*NOT YET ADOPTED*
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Resolution No. ___
Resolut
ion of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Approving the Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan
R E C I T A L S
A. The Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law in November 2021. The law authorized $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending through FY 2026. This included the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program.
B. The National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) was signed into law in January 2022. Through the NRSS, the United States Department of Transportation committed to a national vision of zero roadway fatalities and identified priority action aligned with the five Safe System elements.
C. Caltrans’ Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) was last updated in January 2023. In 2020, State transportation leaders recognized that a change, known as “The Pivot,” was necessary to combat the rise in fatalities and serious injuries on California’s roadways through the implementation of the Safe System Approach.
D. On June 19, 2023, the City Council approved and authorized the City Manager to execute a grant agreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to develop the Palo Alto Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)-funded Safety Action Plan.
E. In August 2023, the City of Pal o Alto contracted with Fehr & Peers to complete the SS4A Safety Action Plan. The project included two community outreach events, an online survey and interactive map, and project status updates to City Council, Planning and Transportation Commission (PTC), Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee (PABAC), and City/School Transportation Safety Committee (CSTSC).
F. To comply with the SS4A program requirements, the Palo Alto SS4A Safety Action Plan must include a public commitment to the eventual goal of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries from a high ranking official and/or elected body in the jurisdiction, including a timeline or target for achieving that goal.
G. The City of Palo Alto’s SS4A Safety Action Plan states that traffic fatalities and serio us injuries on the City’s roadways will be reduced to zero by the year 2035.
H. The City of Palo Alto’s SS4A Safety Action Plan is aligned with the Safe System Approach and calls for changes to citywide policies, programs, and practices to clarify our multi - modal safety priority. The City Council acknowledges that these changes will result in tradeoff decisions that proactively provide the opportunity to reduce severe injuries and fatalities and may result in parking loss or increased vehicle delay at times. *NOT YET ADOPTED*
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NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Palo Alto RESOLVES as Follows:
SECTION 1. The Council hereby approves the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan (attached as Exhibit A) and the goal of eliminating transportation fatalities and serious injuries in the City of Palo Alto by 2035.
SECTION 2. The Council finds that this Resolution and the SS4A Safety Action Plan are statutorily exempt from CEQA under Public Resources Code 21080.20.
SECTION 3
. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption.
INTRODUCE
D:
PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTI
ONS:
ATTEST:
__________________________
_____________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVE
D AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
__________________________ _____________
________________
Assistant City Attorney City Manager
_____________________________
C
hief Transportation Official
Exhibit A
Safe Streets for All Safety Action Plan
Th
e plan is available at:
https://www.paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/transportation/projects/ss4a-s afety- action-plan/palo-alto-safety-action-plan_final_june_2025.pdf *NOT YET ADOPTED*
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