Safe Routes Newsletter
WINTER 2020–2021
Safe Routes Task Forces Assist with Smooth School Reopening
As schools across the county began to reopen for in-class instruction, dedicated volunteers from Safe Routes to Schools helped many of them prepare for students walking and biking with social distancing protocols. Most schools reopened carefully and gradually with hybrid learning; half the class were in person, the other half remained online at home and the next day they would switch. Additionally, many schools created multiple access points, spreading the children around the campus to avoid crowding. Safe Routes volunteers identified park and walk locations in order to reduce the traffic and student congestion around the immediate vicinity of the school and to continue to encourage walking and biking to school. Park and Walk locations were included on recommended route maps and distributed with the school access maps showing entry points for students. Hall Middle School and others provided bike racks at each access point. Some schools even created more space for students through temporary “pop-up” infrastructure (see subsequent articles).
Due to these efforts, several fully opened school districts including Larkspur/Corte Madera and Reed have said families were smoothly walking and biking to school with no traffic issues reported. Thanks to our volunteers for aiding your school districts in these difficult times.
Motivating Walk and Roll with Chalk 'N Walk
Kids could be kids before sitting in a structured classroom this fall by skipping and giggling along chalked routes to schools.
“Hop like a bunny,” “Smile N Stroll” “Jump for Joy,” “Keep on Rollin’” - these were just some of the playful and optimistic messages greeting walkers and rollers returning to campus. Marin Safe Routes to Schools wanted to make the return joyful and memorable after months of remote learning, and what better way than to turn sidewalks into colorful, adventurous routes to schools. “The chalk art painting on the sidewalks added a great vibrancy as students entered the school,” noted Pepe Gonzales, Principal of Laurel Dell Elementary School.
Chalk N Walk messaging that graced pathways and recommended routes to schools, served to encourage students to walk and roll, or even park and walk short distances to school. Principal Leo Kostelnik from Edna McGuire commented, “They are fantastic! I saw lots of kids studying the drawings and heard a few exchanges about how they bike or walk to school.” Schools welcomed the chalk art which playfully reminded families of safety protocols, such as “Simon says, stay 6 feet apart,” “Mask ON,” and “Use your head before your feet, stop at the corner of the street.” With traffic reduced, now is the perfect time for families to practice walking and rolling to school. Chalk N Walk playfully reinforces active travel habits, establishing a “new normal” for the long-term.Schedule your schools Chalk N Walk for 2021 now- contact peggy@marinbike.org.
New Instructor Joins Safe Routes to Schools
Ushering in this New Year, Matt Farber has joined our Safe Routes to Schools team to develop and deliver pedestrian and bicycle safety curriculum to 1st-12th grade students throughout Marin. Matt is an educator who is passionate about sharing the benefits of walking and bicycling with students, focusing on the importance of safety, healthy lifestyles, and the environment.
According to Matt, “active transportation opens the world to students.” He can’t think of a better way to spend time with kids than walking and cycling together, claiming it is quality time spent unfiltered in a natural environment. He adds, “walking and biking immensely helps with development and learning.”
Matt joins us with a wealth of youth and adult programming experience, most notably with Backroads where he led an array of biking and other recreational activities for individuals and families in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Included in his 10+ years of professional experience, Matt led youth development programming to serve at risk youth. Matt is adept at developing and implementing programs serving the needs of diverse abilities, ages, and cultures, and he enjoys spending his time helping families succeed and appreciate the great outdoors. Matt will be a natural and wonderful addition to our Marin County Bicycle Coalition and Safe Routes to Schools teams, bringing passion, positivity, and sensitivity to inspire a wide range of cycling enthusiasts.
Matt mentions how his dad’s cycling to work had an influence on him. “It was pretty cool to see him commit to a healthy lifestyle; he even rode in the rain.” Matt feels compelled to pass along cycling to the next generation, shaping their future by instilling the joys and benefits early in childhood.
As an avid traveler and lover of the outdoors, Matt can be found hiking and biking pretty much any time he has a free moment. That is, when he’s not caring for his Golden Retriever puppy, Murphy. Students out and about in Marin may just be lucky enough to run into Matt and Murphy. But first, they will find Matt teaching them on-line at their schools until such time that Safe Routes returns, in person, to campus
Monthly Activities Aim at Reducing Screen Time and Increasing Exercise
The social isolation and online learning imposed by COVID-19 are still looming over thousands of school children all over the world. But that hasn’t stopped Safe Routes to Schools from pursuing its goal of keeping young people active, safe and providing opportunities to get away from non-stop screen time.
To overcome challenges brought on by school closures, Safe Routes, in partnership with Marin Health and Human Services (MHHS), presented over 5,000 students with four monthly challenges between September and December. The targeted students attend seven bilingual schools in the County and received the materials from the hands of local nonprofits and public libraries. MHHS added an extra bonus with different prizes for kids who watch a monthly video about the benefits of drinking water as part of their campaign “Rethink Your Drink.”
At the end of every month, parents turned in pictures of their children’s exercise logs to enter them in a raffle drawing for soccer balls, basketballs, scooters, and gift certificates.
Petrona Chan, who has a daughter at Davidson Middle School and a son at the Pickleweed Preschool says that, “Sometimes the kids are very bored; but having specific ideas of what to do outside, like jumping rope or practicing their route to school on their bikes, gives them a purpose when leaving house.” Chan adds that she is happy to participate because the forms include activities that she would not normally have thought of.
Another Bahia Vista and Pickleweed mom, Marisela Tzun-Hernandez, loved it when they rode their bikes as a family to the public library and also, walked together to a firehouse for the November challenge. “It’s going to be hard to follow the instructions to the dot this month. They ask you to break a sweat, but it’s harder to sweat when it’s cold,” she jokes.
A Laurel Dell dad, Carlos Rodas, who was the first person to submit an entry back in September, mentioned how much his two daughters enjoyed watching the videos about drinking water. “It’s wonderful that you guys bring this to our attention,” he says.
Pedestrian/Bicycle Projects Booming in 2020
While we sheltered in place, there was one silver lining to the pandemic. People discovered the joys of walking and biking again. With outdoor activity the only reprieve, many families dusted off old bicycles or bought new ones and went roaming in their neighborhoods. At the same time, public works projects across the county were providing new safe pathways to walk and bike, while other projects were finishing up their planning.
The West End of San Rafael to get a Makeover
Students traveling from the west end of San Rafael to Davidson Middle School and San Rafael High School have had to traverse a narrow sidewalk in order to access the back roads to get to school. San Rafael is poised to fix that with its long awaited Third Street project. Funded through Measure A and Highway Safety Improvement grants, the Third Street makeover will add more bike and pedestrian access to this heavily traversed corridor. This includes Safe Routes to Schools’ number one priority – a multiuse pathway along Second Street from Marquard to Shaver. After numerous public hearings requesting this section be included in the funding, San Rafael is proposing a two-way protected cycle track along with a signalized intersection at East Street. This will be a vital connection improvement and Safe Routes to Schools is grateful to all the thought put into this by the staff at San Rafael Public Works.
Other San Rafael improvements underway include
- Sidewalks under constructed on Francisco Blvd East to connect to the new Grand Street bridge
- Fifth/River Oaks pedestrian improvements
- Bellam/Vista Del Mar pedestrian improvements (soon to be constructed)
- Mission/Park and Mission/Alice pedestrian improvements (coming soon!)
- Francisco Boulevard West protected bikeway, 2nd Street to Rice Drive
- San Rafael High Hybrid Beacon to be completed January 2021
- Bellam Boulevard bikeway improvements (being planned with the 580 freeway overpass)
New ”Pop Up” Bikeway on Nevada Street
The Sausalito Safe Routes to Schools Task Force, partnering with the Sausalito Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Sausalito DPW have been looking at creating greater access on Nevada Street, the main access street to Willow Creek Academy (soon to be united with MLK in Marin City). With limited space, it’s been challenging to find the right balance to provide clearance for children biking to school while respecting the neighborhood’s need for parking. The City will soon create temporary or “pop-up” infrastructure to try a configuration that could address both needs. The Pandemic has seen a huge influx of these quick design and build projects as cities across the country created space for people to recreate outdoors without fear of traffic. Many streets in Marin were blocked off to create outdoor dining districts. Safe Routes to Schools is also benefiting from this temporary reconfiguration in order to create opportunities for children to continue walking and biking to school while maintaining social distancing. Sausalito will see a pilot two-way protected bikeway between Bridgeway and Willow Creek Academy pop up in the new year. This will give everyone the opportunity to see if it works before making the change permanent.
Kentfield Temporarily Closing Acacia
The Kentfield Safe Routes to Schools Task Force has been working for years to find a way to give students of Kent Middle School and Bacich Elementary School safe passage through the narrow streets of the McAllister neighborhood. The neighbors on Acacia have long sought a way for there to be more room on their street for the multitudes of children who walk and bike through their neighborhood. Removing parking, on- way street and full street closure have all been discussed. This year, they will get a chance to test out the street closure with a grant from the Transportation Authority of Marin’s pop-up program. The street will be closed at both ends during drop off and pick times with sandwich board signs supplied by the county. The last piece is still in the works to determine who will put the signs up and take them down during the day. Volunteers are being sought from Kent Middle school and in the neighborhoods. Safe Routes to Schools is training Kent students to erect the barriers. This temporary configuration could be permanent if it proves effective and doesn’t create undue traffic problems.
And there’s more:
- Doherty Drive protected bikeway has been partially constructed adjacent to Redwood High School in Larkspur
- Tamal Vista Boulevard bicycle lanes and pedestrian improvements were constructed in Corte Madera
- East Blithedale Avenue bikeway from Camino Alto to Highway 101 is under design in Mill Valley
- Redwood Highway pathway is being constructed from San Clemente to Wornum Dr. in Corte Madera
- Bolinas Avenue traffic calming was installed in San Anselmo
- Sir Francis Drake Boulevard traffic calming improvements are underway from Ross to Highway 101 including pedestrian improvements at select intersections, removal of “free” uncontrolled right-turns and provision of curb bulb-outs with shorter crosswalks.
Safety Education Continues Remotely
The historic bike boom brought on by the pandemic has seen many experienced riders, yet many novice riders have also begun pedaling as well.
Bicycle safety education is now warranted more than ever before. Yet with schools closed to in-person learning, Safe Routes to Schools grappled with how best to provide it, especially the experiential portions - Bike Rodeos and Bike Drills for elementary and middle schools. Starting in April, Safe Routes pivoted to record second through eighth grade classes making them available on the website for teachers to share with their students.
Cove Elementary School in Corte Madera was the first school to take advantage of the new on-line, “live” instruction. Over 100 second through fourth graders “zoomed” for 30 minutes learning “Walk Around the Block and “Traffic Safety for Bicyclists.” Safe Routes staff taught interactive webinars to students, including a game where students took turns “spinning a wheel” to answer safety questions. The students were engaged, but especially so when they saw their Bike Rodeo class being demonstrated by peers using drone footage. They were then able to practice what they saw online at a Pedal Playground that was chalked at their school. The goal of Safe Routes to Schools in 2021, is to provide even more interactive classes, getting students briefly out of the seats when learning. The ultimate goal, of course, is to impart the knowledge to keep them joyfully walking and biking safely.
The drone footage was made possible when high school students gave their time and expertise to film our bike and pedestrian safety class. A rodeo course depicting “mock streets” was chalked on a school grounds. As students practiced safe cycling by stopping, yielding, maneuvering around obstacles and taking turns at intersections, they were filmed from above with the drone technology. An Edna McGuire mom and her kids were also filmed to teach students how to cross the streets and safely navigate sidewalks, being on the lookout for cars backing out of driveways. Safe Routes Instructors later edited the film adding safety content and fun jingles for lesson retention. The recorded classes for families can be found here.
For more information about scheduling classes, please contact Peggy@marinbike.org
Middle Schoolers – Keep on Walking and Rolling!
Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders didn’t slow down during the pandemic, they walked, biked, skated, scootered and hiked. More than 1,000 Marin county middle schoolers participated in one or both of our encouragement events since the pandemic began.
BIKE WEEK was five days of fun and educational bike-related things to do. Students watched our safety curriculum video to learn the rules of the road, check their bikes for safety, adjust their helmets, planned their route to school, and ultimately, practiced their routes. At the end of the week, they took a quiz that entered them into a raffle for ice cream gift cards. Thank you, Physical Education teachers, for promoting the Bike Week Challenge to encourage students to get out and ride (safely)!
In October, instead of our much-loved International Walk to School Day, Safe Routes devised a challenge called Walk and Roll to ANYWHERE. The tagline was, “Walking and Rolling will make you smile, boost your mood, and build your muscles!” Students were required to walk or roll every day for a week, for at least fifteen minutes per day. Students were required to send in a photo or a map of where they’d been – remember, it could have been ANYWHERE. We received photos of students mountain biking, rollerblading through parks, hiking to get spectacular views, skateboarding to their neighborhood ice cream shop, and surfing!
Big thanks to all the middle schoolers who participated, all the local ice-cream shops for staying open, and to the P.E. teachers for their endless support of our programs.
