About Us
Walk Bike Palo Alto is a local, grass roots group working for better Active Transportation in Palo Alto, encouraging more people to choose to walk or bike more often – any age, new or longtime residents, whether for health/fitness, for everyday trips, for a more sustainable future, or just for fun.
Team Members
Arnout Boelens has lived in Palo Alto for about 5 years. He is originally from the Netherlands and has cycled his whole life. Arnout volunteers for Safe Routes To School (SRTS) and is a member of Palo Alto’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PABAC). He is especially interested in how to improve road safety on streets in Palo Alto.
Nicole Zoeller Boelens has lived in Palo Alto for about 5 years. She is originally from Portland, OR and currently lives car-free. She is a member of Palo Alto’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PABAC) and is especially interested in promoting cycling culture.
After growing up in Palo Alto, Frank Viggiano returned to live in south Palo Alto with his wife and children in 1994. He fondly remembers the joy and freedom of roaming the town by bicycle as a youth in the late 60s and early 70s. Since moving back as an adult, cycling has remained a big part of his life. The commute to work has generally been via bicycle, and on the weekends his favorite activity is a ride in our beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains. He believes a town which prioritizes walking and cycling is a more vibrant and livable town.
Kathy Durham put down roots in Palo Alto in 1984. As a Palo Alto PTA volunteer, she worked in partnership with the PAUSD and the City of Palo Alto to develop a K-6 pedestrian and bicycle safety curriculum and reduce traffic congestion around schools from 1989 to 2004. She then served as the City’s first Safe Routes to School coordinator until retiring in 2016. Here is a video describing the Safe Routes to School program.
Robert Neff is a 25 year Palo Alto resident and year round bike commuter, also commuting by VTA bus since 2006. He has been on Palo Alto’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PABAC) since 2010, including serving as chair, and represents Palo Alto on the VTA (Santa Clara County) BPAC since 2018. He has helped organize Bike Palo Alto since 2014, and volunteers with the Bike Exchange.
Penny Ellson walks and bikes for fun, exercise and sustainable transportation. Her dad gave her a gentle push downhill on a pink and white oversize cruiser bike when she was six, and she never stopped riding. Penny focuses on improving safety for people who bike and walk and encouraging people to try active, foot-powered ways to get around. Starting in 2002, she worked in PTA leadership roles on Safe Routes to School and has helped other communities learn how to get similar programs off the ground. She is a member of the Palo Alto Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Committee.