Action Alert! THIS THURSDAY, Costa Mesa Needs Your Voice on Safe Routes to School!
Join us to support the City’s new Safe Routes to School planning!
Thursday, January 15, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Kaiser Elementary School, Multipurpose Room
2130 Santa Ana Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92627
We encourage all CMABS members to attend this important community workshop focused on Costa Mesa’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) planning, which is kicking into high gear this year. The City really could benefit feedback from those who care about safe walking and bicycling. We should also show support for the City’s efforts!
Why this Meeting Matters
The planning work discussed at this workshop will have impacts on our community's infrastructure for years to come. Specifically, this meeting will:
Provide a platform for future grant funding: The SRTS plan enables the City to pursue state and federal grants. Without such a plan in place, Costa Mesa would be ineligible for millions of dollars in potential funding for sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, and other active transportation improvements near our schools.
Direct active transportation spending: The priorities and projects identified through this process will guide how the City allocates resources for walking and biking infrastructure. Your input will help determine which streets get improvements and how we make it safer for students to walk and bike to school.
What's at Stake
As Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, once observed:
“The measure of a good city is one where a child on a tricycle or bicycle can safely go anywhere. If a city is good for children, it will be good for everybody else.”
Safe Routes to School planning isn't just about school commutes. It's about creating a network of safe streets that benefit everyone. The investments enabled through this plan can help make our city a more pleasant, livable, and all-around-enjoyable place to get around. In other words, we’re excited because it can help make our streets better.
So don’t miss it: THIS is a great chance to advocate for the sidewalks, crosswalks, bike infrastructure, and traffic calming measures that our community needs. The planning decisions made now will shape project priorities for the next five to ten years. We hope to see you there!
Whether you can make it or not, please take some time to add your comments to the City’s interactive map that won’t be up much longer: https://costamesasrts.org/interactive-map-and-survey/
That’s all for now!
