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GOLETA, CA, September 19, 2024 – The City of Goleta is pleased to share that it has received a Planning and Demonstration Activities grant for $364,000 from the Fiscal Year 2024 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program. This funding allows Goleta to take meaningful steps toward improving safety and implementing the City’s Vision Zero initiative. Goleta is one of over 350 communities to receive this grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Mayor Paula Perotte said, “We are committed to making our streets safer for everyone. This funding represents a crucial opportunity to begin planning for solutions that will save lives and enhance our urban environment.”
Senior Project Manager Teresa Lopes said, “The City was fortunate to receive funding from the grant program enabling us to continue with supplemental planning activities related to the San Jose Creek Multipurpose Path Project and to further the City’s Vision Zero efforts.”
With this funding the City will:
- Develop a public safety dashboard to track and monitor safety projects.
- Launch a Vision Zero Public Safety Campaign to raise awareness about traffic safety concerns including development of a traffic calming toolbox.
- Implement a Safe Routes to School program to establish non-motorized transportation options for students residing in the Old Town neighborhood.
With these resources, the City can engage with the community, gather feedback, and ensure that its initiatives reflect the needs and priorities of all residents.
In addition to the grant, the City has been working to make Goleta’s roadways safer by adopting the Vision Zero Plan earlier this year. The philosophy maintains that serious collisions on public roadways are preventable and that while collisions cannot be avoided altogether, there are steps you can take to avoid deaths and serious injuries. Another step taken was the Goleta City Council’s approval of an ordinance at its September 3, 2024, meeting that will lower speed limits on roadways in Goleta based on a new State law.
For more information about the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program, go to https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A.