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December 21, 2009 Section 4: Transportation and Land Use Page 32  Explore innovative transit improvement projects. One example includes Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which employs methods such as priority traffic signals, well-built and well-lit bus stations to make its bus service more reliable, comfortable and expeditious. BRT usually includes improvements around bus lanes to make access safer and comfortable for pedestrians and bicyclists.19 4.3 Goal: Promote and accommodate alternative, environmentally friendly methods of transportation, such as walking and bicycling In order to make San Leandro more bicycle and pedestrian friendly, the City has established a goal for the bicycle system to provide access to all downtown streets, along with priority to streets accessing BART and BRT stations. To this end, the City of San Leandro completed a 2004 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update to set a blueprint for completing a bicycle and pedestrian network, support facilities, safety, education and enforcement and a capital improvement plan. Since then, the bicycle network has been expanded and improved. Further improvements may include the addition of West Joaquin Avenue, Parrott Street, and Martinez Street as part of the downtown TOD project. The City is also looking into providing indoor and/or covered bicycle parking to further encourage bike ridership. The City also initiated two new projects in 2008 to encourage walking: a seasonal Downtown Farmer‘s Market and Downtown Lighting and Pedestrian Improvements, which included converting a portion of a parking lot into a plaza which has created an outdoor meeting space in a central downtown location. With respect to future development projects, the City has a commitment to improve pedestrian activity through enhancements such as sidewalk width, safety, landscaping and lighting. The Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program was established to increase the number of children that ride their bicycle or walk to school through increased funding for projects that include improvements in infrastructure and educational programs to promote walking and bicycling. The City of San Leandro has been involved in SR2S programs through partnerships from the City‘s Police Department and the Engineering and Transportation Department. The City has also been active in securing funding for these projects from state and federal grants. It received 19 AC Transit‘s proposed BRT project would create an 18-mile corridor of designated bus lanes through three cities – Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro. BRT is estimated to reduce 21,000 vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per day (Source: AC Transit website). The proposed 2.5 mile route through San Leandro would run from downtown San Leandro along East 14th St. to Bay Fair BART, which could result in savings of over 500 tons of CO2 annually. The project is still in the planning stages and may begin construction in 2012.