Infrastructure Improvements Benefit
Corte Madera and Larkspur Students

The improvements focused on the intersections of Wornum/Nellen and Fifer/Nellen in Corte Madera, near Highway 101.

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.

Flurry of Activities Encourage Students to Use Green Travel

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.

School Travel Stats Now Live
on SR2S Website

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. 

Buddy Up: Contest Winners 2024

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 Dads Energize School Community Through Walk & Roll Campaign

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.