Safe Routes to Schools
Team Leader Newsletter
December 2003

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1. New Deadline for SR2S Grants
2. Frequent Rider Miles Spring 2004
3. Help choose prizes
4. Truck needed

GENERAL NEWS

5. Marin Awarded $850,000 in SR2S Grants
6. Ross Valley School District Approves Volunteer Crossing Guards
7. County Supervisors Approve Contract Negotiations for 2004 Funding
8. Holiday Bike Shopping Tips
9. Featured School of the Month - Brookside

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1. New Deadlines for SR2S Grants

Caltrans has announced that the deadline for this round of funding for Safe Routes to Schools Capital Grants is due by February 28, moved up from May 30th. This gives schools only two months to apply for grants. Although this is technically the last round of funding for this program, STPP in Sacramento has made the re-authorization of this legislation it's top legislative priority for 2004. This program is extremely popular and garners a wide range of support so it's chances of succeeding are very high. We will keep you informed of the progress.

2. Frequent Rider Miles Spring 2004 - Sign up now.

Trek Bicycles will once again be sponsoring our Frequent Rider Miles contest this spring. Bikes will be provided for every participating schools as well as other bike accessories. Heeding advice from our Team Leaders, we will be making more improvements to the contest this year. If you want to participate, you need to let us know by January 15. For more information on the contest go to www.saferoutestoschools.org under contests.

3. Help Choose Prizes

I'm looking for a few parents and children who have participated in Frequent Rider Miles in the past to help choose the "rewards" that come when cards are turned in. Some of these rewards worked and some didn't. I need your expert opinion. If you would like to help out, please contact me at wendi@marinbike.org

4. Truck Needed

Safe Routes to Schools needs a truck to transport the Rodeo. If you have a truck that you can donate or you know someone who might be able to donate a truck please get call Melanie at 456-3469 X 5#. If you have a truck that you can loan to us during the Rodeo season in the spring, that would work as well.

GENERAL NEWS

5. Marin Awarded $850,000 in SR2S Grants

Thanks to the collective efforts of Supervisor Hal Brown, Councilman Peter Breen, the County of Marin and San Anselmo public works staff, and the Safe Routes to Schools team, two Ross Valley projects were awarded funding from the State Safe Routes to Schools Program. Special thanks go to David Parisi for assisting in preparing the grants and to the team leaders from Brookside and Kentfield for their help. The projects totaling nearly $1 million in cost will be offset by roughly $850,000 from the State Safe Routes to Schools Program. The two projects will improve access to Bacich Elementary, Kent Middle, Upper and Lower Brookside Campuses, and San Dominico Schools.

The Kentfield Project will include reconstruction of a pathway along the east side of Wolfe Grade between the San Rafael City Limit and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, improve pedestrian and vehicle access at the Bacich Elementary School McAllister driveway, and make safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists at the crossing of the Corte Madera Creek Multi-Use Path on College Avenue.

The San Anselmo Project will provide sidewalks and curb ramps along Butterfield Road and Brookside Drive and pedestrian as well as bicycle enhancements to the traffic signal at Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Butterfield Road.

The Safe Routes to Schools programs in Ross Valley have been extremely proactive in working with parents, parent teachers associations, and school administrators, in addition to both City and County politicians and engineering staffs to identify problems that hinder a child's' ability to safely walk or bike to school. The applications for funding these projects were strongly supported by State Senator John Burton, Assemblyman Joe Nation and numerous local agencies.

"We've been aggressive in pursuing these competitive funds for these critical projects in our communities. This is one more step in a long process to help get school-age kids to walk and bike, thereby reducing congestion on our streets," stated Hal Brown, chair of the Ross Valley Safe Routes to School task force.

6. Ross Valley School District Approves Volunteer Crossing Guards

The Ross Valley School District is the first school district to approve offering insurance for volunteer crossing guards. The resolution which was approved on November 18, 2003, will allow volunteer crossing guards to be covered by the Marin Schools Insurance Authority to receive workmen's compensation benefits. This will allow volunteers to be recruited for Manor, Brookside, Wade Thomas and White Hill Schools.

7. Holiday Bike Shopping Tips

It is the Holidays and it could be time to buy a new bike. The first thing to check when deciding if it is time to buy a new bike is the bike itself. Feel your child's bike for loose parts especially around the handlebar and pedal cranks. If there is something loose or broken , get it fixed for the holidays. If there is any cracks in the frame, take it to the bike shop immediately for a consultation. Just like clothes, kids will outgrow their bicycles Most bike shops can help you size a bike for your child. Before going to buy a bike, think about how your child uses their bike. This will determine what kind of frame and tire you will be looking for.. Bicycles that are malfitted can cause pain in the joints and make it more difficult for your child to handle his/her bike safely. If your child has a mountain or road bike, they should be able to stand over the top of the bike with 1-2 inches between their groin and the top of the bike. BMX frames are made smaller for better handling during tricks. The length of the bike can be determined by comfort, generally you want to look for a slight bend in the elbow and in the knee. However the knee bend can be accommodated by adjusting the height of the seat. Most of all, make sure your child test rides his/her new bicycle and that they will like the color and style of their new vehicle.

8. County Supervisors Approve Contract Negotiations for 2004 Funding

On December 2, the County Board of Supervisors approved the contract for another year of funding for Safe Routes to Schools, subject to final negotiations. The contract will go to the team of Nelson Nygaard Associates, project managers, Parisi Associates, engineering consultant, and the Marin County Bicycle Coalition's Safe Routes to Schools program to run the program. The funding will run for the 2004 calendar year.

9. Featured School of the Month

Every month we feature a success story from one of our schools. Please submit your stories for both this item in our e-newsletter, and to be included in our print newsletter coming out next March. This month comes from Gina Feiner at Brookside Schools:

Traffic on Butterfield Road is a major issue for Brookside Schools. The effort of many parents and school officials to encourage biking and/or walking to school had slightly improved the situation, but the same problem existed: parents wouldn't let their children walk or ride because of the traffic, so in turn the parents then contributed to the problem by adding more cars to the road. So we looked at our options. The Golden Gate Transit bus was driving down Butterfield at just about the right times. Why not the bus? The transit authority was able to tweak the times for the bus to allow a sort of "shuttle" service down Butterfield Road, from Lower to Upper Campus. Now the problem became the cost. At $1.65 a ride, one-way, many parents said thanks, but no thanks. After about 4 months of negotiating with the aid of the County Supervisor, Hal Brown, I was able to offer Brookside families a yearly bus pass for $50.00. The service now picks up children from as far away as the San Anselmo Hub and we also have riders who come down from the San Domenico end of Butterfield. The traffic has decreased, and a lot of the children have a new sense of independence being able to get themselves to school. The bus serves mainly Brookside Upper Campus students who are in grades 3-5. To date we have sold approximately 110 bus passes. Children arriving by bus has increased from 11% in the Spring to 23% in the Fall. There have been some kinks to work out like scheduling and behavior on the bus, but all in all the "BUS TO BROOKSIDE" program has decreased the traffic on Butterfield and taught children that the bus is also a transportation/ safe-route option.