PETITION TO MAYOR LEE BRAND

TO MAYOR LEE BRAND A PETITION AND THE CITY OF FRESNO

As more people are walking and biking during the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic speeds are up, and collisions are also up. While we are re-opening the city, many people are still encouraged to stay close to their homes and are more dependent than ever on the existing infrastructure in their neighborhoods, and there is an urgent need for safe, socially distanced access to businesses for curbside pickup and dining.

Many other large cities in California have responded to the COVID-19 crisis by augmenting safer active transportation opportunities for their residents, so-called “Slow Streets.” These often include the use of temporary, low-cost pop-up projects with low-cost “soft” street closures using simple devices such as cones, sawhorses with signage, and inactivation of manually operated buttons on cross walk signals.

Therefore, the City of Fresno’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s Slow Streets Task Force, with the support of the US Green Building Council of Central California, Every Neighborhood Partnership, numerous other professional, community and faith-based organizations and individuals, is petitioning Mayor Lee Brand and the City of Fresno to address the increased active transportation needs of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are writing to urge Mayor Lee Brand and members of the Fresno City Council to direct City Staff to explore ways to increase active transportation opportunities in Fresno, and to appoint a temporary working group to work with City Staff in the coming weeks and months, in order to develop a comprehensive City of Fresno COVID-19 active transportation rapid response strategy. Such a strategy would promote safe active transportation options for essential travel, and allow people to safely walk, run, and bike in their neighborhoods. Given that decades federal and local policies have left Fresno's low-income communities of color with marked disparities in basic transportation infrastructure, inequities which exist to this day, it is imperative to invest equitably and ensure we're addressing the needs of our most vulnerable populations. The BPAC taskforce has proposed that at least one or two projects per Council district be implemented so as to provide access to safe active transportation infrastructure in all areas of Fresno.

In developing and adapting the slow streets projects, creative community engagement strategies ought to be employed to provide ongoing feedback. Consideration for connectivity to schools and places of employment should be emphasized and pedestrian and bicyclist safety be prioritized for travel with reduced traffic speeds on crowded corridors.

Lastly, potential COVID-19 relief funding for such projects ought to be explored and included in upcoming budget discussions. In the interim, we are requesting that any existing and available City of Fresno assets be leveraged to fast track temporary, low-cost projects, and any city-imposed permitting fees and processes be minimized or suspended.

Increasing access to safe active transportation infrastructure creates space for social distancing, allows for healthful exercise, helps balance inequities in access to green space, improves air quality, reduces speed on the streets, and prevents speed related accidents.

Anthony Molina, M.D., Chair, City of Fresno Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee Slow Streets Task Force

Laura Gromis, , Executive Director, US Green Building Council of Central California

Germán Quiñonez, Neighborhood Development Director, Every Neighborhood Partnership