This is the April issue of the Marin Safe Routes to Schools ENewsletter. This newsletter provides you with monthly updates of the Marin Safe Routes to Schools program, including highlights of the month.
Highlights of the Month
$900,000 in Caltrans Grants for Novato and Larkspur
Play Ride n’ Seek at Pickleweed for Earth Day
Pedal Power Assembly Excites the Kid
Spring Contests Begin
Middle School Assembly Video Taking Shape
High School Students Prepare for Bike to School Week May 12
Safe Routes to Moderate Panel on Physical Activity
Promote Walking and Biking for Earth Day
APRIL'S CALENDAR
EVENT
Earth Day at Pickleweed Community Center
Saturday, April 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Community Clean Up, Ride ‘n Seek Treasure Hunt,
Music, Food and More!
40 Canal St,, San Rafael
Novato Task Force Meeting
Wednesday, April 16, 7 p.m.
Novato Unified School District
1015 7th Street, Novato
Dixie Task Force
Thursday, April 17, 7 p.m.
Miller Creek Library
2255 Las Galinas Road, San Rafael
Ross Valley Task Force
Friday, April 18, 10 a.m.
Ross Valley School District Office
110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo
Mill Valley Task Force
Tuesday, April 22, 9:15 a.m.
Sewer Agency of Southern Marin Conference room
450 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley
San Rafael Task Force Meeting
Wednesday, April 23, 4–5:30 p.m.
Venetia Valley School
177 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael
Twin Cities (Corte Madera and Larkspur) Task Force
Tuesday, April 29, 3:15 pm
Larkspur Recreation Dept.
240 Doherty Drive, Larkspur
Back to the top
$900,000 in Caltrans Grants for Novato and Larkspur
On March 18 almost $900,000 was awarded in California Safe Routes to School funding from Caltrans to improve access to five schools in Larkspur and Novato.
$594,000 will go to improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety in the vicinity of Lynwood, Olive and San Ramon Schools in Novato. At Lynwood School, high visibility crosswalks, pedestrian refuge islands, and curb extensions will be placed at Lynwood Drive and Sunset Parkway, and traffic signal changes will be made to enhance student safety when crossing South Novato Boulevard at Sunset Parkway.
Olive Street and San Ramon Way will be “traffic calmed” in the vicinity of Olive and San Ramon Schools respectively. The traffic lanes will be narrowed on Olive Avenue, bike lanes widened, and pedestrian crossing enhancements will be implemented. San Ramon Way’s intersections with San Benito Way and San Juan Court will be narrowed to slow vehicle traffic speeds and improve pedestrian crosswalks.
$296,730 will go to Larkspur to provide a new pathway to connect Apache Road and William Avenue on either side of Sandra Marker Trail. The pathway will consist of ramps and possibly stairs to improve access to Hall Middle School and Redwood High School.
Play Ride n’ Seek at Pickleweed for Earth Day
Come and play Ride ‘n Seek, a rolling treasure hunt on April 19 at Pickleweed Community Center. Families will search for clues on foot or by bike to learn the treasures of the Canal Community and win fabulous prizes such as a gift basket from Trader Joes, $100 gift certificate from Safeway, and valuable coupons and prizes from Craig’s Warehouse, Dharma Trading Company, Picante, Borders Books, Three Ring Cycles, Fresh Choice, and others. Prizes will be stuffed into duffle bags from Kaiser. Kaiser will be providing goodie bags for each team and Safe Routes to Schools will provide water bottles. Canal Gardens and Trail has joined with Safe Routes to Schools to produce this fun-filled event. Ride ‘n Seek is part of the Earth Day Celebrations at Pickleweed that will include a litter cleanup of Pickleweed Park and the adjacent neighborhood from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed from noon to 3 p.m. with family activities, Aztec Dancers, Chinese Lion Dancers, puppet shows, prizes, live music and educational booths focusing on the environment. The treasure hunt will take place between noon and 2 pm. For more information contact wendi@marinbike.org.
Back to the top
Pedal Power Assembly Excites the Kids
Dixie School, Marin Primary and Middle School (MPMS), and Manor School were treated to the new Pedal Power assembly in March with more schools signing up every day. The assembly features children, teachers and team leaders from the school who are given costumes and instructed in their lines and the special song by Tim Cain. Kel Harris, Team Leader from Dixie and kids from Manor and MPMS portrayed the Traffic Monster who feeds the car with his pals Gas and Oil and delights in the ensuing pollution. That is until the Traffic Transformer arrives and lures the children and mom out of the car and onto bikes and scooters to the world without traffic and pollution. The assemblies were a big hit in all schools. To sign up for the assembly contact Laura@marinbike.org.
Spring Contests Begin
Many schools in Marin have already launched their spring contests where children will be rewarded for walking, biking carpooling or taking the bus to school. Other schools are preparing to launch in April. Both the Pollution Punch Card Contest and Frequent Rider Miles reward kids for choosing the green alternative with instant rewards when they complete a card. They are then entered into a raffle to win more valuable prizes. A special bike giveaway will be planned for the end of the contest season at Marin Bikes headquarters. Kaiser Permanente has donated the funds to purchase the prize bikes offered at cost from Marin Bikes.
Middle School Assembly Video Taking Shape
Students from White Hill and Hall Middle School conducted two more interviews to add to their video that will be part of a new Middle School Assembly. The students learned about how to live simply, including living without cars from activists Deb Hubsmith and Jacquie Phalen. The kids will now take footage of themselves riding and walking to add to the video. There will be a skit presentation to go along with the video with three characters that students will act out: The professor, the mountain bike club member and the "So, who cares..." kid. Assemblies will take place at White Hill on April 23rd, Miller Creek on Earth Day, April 22, and at Hall sometime in May.
(Photo: Cole Roth and Joe Ryan interview Deb Hubsmith.)
Back to the top
High School Students Prepare for
Bike to School Week May 12
Redwood and Drake High School interns are organizing a local Bike and Walk to School week starting May 12th, the same as Bike to Work Week. The students will have events and contests to promote more walking and biking to school, as well as transit use and carpooling. Students from both high schools are soliciting raffle prizes from businesses around their schools. If anyone has a connection or prize to donate, contact aviva@marinbike.org .
Back to the top
Safe Routes to Moderate Panel on Physical Activity
Safe Routes to Schools will be moderating a panel discussion on physical activity at Catch the Wellness Spirit! – Be Active from 5 to 95, on April 17, from 8:45 to 11:30 am. at the Marin Office of Education, Hollis Hall, 1111 Las Gallinas Road, San Rafael. The program will discuss the importance of being physically active and how to make it easy and fun. It will feature keynote speaker James Kovach, MC, President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Age Research and panel members from the YMCA, Non Motorized Transportation Project, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Sports for Kids and Meanderings in Marin. If you would like to attend, RSVP to llauchenauer@co.marin.ca.us
Back to the top
Promote Walking and Biking for Earth Day
As Earth Day approaches, it is the perfect time remind folks that a very simple step to protect the earth and reduce their carbon footprint is to walk or bike to school. That small step they take when they walk or bike to school can turn into a huge step for the environment. Eliminating short car trips is important because those first few minutes of driving are the worst for pollution emissions. If you live within a mile of school, it typically only takes 15-20 minutes to walk one way and 5-10 minutes to bicycle one way to school. If you live farther away, consider hopping in a carpool or, if you kids are older, check out the bus schedules. Students can also get discount youth transit passes from Marin Transit. To find good facts to use to encourage more walking and biking go here .
Back to the top
Safe Routes to Schools
is a program of the
Transportation Authority
of Marin
3501 Civic Center Dr.
San Rafael, CA 94913
www.tam.ca.gov
Project Manager:
David Parisi
415-388-8978
david@
parisi-associates.com
For general
information
on the Safe Routes
program:
Program Director:
Wendi Kallins
415-488-4101
wendi@marinbike.org
For information on
school activities
and classes:
Project Coordinator:
Laura Kelly
415-456-3469 ext. 2#
laura@marinbike.org
