By Town Crier Staff

Los Altos residents trying to slow traffic on their streets may find fewer city roadblocks are better. The Los Altos City Council this month removed voting stipulations from its Neighborhood Traffic Management program to make it easier for residents to petition the city for street improvements.

Nonvoters will no longer be included in the final tally as “no” votes under the policy change. This means only those who vote will have a voice.

The city program allows neighborhoods to tailor traffic-calming plans for their streets through an election process that requires a majority vote to qualify for final city approval.

Participation in the program is voluntary, and no individual is obligated to put up money for the improvements, though the neighborhood as a whole must provide the city a portion of the funding.

The problem, neighbors complained, was that the voting criteria made it nearly impossible for any neighborhood to gather the votes needed to bring a plan in front of the council.

Before last week’s meeting, the city required 60 percent of all homeowners to approve a plan before the council would review it. The city counted those who did not vote as “no” votes.

Eleven neighborhoods have petitioned the city to set up plans on their streets since the program was put in place in 1999.

Only one has held a vote, which failed due to poor voter participation. Only 23 out of 32 homeowners cast votes.

As part of the policy change, the council agreed to put the following criteria in place:

At least one-third of the property owners must petition to have a traffic study conducted in their neighborhood; the neighborhood needs a two-thirds majority of votes cast to approve a traffic plan; and a single resident may veto any proposed improvements adjacent to his or her property that will negatively impact it.