By Megan Ma

Concerned parents, traffic commissioners and city staff are again teaming up to make streets safer for children walking and biking to school.

Los Altos resident and Montclaire Elementary School parent LaNae Avra said she is urging the Los Altos City Council to reapprove the grant application in time for the Jan. 2 federal traffic grant application deadline.

Avra said she has observed more children biking and walking to school in the past few years and is concerned about the increasing traffic.

Parents dropping their children off at school tend to pose a surprising risk themselves, she said.

“The most dangerous drivers are those driving kids to school. They’re in a hurry, and they immediately get on their cell phones,” she said.

Supporters of the safety initiative are hoping to receive about $450,000 to $500,000 in federal traffic safety funds for next year’s projects in Los Altos. The money will fund embedded lights at crosswalks, radar speed limit signs and pedestrian warning signals.

They will submit an application to the city council Dec. 12 that outlines hazardous spots around Oak, Egan, Covington and Blach schools, said City Traffic Engineer Tom Ho. He said specific locations are not yet finalized.

“We’re trying to focus on critical and highly used pedestrian crossing areas. It makes more sense when you can say there are 20 to 30 people crossing rather than, say, three,” Ho said.

Traffic commissioners and volunteers are tallying the most populated intersections and sidewalks. The numbers are crucial for the grant application, Ho said. Caltrans administers the grant.