Safe Routes to Schools

E-Newsletter October 2014

www.saferoutestoschools.org

In This Issue

Iwalk for Hispanics

Bicyclists get 3 Feet

Share the Path Pointers

Cove School Opens

SF Rules of the Road Vidio

Healthy Active Places Tour

Like us on Facebook

Unsubscribe

If you do not want to receive the SR2S newsletter but do want to continue to receive MCBC emails please contact wendi@marinbike.org

see Iwalk pictures on our Facebook album

Watch Manor Video

International Walk to School Day en Español

Oct. 8th was International Walk and Roll to School Day. For about 7,000 kids in Marin, that meant hoofing it that morning. For the commuters, it translated into 21 percent less traffic. And for the Transportation Authority of Marin, the date marks the beginning of a new challenge: How to get more Hispanic children to walk or roll?

Slowly but surely, some mostly-Hispanic schools are starting to join the program. One of them is Venetia Valley in San Rafael, which has been holding their "Walk and Roll Wednesdays" for the last four weeks. Parent volunteers are hosting a sizable event on Oct. 8th , featuring three groups of adults and children walking from their homes, in different points along the neighborhood, to the school. The enthusiasm towards the new program is visible there.

"Our purpose is to keep our children healthy physically and mentally. By making this a priority we also contribute to the creation of healthy habits for the whole family and bonding while walking to school," said Torhalla Dabalos, a volunteer team leader and mother of two students at Venetia Valley. She hopes that the implementation of the program will reduce the traffic in the morning and will help build a community that watches out for the little ones on their way to school.

Claudia Garcia, also a parent volunteer and mother of a student at Venetia Valley, has noticed that after their walk, kids arrive happier, with a sharper mind, and full of energy.

Bicyclists Get 3 Feet

The Three Feet for Safety Act is finally in effect as of September 16, 2014. The Three Feet for Safety Act requires motorists to give at least three feet of clearance when passing people riding bikes.

This is especially important for children who need plenty of room to ride on the roads.

Review the three elements of the California Bicycle Coalition's Three Feet for Safety campaign.

Share the Path

A collision between a bicyclist and a Mill Valley Middle School student has initiated a serious discussion about sharing the path see Oct. 6 IJ story

There are a few simple rules that can help create a safe environment for everyone:

Be respectful of all users
Keep right unless to pass
Slower traffic has the right of way
Use audible warnings when passing
Use safe speeds at all time
Control Dogs
Do Not block the trail

Download the Share the Path Brochure

It takes a Village to Open a New School

The Cove school opened on September 8th and estimates that it already has 60% of its students finding a Green Way to School. Despite construction, Spindrift road saw dozens of bike trains coming through.

Neighbors have been helping to guide bicycle and pedestrian traffic through Spindrift road taking the detour to avoid construction. Drivers in the neighborhood will need to get used to the continual presence of students traveling to school.

A group of neighbors have been meeting with the school and city staff to identify routes, organize bike/walk groups, establish bus service and generally look at the safety issues along the routes to schools. These efforts have paid off as more and more families are choosing to leave the car at home or, at least carpool to school. Safe Routes to Schools solutes the Larkspur Corte Madera School District for making green transportation a priority in opening its new school.

San Francisco Street Safety Video

The SF Bicycle Coalition, a California Bicycle Coalition affiliate, is proud to be one of the leading resources for street safety in San Francisco. From free urban bicycle education classes to expanding driver education to youth and family programs, they're spreading the street safety far and wide. This week, they launched their latest outreach tool: a Bicycle Rules of the Road video.

Be sure to watch and share their video

Healthy Active Places Tour

The Healthy Active Places Tour (HAP Tour), co-organized by Ride America for Safe Routes and the Safe Routes National Partnership, was an event to promote healthy and active youth, families, and communities and to advance community-based SRTS efforts in California's Central Valley.

From September 28 to October 4, 2014, a group of eight women bicycled approximately 300 miles from Sacramento to Fresno stopping in various communities to meet with residents. The HAP Tour team stopped at schools to promote local SRTS efforts, celebrate ATP awards, and discuss opportunities to access resources to improve walking and bicycling conditions