HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/8/2020 Item 20, Klisch, Steve
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Steve Klisch <
To:Advisory Bodies; E-mail Council Website
Subject:Active Transportation Committee Plan
Dear City Council and Planning Commission,
I urge you to support the Active Transportation Plan as unanimously recommended by the Active
Transportation Committee without major revisions. I support the list of Tier 1 projects and protected bike lanes
throughout San Luis Obispo. I want to see these Tier 1 projects considered in the FY21-23 budget cycle
without delay so that we can start to see real progress in support of active transportation in our city.
These projects will encourage more ridership and are crucial to meeting our climate action, mode shift, vision
zero, equity, diversity, and inclusivity goals. Regarding climate action, in 2015 the United Nations adopted 17
Sustainable Development Goals. One goal is to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts”.
The UN states “climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is … costing people,
communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow. The poorest and most vulnerable people
are being affected the most.”
One way we can take urgent action is to accelerate the process of building protected bike lanes. Of the options
being considered, protected bike lanes will increase biking the most. This is not simply my belief; it is a
conclusion that has been consistently supported with scientific data. It is the option that reflects urgent action.
And it is the option most likely to get people out of their cars and onto their bikes and, thus, reduce our
community's carbon footprint.
There exists another serious threat to our community, our nation, and our world that is often missing in this
dialogue: the ever-increasing obesity epidemic. It is easy to argue that we should also take urgent action to
reduce obesity rates. The CDC recently reported that the obesity rate among US adults reached 42.4% in
2017-2018. And, unfortunately, obesity rates are rising among youths, including those in our city. Nationwide,
the obesity rate among youths was 19% in 2016. Obesity leads to a tremendous loss of quality of life and a
terrific cost to our health care system. The robust Active Transportation Plan with its prioritized Tier 1 projects
will be a huge step in the right direction for our community's health.
Finally, there is the serious threat of injury and death to those who choose to ride a bicycle in our
city. According to NHTSA, in the US the number of bicyclists killed by car drivers rose 12% from 2014-2015:
818 cyclists killed and another 45,000 cyclists injured. In 2016, distracted, drunk, and speeding drivers killed
over 24,000 people. Again, there is sound research regarding why protected bike lanes are so effective at
increasing ridership; simply put, without protected bike lanes many people are too scared to ride their bikes.
You can count my family among those that have been hit by distracted drivers in this city (my wife and 2-year-
old daughter were once hit by a careless driver). The robust Active Transportation Plan with its prioritized Tier
1 projects will prevent injuries and deaths to cyclists.
Thank you,
Steve Klisch
San Luis Obispo
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