City of Palo Alto Designated Bicycle Friendly Community
Innovative Bike-Transit Center Offers Free Food & Gear to Cycling Commuters
Palo Alto - The League of American Bicyclists has designated the first recipients of its Bicycle-Friendly Community awards. The City of Palo Alto joins 14 communities including Stanford University in being recognized as Bicycle-Friendly. Communities were rated on policy, design and providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bicycle for transportation and recreation.
"We are very proud to share the designation of Bicycle-Friendly Community with our neighbors at Stanford University. Our two communities share a population that cycles freely between the Stanford Campus and the City of Palo Alto," stated Mayor Dena Mossar of Palo Alto.
The League considered several factors in granting Bicycle-Friendly status. Reviewers examined applications that included traffic engineering facilities and policies and bicycling promotion and education efforts of each community. The City of Palo Alto received a Gold-Level ranking and Stanford a Silver-Level ranking.
In Palo Alto 4.4% of all trips are made by bicycle. The City of Palo Alto encourages employees to ride bicycles to work by providing a $20 monthly benefit. The City also supports the Bikestation, a staffed bicycle parking facility that serves some 50 cyclists per day, and provides bike lockers at transit hubs and within the business districts. Bicycle education as part of a Safe Routes to School program is available in the Palo Alto Unified School District in the third, fifth an sixth grade. The City of Palo Alto also provides classes for Adult Bicycle Education.
A short presentation will be made at the City Council Meeting on Monday, July 14 at 6:50 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Andy Clarke, Director of State and Local Advocacy from the League of American Bicyclists will present the City with the designation and Mayor Dena Mossar will read the proclamation regarding the honor.
Two other events will take place to mark this occasion. The first is a brown bag lunch presentation on Monday, July 14 at the Museum of American Heritage located at 351 Homer Avenue. Andy Clarke, Director of State and Local Advocacy for the League of American Bicyclists will give a lunchtime presentation starting at 12:00 noon. Following this the Museum of American Heritage will be open for viewing of the exhibit, Cycles of History - The Classic Bicycles from 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. The exhibit includes many bicycles from the renowned collection of Ralph Igler. Bring a lunch and enjoy an afternoon of lecture and bicycle history.
The second event is a street sign unveiling of the Bicycle Friendly Community Sign, provided to communities that qualify for the designation. The Sign Event will take place on Sand Hill Road just west of El Camino Real on the westbound side of Sand Hill Road. Representatives from the City of Palo Alto and Stanford University joined by Andy Clarke from the League of American Bicyclists and invited guests will be on hand for this event that starting at 10:30 a.m.
" The Bicycle-Friendly Communities designation is an honor and is in line with the City of Palo Alto's focus on alternative transportation, livable communities and a high quality of life," said Joe Kott, Chief Transportation Official for the City of Palo Alto. "Transportation Division staff are committed to excellence in terms of bicycling in Palo Alto and we are pleased to part of the Bicycle-Friendly Communities program."
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