Over 50% of middle and high school students, nearly 4,000 children, in the Palo Alto Unified School District bike to school each day and they need continued bike safety training to keep them safe. Currently, Palo Alto students only have access to one day of hands-on bike safety training (the annual third grade Bike Rodeo). The opportunity to practice should be available year round.  Despite having a vast system of public parks and spaces with extensive sport and recreation facilities, there is not a single park in Palo Alto with an area for children to practice and learn bike safety to reduce the incidence of injury or death while riding on our streets.

We can improve our riding skills in a Traffic Garden and reduce mistakes and dangerous riding behavior before hitting the road. Let's work together to provide a safe environment where kids (and adults) may learn about and practice safe biking to reduce the frequency of accidents and fatalities at a lower cost to the city.

We, the undersigned, ask the Palo Alto City Council to direct staff and funding to support planning and implementation of the Palo Alto Traffic Garden in one or more public parks accessible to children and families. As well as setting an ambitious timeline for implementing the Palo Alto Traffic Garden as part of the path to achieving the city’s goal of zero severe injuries and roadway fatalities on streets in Palo Alto.