Safe Routes to School committee, urged formal reaffirmation of the partnership. "We ask now for a formal recommendation from this committee to city council and the school board to approve the proposed document updates together with resolutions affirming each body's commitment to this program," Anthony said.

Public commenters expressed support for continuing full funding of the program and raised practical safety concerns. Matt O'Neil, a parent from South Palo Alto, said he supported keeping the program fully funded. Ken Horowitz, a resident and motorist, asked the committee to consider distributing rear bike lights and to review a congested intersection on Alma and Churchill where students queue to cross during train arrivals.

Committee members discussed ways to increase the program's effectiveness. Council member Liu asked whether the bylaws or committee membership should be changed to increase effectiveness; staff said the City School Transportation Safety Committee voted to endorse the proposed updates and that the committee structure presently includes city, district and PTA voting representatives. City staff noted plans for a citywide quick-build program in the forthcoming Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan update to create a clearer pathway for community-suggested safety improvements.

The committee then took a formal motion. The committee voted 4–0 to recommend that the Palo Alto City Council and the PAUSD Board endorse the updated Safe Routes to School consensus statement and the City School Transportation Safety Committee bylaws.

The committee said it expects the endorsement to be forwarded to each body's full governing body for final consideration and resolution.