AgdaPkt 2020-04-27 Joint SA PFA - Laserfiche WebLink

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From: Jessica Alba To: PublicComment; GRP -City Council Subject: City Council Meeting April 27 1 In Support of Redwood City Slow Streets Date: Thursday, April 23, 2020 3:39:24 PM Dear Mayor, Members of the City Council and City Manager, It is my understanding that Redwood City is considering implementing a Slow Streets program. I am writing to express my full support for this initiative that has already been implemented or is about to be implemented and/or expanded in Oakland, San Francisco, Boston, Minneapolis, Bogota, Paris, and dozens of other cities. As a mother of three boys ranging in age from 3 to 16, we've spent hours walking and biking around the city daily since the shelter -in-place was put into place. The interactions with neighbors are fabulous but it is getting harder and harder to find quiet streets that feel safe to move along when the frequent need arises to move into a travel lane to maintain social distancing. Masks and face coverings help, but ensuring that cars move slow or not at all, except to reach a local residence, down a street would further ensure that people can walk and roll through our beautiful summer city. Traffic is down significantly, which allows drivers to speed down empty roads. This increases the risk of severe injury and fatal collisions. I fully support Silicon Valley Bike Coalition's recommendation to reduce speed advisory to 15 mph on residential streets. I would also love to see simple measures, such as signage, cones and barricades, used to close certain street corridors to through traffic. One long corridor that comes to mind is Hudson St from Woodside to Whipple. It typically carries a lot of traffic but is quiet these days and cross streets typically either have yield signs, stops signs or are signalized, which makes this street a great candidate for conversion. I understand that 4 -lane arterials such as Jefferson Ave are likely harder to convert but the impact would be even more positive. Cars are using this avenue as a speedway and residents who use it to access grocery stores, cafes and downtown share narrow sidewalks. There's hardly any opportunity to step out into traffic on this and other similar roads when crossing paths with fellow joggers, strollers and children on trikes and bikes. Now is the time for rapid implementation of measures that further improve conditions for all of our residents who walk, stroll and roll. Let's not let this crisis go to waste. Active transportation improvements benefit our physical and mental wellness, improve safety, increase equity, and have a positive impact on sustainability and our personal and communal finances. I also want to take a moment to thank City leaders and staff for removing the need to push the pedestrian button at signalized intersections throughout the city. A big congrats on the rapid implementation of this project that is resulting in dozens of other cities following suit. Lastly, as a proud resident of Redwood City, I love the complete streets improvements that the City has implemented in recent years. Sincerely, Jessica Alba Resident on Jefferson Ave near Cleveland