***We are asking the City to honor its promise to revise the RFP in response to community feedback***

The City of Palo Alto is proposing to create the Matadero Creek Trail between Waverley and Greer. Despite residents' concerns, the City is moving forward with a Feasibility Study (costing up to $150,000) regarding the proposed trail. The details of the proposed trail can be found here:

http://www.sccgov.org/sites/scc/Documents/Recreational%20Projects%20Applications/Stanford%20and%20Palo%20Alto%20Application_Matadero%20Creek%20Trail.pdf

Many residents are deeply concerned about this proposed trail. Key concerns include:

• Dangerous traffic crossings
• Blind, mid-block intersections
• Unique creek hazards
• Endagers children biking to school during rush hour
• Crime and safety (trail runs right behind residents' backyards)
• Unrestricted access to trail at night
• Difficulty of policing
• Lack of value proposition (narrow path between concrete walls and tall fences, punctured at every block by traffic crossings)
• Lack of community notice and outreach
• Lack of fiscal responsibility (at least $2.5 million, plus ongoing maintenance)
• Property devaluation
• Privacy, graffiti, litter, noise
• Safer, less expensive alternatives exist

When many residents expressed deep concerns about the proposed trail at a 4/16/13 community meeting, the City’s chief transportation official, Jaime Rodriguez, promised that the City would listen to community feedback by revising the Draft RFP for the Feasibility Study.

We are asking the City to honor its promise to revise the RFP in response to community feedback.  To that end, we are submitting the following two documents to the City and Jaime Rodriguez:

1. Summary of Requested Changes to Draft RFP
2. RFP Redline (changes based on communitiy feedback)

These two documents are based on extensive community feedback at the 4/16/13 meeting, as well as input gathered from many conversations with residents.

Basically, we are requesting that the City revise the RFP to have a broader scope, include specific alternatives, highlight specific safety concerns, state clear objectives, not be biased toward concluding that the proposal is feasible if it isn’t, assess demand, and include a cost-benefit analysis.

To be clear, this is NOT a petition against the proposed rail.  This is merely a petition to ask the City to honor its promise to revise the RFP in response to community feedback.  We should hold our government accountable for its promises.

Please indicate your support by signing this online petition.  The more signatures we get, the more likely the City will honor its promise.  Thanks for your support!

Questions or comments? Please email concernedabouttrail@gmail.com.

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