Greenfield City Council Approves Safe Routes To School Projects Recommended by Community Voters

 

MONTEREY COUNTY – The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) announced

that the Greenfield City Council approved funding for Safe Routes to School projects for near-

term implementation at their Council meeting on March 14, 2023. The projects recommended

by the Greenfield Safe Routes to School Steering Committee will fill sidewalk gaps; and install

crosswalks, curb ramps, high visibility signage, and flashing stop signs at locations through the

city.

The four projects approved for funding are:

1. 12th Street Sidewalk between Oak and Elm Avenues: Install 0.24 miles of sidewalk, high

visibility crosswalk, curb ramp, and flashing stop signs.

2. Upgrade signs around all school campuses.

3. 12th Street between Cherry Avenue and Harvest Way: Install 0.12-mile sidewalk on 12th

Street.

4. Heidi Drive Crosswalk and Signage: Install high visibility crosswalk and school crossing

signage.

The Greenfield Steering Committee, made up of residents, students, and community advocates,

worked with the Safe Routes to School program partners and the City of Greenfield to develop

a list of 21 street projects that would make it safer and more comfortable for children to get to

and from schools in the city. In December 2022, Greenfield community members voted on the

list of projects. This voting process, known as “participatory budgeting” is intended to empower

community members to help set priorities for public funding. Based upon the Greenfield PB

Election Results, the Steering Committee presented their recommendations to the City Council

for funding and implementation. The Transportation Agency for Monterey County will provide a

grant up to $250,000 to implement the projects that come out of the participatory budgeting

process.

Greenfield is the first Monterey County community to do participatory budgeting as part of the

Salinas Valley Safe Routes to Schools Plan development. The cities of Gonzales, Soledad, and

King City will also have the opportunity to conduct a participatory budgeting process this year,

where residents in each city will help determine how to spend $250,000 allocated for program

safety improvements in their community.

The Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan & Participatory Budgeting

The Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan, developed by the Transportation Agency,

Monterey County Health Department, Ecology Action, and the cities in South County, will

identify barriers to safe access to all K-12 public schools in South County cities and recommend

infrastructure and non-infrastructure improvements.

An important component of the Plan is the participatory budgeting process that is designed to

fast-track funding and implementation of safe routes to school projects that are meaningful to

community members. Through this participatory budgeting process, the community helped

determine how to spend $250,000 allocated for program safety improvements through the

Transportation Agency’s Safe Routes to School Program.

The Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan was funded through a Caltrans Sustainable

Transportation Planning Grant ($64,127) and Measure X Safe Routes to School fund ($126,501).

For more information about Greenfield Participatory Budgeting visit:

https://bit.ly/GreenfieldPB; the Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan; or contact Aaron

Hernandez, Assistant Transportation Planner, TAMC at 831 775-4412,

aaron@tamcmonterey.org (Hablo español) or Janneke Strause , Transportation Planner, TAMC

at 831 775-4410, janneke@tamcmonterey.org.