Marin County Safe Routes to Schools
Team Leader Newsletter
April 2004

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1. SchoolPool launched in Three School Districts
2. Spring Surveys in May
3. Frequent Rider Miles materials available
4. NEW: Yikes! Assembly now available
5. Bike Commute Week May 17-21

GENERAL NEWS

6. Double Fine Zone bill goes to Committee April 19
7. Earth Facts for Earth Day
8. House of Representatives Approves Transportation Bill
9. Featured School of the Month - Mill Valley Middle School

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1. SchoolPool launched in Three Districts

Three school districts in Marin have already jumped into the pool by launching a SchoolPool program in all of their schools. Reed, Mill Valley and Ross Valley School Districts have all begun promoting SchoolPools through send-home letters to parents, tabling at events, and email communications. The results are already coming in, with 40 sign-ups so far. We now have brochures and mini-brochures available for you. The mini-brochure is created with your school district's logo and your superintendent or principal's signature. We have also created 11x17 posters, which are available now. Banners and magnets which should be available within the month. Signing up is easy. You simply register your school with RIDES for Bay Area Commuters, create a verification process, and you are off and running. SchoolPool is a web-based registry that enables parents to find other families to walk, bike or carpool their kids to school together. To sign up, contact Wendi@marinbike.org.

2. Spring Surveys in May

We will be starting our spring surveys soon. These surveys are the same as the ones we did in the Fall, and are used as a requirement for the Safe Routes to Schools grant to measure the number of students walking, bicycling, carpooling, taking the bus (if this applies), or being driven alone. We will ask students at your school how they got to school for one day and compare these results to the Fall surveys. The data will be used to help evaluate the success of the Safe Routes to Schools program. Melanie Grubman, Outreach Coordinator, will be contacting your school soon to set up the surveys. We look forward to seeing our progress!

3. Frequent Rider Miles materials available

By now you should all have your small prizes and raffle tickets for the Spring Frequent Rider Miles contest. If you run out, we have a stash available at the Marin County Bicycle Coalition office (733 Center Boulevard in Fairfax at the Fair Anselm Center). We also have more cards and more posters. Trek prizes are scheduled to arrive next week. If you need anything, contact Melanie@marinbike.org or call Melanie at 456-3469 x5#.

4. Yikes! Assembly Now Available

The Yikes! Assembly is a brief 10 to 15 minute pep rally and skit that covers the four fantastic reasons to walk and bike to school and a few simple ways to stay safe when children are bicycling. Yikes, a colorful "superhero" arrives with a trick rider to introduce the Four Fantastic Reasons to Walk and Ride. (We use an actual BMX bike rider). The Safe Routes Instructor arrives on the scene to remind the two enthusiastic bike riders that they can still have fun and be safe at the same time.

This assembly program is a great way to remind schoolchildren about being safe as more students are on their bikes with this beautiful weather. This assembly program is most suitable for K-4th graders and can occur either in the gym or on the black top. To schedule contact Melanie@marinbike.org or call 456-3469 x5#.

5. Bike Commute Week, May 17-21

National Bike Commute Week is a great time to have one final celebration before the end of the school year. Thursday, May 20th is Bike to Work Day and there will be publicity all over the Bay Area promoting this event. We suggest that you use this opportunity to have a Walk and Roll to School Day at your school, much the same as we did for International Walk to School Day. If you have a regular weekly Walk and Roll to School Day, please use this opportunity to give it an extra push. We can offer Safety Art again for the week leading up to this event so that students can create posters and banners promoting bicycling to school. This is also the week after the end of the Frequent Rider Miles contest ends, so you can use this event to plan your grand prize raffle and award the kids who participated. If you would like help setting up a Bike To School Day contact Melanie at Melanie@marinbike.org or 456-3469 x5#.

GENERAL NEWS - Please use this information in your newsletters and other communications to the school.

6. Double Fine Zone bill goes to Committee April 19

Assemblyman Joe Nation has introduced a bill that will create Double Fines in School Zones, allowing the funds collected to be used for School transportation safety programs, which can include crossing guards and street improvements. If this bill passes, each jurisdiction within Marin County will have the option to participate in the program. This bill has been referred to the Assembly Committee on Transportation and will be heard on Monday, 19 April 2004. They need letters of support. Thanks to all of you who have already sent in your letters.

If you have not yet sent in a letter, please send in your letter of support today (sample attached). Fax the letter to Assemblyman Joe Nation's office (916-319-2106). Include in your letter, personal stories of why this measure is important to your school. Please fax a copy to us so that we can track the letters. Our fax is 488-0926. If you have any questions, please contact wendi@marinbike.org.

7. Earth Facts for Earth Day

Promote green transportation as part of your Earth Day activities. Here are a few bits of information to put out there (maybe in an article for your school newsletter or a letter to the editor):

• If just one out of every 10 commuters who now drive to work switched to walking, we'd save 2 billion gallons of gas a year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25.4 million tons. (Green Commutes, Makower)
• Eight bicycles can be parked in the space required for just one car. (Divorce your Car)
• Going by bus instead of car cuts nitrogen oxide pollution by 25 %, carbon monoxide by 80% and hydrocarbons by 90% per passenger mile. (Divorce your Car)
• One full 40 foot bus will take 58 cars off the road. (Divorce your Car)
• The United States moves into the 21st century with less than 30% of its original oil supply. (Global 2000 Revisited Gerald O. Barney)
• Short motor trips contribute significant amounts of air pollution because they typically occur while an engine's pollution control system is cold and ineffective. Shifting 1% of automobile trips to walking or biking decreases emissions by 2-4% (Way to Go, British Columbia)
• The incidence of extreme weather events has gone up 28% since 1975 and it is now confirmed that the Arctic ice caps are melting, threatening coastal regions with flooding and actually drowning some small islets. (U.S. E.P.A.)
• Atmospheric concentrations of CO2, the main greenhouse gas implicated in global warming, are higher than they've been in 160,000 years, and they're rising. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 1995)
• Driving is the biggest contributor to increased greenhouse gases. (New State of the Earth Atlas, 1995.)
• Disposal of used motor oil sends more oil into the water each year than even the largest tanker spill. (U.S. EPA)

8. House of Representatives Approves Transportation Bill

The House of Representatives passed the Transportation reauthorization bill (H.R. 3550) last week. This bill will provide transportation funding for the country over the next six years. The bill includes funding for a nationwide Safe Routes to Schools program. There have been some changes along the way, but the Safe Routes to Schools portion of the bill is still strong. Safe Routes is now funded at $1 billion over the six years, with $125 million in the first year, ratcheting up to $200 million in year six. The earlier version of the House bill had allocated $1.5 billion for the program. The language still directs 10% of the funding to non-infrastructure activities like education and promotion. The Senate passed a version that only allows $70 million per year. The two versions will now go to a conference committee for negotiations.

The latest threat to the bill comes from the White House as advisors to the President are recommending he veto the bill, arguing that its actual cost is closer to $279.5 billion than the $275 billion claimed by the House. And they don't like the "reopener clause" that kicks in next year, allowing the House to increase the funding level. The President may have chosen this bill as the place to demonstrate his resolve to control government spending. We will keep you posted on the status of this bill. For more information see www.americabikes.org.

9. Featured School of the Month - Mill Valley Middle School

Mill Valley Middle School students have made Safe Routes to Schools a real part of the school culture. With the enthusiastic support of their parent team leader, Cynthia Whitwicki, Walk and Wheel Wednesday is a regular success. An average of 9 or 10 students volunteer to work the table handing out treats to students who bike and walk. They have also made signs and posters encouraging kids to walk and bike, reminding parents to drive safely and promoting the Frequent Rider Miles contest. Every Wednesday they are out there with their banners and signs, cheering the kids on.

A core group of committed kids are staging a safety assembly in early May. They are writing skits which act out ways kids get hurt when they behave in unsafe ways, such as riding without a helmet. The students have contacted local law enforcement and paramedics, inviting them to participate in the presentation. They are including some local trick riders who will profile the fun factor of riding a bike and emphasize the need for strong skills and good protective gear. The entire assembly is being directed by the students who are dedicated to promoting biking and walking and serious about doing it safely. They are a perfect example of how the program can empower kids to assume the initiative to be leaders in their school community, working to make a positive change.

For more information please contact Wendi Kallins, Safe Routes to Schools Program Director at (415) 488-4101 or wendi@marinbike.org

Safe Routes to Schools is a program funded by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and administered by the County of Marin on behalf of the Marin County Congestion Management Agency and the County, Cities and Towns of Marin.

Department of Public Works o County of Marin o P. O. Box 4186 o San Rafael, CA 94913-4186