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Resident urges Belmont to prioritize bike infrastructure, calls some road projects car-centric
Summary
A resident told the council that Belmont's spending priorities favor cars over active transportation and urged larger projects on Ralston and other corridors to create real, connected bike routes rather than small, piecemeal investments.
A Belmont resident addressed the City Council during public comment on July 8, urging the city to prioritize active-transportation infrastructure and criticizing projects that the speaker described as car-focused.
The speaker, identified in the meeting as a resident, said trips in Europe reinforced a belief that "what you build is what people use" and argued that Belmont must build direct, safe routes for bicyclists to increase cycling mode share. The resident said some upcoming local projects appear to prioritize automobiles: "We have a project on El Camino that's gonna cost around $1,500,000 that is entirely car centric to rip out median and create left turn lane, for cars. We are have a $16,500,000 project, for Alameda that prioritizes cars, not 1 inch more of bike lane. We are spending $300,000 on Belmont specific, plan changes for active transport. They're nice little projects, but they're, like, on my list, 90 through a 100."
The speaker urged the council to fund continuous, safe routes (citing Paris, Amsterdam and Swiss cities as examples where mode share changed after infrastructure investments) and noted e-bikes make cycling feasible for older residents. The comment was delivered during the general public-comment period and did not result in council action; council members listened but did not engage in back-and-forth as permitted by meeting rules.
The speaker provided no formal petition or written plan; councilors acknowledged the comment and noted the city takes such public input into account during planning processes.
