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Palo Alto committee debates mobility work plan as staff weighs GHG and VMT data limits
Summary
City staff told the Climate Action and Sustainability Committee that Palo Alto has met interim VMT targets driven largely by pandemic‑era shifts but cautioned that measurement uncertainty complicates long‑term planning; members and public commenters pressed for GHG‑per‑dollar prioritization, clearer baselines and careful scoping of micromobility and downtown parking measures.
City staff presented an update on mobility goals and a draft 2026–27 mobility work plan to the Climate Action and Sustainability Committee on Nov. 20, 2025, outlining near‑term projects such as enhanced bikeways, a micro‑mobility feasibility study, parking pricing policy, traffic signal modernization and housing‑element actions aimed at supporting active transportation.
"We're looking at about 20% [mode share] according to the latest census data," senior transportation planner Katie Heuser said, and staff recommended increasing the percentage of local work trips made by walking, biking and transit from 19% to 40% while reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by 12% from a 2019 baseline by 2030. Heuser told the committee staff currently see "at least a 25% reduction" in VMT through 2023 compared with 2019 but cautioned that some…
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