February 13 Volunteer Luncheon
Please Join us for the Safe Routes to Schools Volunteer Luncheon on February 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Transportation Authority of Marin (900 5th Street, Suite 100, San Rafael.) Get up to speed with the plans for the spring, mingle with your fellow volunteers, and pick up your supplies. RSVP to Monica or Mira.
The improvements focused on the intersections of Wornum/Nellen and Fifer/Nellen in Corte Madera, near Highway 101.
Students from Neil Cummins Elementary School, Redwood High School, San Andreas High School, Cove Elementary School, Tamiscal High School, and Bacich Elementary School now have a reason to celebrate a major step forward in their daily commutes.
The Central Marin Regional Pathways Gap Closure Project, which fills a critical gap in the regional active transportation network, was recently completed in fall 2024. The improvements focused on the intersections of Wornum Drive/Nellen Avenue and Fifer Avenue/Nellen Avenue in Corte Madera, near Highway 101.
The project sits at the nexus of five active transportation pathways and routes within a congested area that includes an interchange with Highway 101. These routes are routinely used for more than 1.6 million active transportation trips per year.
The end of construction marked the culmination of more than 12 years of planning efforts involving a wide range of stakeholders, including the Town of Corte Madera, City of Larkspur, Transportation Authority of Marin, Caltrans, Bay Trail, local citizens, organizations (including Safe Routes to Schools and the Marin County Bicycle Coalition), and school parents.
Bike registration programs have reduced the number of e-motorcycles on school campuses, especially at middle schools, though some off-campus violations remain, prompting law enforcement action. Advocates like CalBike (a nonprofit organization promoting bicycling across California) call for stricter regulations to target illegal e-motorcycles, which they believe harm the reputation of legitimate e-bikes. They emphasize the need for increased enforcement and consumer education on e-bike classifications. Read their press release here.
The Marin County Youth E-bike Safety Task Force is launching a county-wide campaign to raise awareness about legal e-bikes, promote safety, and encourage local purchases. The committee was formed as a recommendation from the Marin County Civil Grand Jury, which calls for consistent messaging, education, policies and enforcement strategies to address the safety risks to youth from e-bikes.
In response to growing concerns, Mill Valley law enforcement has taken actions such as impounding e-motorcycles parked off campus. Other agencies across Marin County, including Fairfax, Central Marin, and Novato, are also cracking down on high-speed e-motorcycles, particularly brands like Super73, which can exceed 20 mph using throttle control.
A recent lawsuit in Fairfax targets Super73, alleging deceptive marketing practices. The company has been selling Class 2 e-bikes that can be switched into out-of-class mode, allowing them to reach speeds above 28 mph—effectively making them electric motorcycles.
The son of Colombian immigrants, Dan Hernandez is the new Lead Instructor at Safe Routes to School. He brings over 20 years of experience in bike education from the East Bay, where he played a key role in developing REI Adventures’ national bicycling curriculum. Dan also worked with Bike East Bay, progressing from instructor to lead instructor and eventually co-manager. A certified League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor and Coach, he is excited to bring his expertise to Marin County.
As the youngest child in his family, the love and transformative power of cycling began early as Dan used to bike to keep up with his older siblings. His biking adventures helped him develop the necessary confidence to pursue broader horizons. A Master’s in Ecology led him to a job in conservation for ten years domestically and internationally. It was then that he began to see the power of recreation to change lives, communities, and ecosystems, as people want to protect where they recreate.
Today he sees all the benefits of biking as spokes on a wheel: the vehicle for personal growth, joy and smiles it brings to kids, the climate change solution, the community unifying, the pollution prevention, the parents’ dividend returned in time from not being in traffic, and multi-generational health benefits. All that moves forward with each pedal revolution. Dan is excited to contribute to this effort with each and every interaction with kids, both in classroom presentations and on the blacktop in bike rodeos.
As cyclists, we know being visible is paramount to safety. Lane positioning is key to being seen by motorists who may not be looking for riders in bike lanes before they make their turns.
The “right hook” and “left hook” at intersections are the two most common causes of cycling injuries. The “hooks” are dangerous because motorists turning right or left may not see a cyclist that pulls up next to their car.
Instead, cyclists are encouraged to “take the lane” along with vehicles going through the intersection. This requires a cyclist to move out of the bike lane and into the middle of the lane(s) in the direction of the flow of traffic. Cyclists should block motorists from trying to squeeze past them by positioning themselves directly in the middle of that lane. Bicycles are two-wheeled vehicles permitted to operate in the same lane as cars to be most visible.
Before students are given the freedom to travel independently on two wheels, Safe Routes to Schools recommends that parents teach lane positioning to their child. Parents know best when their student is ready to ride independently, yet this advanced skill takes practice including scanning for traffic and signaling before merging into another lane.
The Safe Routes to Schools Instructors teach MCBC’s Smart Cycling classes where lane positioning is covered in depth. Contact [email protected] to get added to the roster.
February and March poster for “Have a Heart Challenge and April poster for “Walk and Roll to School to Celebrate Planet Earth” announce a season of fun, eco-friendly challenges designed to encourage students to walk, bike, or roll to school.
See “Flurry of Activities Encourage Students to Use Green Travel”.
Calendar of Upcoming
Task Force Meetings
- Mill Valley – Wednesday, April 16 at 9:30 AM
- Ross Valley – Friday, April 18 at 10:00 AM
- Ross – Monday, April 21 at 10:00 AM
- Kentfield – Thursday, April 24 at 9:30 AM
- San Rafael – Wednesday, April 30 at 5:00 PM
Contact Wendi Kallins if you are interested in joining a task force or if you would like a copy of archived task force meeting notes.
This spring, Marin elementary schools are gearing up for a season of fun, eco-friendly challenges designed to encourage students to walk, bike, or roll to school. All elementary schools in Marin will be able to choose three out of four different activities offered by the Safe Routes to Schools program to encourage their students to use their feet to go to class.
The year has already begun with the Have a Heart Challenge from Feb. 3 -14. In March, the Dr. Seuss Walk and Roll to School will add a fun, themed twist to the event. In April, schools can choose between two events: Make It an Adventure, a four-week active travel challenge, or a special Walk and Roll Day celebrating Planet Earth.
What makes the Have a Heart Challenge unique is that no parent volunteers are required to take action, as families will self-report their modes of travel to class. School staff will determine the winning classroom at the end of the two-week challenge. The winning class at each school can choose between an ice cream party and a raffled scooter.
In April, the Make it an Adventure Challenge will have students walking and rolling on a weekly basis. Volunteers will track student participation by placing stickers on their cards once a week for four weeks. At the end of the contest, which coincides with National Bike to School Day, adventure-themed books will be raffled off among the students with the highest participation.
Schools that opt out of the challenge must notify the Safe Routes team in advance. They will be provided with materials to celebrate Earth month with a Walk and Roll event on April 2. The prize for this event will be flower seeds that the students can plant in their gardens or on the school grounds.
No matter which event schools choose, these activities will help students build lifelong green habits: —one step, pedal, or roll at a time.
Every semester, student travel surveys are conducted across Marin County to better understand how students commute to school. These results are now accessible through the new Marin County Safe Routes to Schools Dashboard, an interactive online tool that displays travel mode trends at participating schools. The dashboard compiles data from teacher-led classroom tallies conducted twice a year, in October and May. Over three days, teachers record how students travel to and from school. Averaging the data over multiple days ensures a more accurate snapshot of weekday travel patterns while also accounting for student absences.
The dashboard offers insights into primary modes of travel, daily travel mode shares, and the percentage of “green” (carpool or bus) and “active” trips (walking or rolling.) Users can filter data by survey period or school, allowing them to explore trends for specific campuses. Each school’s section displays the number of students surveyed and classrooms included, providing important content. An integrated map highlights the selected school’s location, and a description pane offers a step-by-step guide to ensure smooth navigation.
Currently only data for Fall 2024 is available, but additional survey results will be added over time. According to the latest tally, 48% of all student trips in Marin County are green, with elementary schools averaging 44% and middle schools reaching 61%.
This dashboard is a valuable resource for schools, families, and the community. By providing clear insights into student travel habits, it helps promote sustainable and active commuting–supporting healthier lifestyles and reducing environmental impact. You can access the dashboard through the Safe Routes website or
using this link.
Congratulations to the four groups of students from White Hill, Neil Cummins, Bacich, and Kent, who received this year’s BUDDY UP Contest Award. These students walk, bike, or carpool to school together every day. They reduce traffic and pollution, get great exercise, and save their parents time and money. Safe Routes will be giving each Buddy group a $50 gift card.
Here are their stories in their own words (or their parents’):
BACICH ELEMENTARY: Danny Budzik 2nd grade, Ben Budzik 4th grade, Marco Mysyk 2nd grade, Jacob Weitzberg 2nd grade
These four boys have a blast biking together! They have discovered new pathways, learned important safety practices from each other, and most of all, enjoyed the camaraderie. They love getting exercise before school and saying “hi” to the crossing guards every morning.
NEIL CUMMINS ELEMENTARY: Harper Fleck, Luke Williams, Cami Warga (all Kindergartners)
Harper, Luke, and Cami are Kindergartners at Neil Cummins. These kiddos love biking to school, which is impressive for their short, little legs because they live 2.5 miles from school. They carpool together to school when they are not lucky enough to bike to school laughing and telling jokes the whole way. When not biking, you can find them in the cul-de-sac on their scooters or playing at each other’s houses.
KENT MIDDLE: Oak Kahn 5th grade, Miles West 6th grade
Every day, Oak is always outside on his bike riding around waiting for me and calling my name. I think it’s pretty funny because he rides around for like 10 minutes even though there might be 15 minutes until we have to go. He is really loyal because even if I am late, he will still wait for me even if it’s like 8:20 or 8:30. It’s really nice to have a Bike Buddy.
WHITE HILL MIDDLE: Elle, Kai, GG, Emma, Juliet, Ruby
(all 6th graders)
These buddies live just a few hundred feet from one another and have enjoyed biking to and from school. When they can’t bike, they walk or get rides together! They have dreamed about doing this together since elementary school and it’s a huge highlight of being in middle school together.
Edna Maguire Elementary fathers, Nate Stone and Charlie Vaughan-Griffith, have taken the school’s Walk & Roll campaign to new heights this year, boosting participation and energizing the community. They’ve used events like the Safe Routes’ Ruby Bridges Day and a more frequent event schedule to encourage families to walk or ride to school.
“We like to get people talking and connected,” Nate, a PTA member and volunteer, said. Together, Nate and Charlie now run bi-monthly events with 70 kids walking and rolling to school regularly.
Edna Maguire principal Daniel McCord praised their efforts. “They’re making it fun and exciting to walk and ride to school,” he said. “I love feeling the energy in the morning when the kids arrive.”
The Ruby Bridges event in November saw a record 150 parents and children walking from the community center to school, honoring Civil Rights icon Ruby Bridges. “The turnout was incredible,” Charlie said, recalling the joy of seeing so many families involved.” The success has sparked a desire for more weekly events, though organizing them requires personal outreach. Nate said connecting individually with families is key.
The pair also leads a monthly dad’s group, which has grown from 10 members to 45. Nate’s passion for community involvement stems from his own experience of being new to Edna Maguire. “After working 20 years behind a desk, this is what I always wanted—being active in my community,” he shared. Walk and roll events bring families together to build an active, vibrant community.
