This is the March 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
Teens Go Green Gathering
Team Leader Valentine's Luncheon
Miller Creek Students Donate to Novato
Street Smarts Marin Goes County-Wide
Caltrans Calls for Projects
Spring Newsletter Available
Get Ready for Spring Contests
Have more Green Fun on Bike to Work Day
Riding with Youth Classes
Thanks for the Office Furniture
MARCH'S CALENDAR
TASK FORCE MEETINGS
Dixie Task Force
Wednesday, March 18, 7:00 p.m.
Miller Creek Library
2255 Las Galinas Road, San Rafael
Mill Valley Task Force
Thursday, March 19, 9:15 a.m.
Mill Valley School District
4511 Sycamore Ave., Mill Valley
Novato Task Force Meeting
Thursday, March 26, 7 p.m.
Novato School District
1015 7th Street, Novato
Ross Valley Task Force
Friday, March 27, 10 a.m.
Ross Valley School District Office
110 Shaw Drive, San Anselmo
Teens Go Green Gathering
Twenty-five teens and parents, from middle and high schools around Marin County, gathered on March 4th to discuss how to grow the Teens Go Green Program of Safe Routes to Schools. Participants munched on pizza, peddled juice smoothies and discussed how to overcome barriers that keep teens from walking and biking to school. They received their prizes and materials for the spring contest and instructions on how to run the contest. The Teens Go Green program empowers youth to develop programs in their school to encourage green modes of transportation. For information about the program contact Aviva@marinbike.org.
Team Leader Valentine's Luncheon
The annual Team Leader Valentine's Luncheon continues to grow, attracting volunteers with great food and good company. An overflow crowd of 35 parent leaders from around Marin attended the luncheon on February 9th. The meeting began with a presentation by Phil Slack, team leader from Vallecito on how to use Google maps to create walking school bus route maps, set up a map of attendance locations, and other uses to enhance the SR2S program. Staff then went through the new guidebooks for the spring contests and instructed everyone on how to run the contests, taking suggestions and questions from the group. Bags of contest materials were distributed to all who attended.
Miller Creek Students Donate to Novato
The students of the Miller Creek Teens Go Green class gathered 68 used bikes which they learned to repair and get ready to give away to students in Novato. The Miller Creek club members created a form for students to apply for the bikes. Novato school district family advocates for Hamilton and Loma Verde schools will assist in identifying the students and/or families who will receive bikes. A tentative date of March 28 has been set to give away the bikes. The Novato Police and Police Management Associations donated money to purchase helmets to go with the bikes.
Street Smarts Marin Goes County-Wide
The Street Smarts Marin pilot program met with highly positive response among citizens, elected officials, city/town staff and police departments in the pilot communities. Street Smarts is a public outreach program targeting driver, cyclist and pedestrian behavior with safety messages on signs, banners, posters, brochures and other outdoor advertising and through the press, e-newsletters and websites.
The pilot program sponsors, Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) and three local jurisdictions of Corte Madera, Larkspur and Mill Valley, successfully completed the first phase of the pilot which ran from August 21, 2008 (back-to-school) to November 1st, 2008. The most common feedback received included requests for the program from neighborhoods in other communities.
As a result of the success of the pilot, the TAM board voted in its January 2009 meeting to expand the program to other communities in the county. Five additional communities – San Anselmo, Ross, Fairfax, Tiburon and Belvedere -- will deploy the program starting in mid-summer 2009 targeting summer camp traffic through back-to-school and early fall. All eight communities will deploy simultaneously for maximum impact. The program will run twice a year in all eight communities and remaining cities will be added upon request and as funds permit.
Caltrans Call for Projects
$48.50 million is currently available from the California State Legislated Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program to improve infrastructure. The application deadline is April 15, 2009. These funds are not to be confused with Federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funds associated with SAFETEA-LU. Applications must be for capital projects such as sidewalks, pathways, bike lanes, traffic calming, etc. (with up to 10% available for non-infrastructure activities such as education, encouragement and enforcement). Only cities and counties are eligible to compete for these funds and a 10% local match is required. Applications must be prepared through city and/or county public works departments.
Spring Newsletter Available
The print Safe Routes News is now available. This spring’s newsletter features Walking School Buses at Bacich School, a bicycling principal at Loma Verde School, and a fold-out centerfold of infrastructure projects implemented across Marin County. Please help us spread the news, by putting our newsletter in your school. You can get copies of the newsletter by contacting laura@marinbike.org. You can also access the newsletter online here.
Get Ready for Spring Contests
Start promoting your spring contest now and recruit volunteers to assist in running the contest. Participating schools will be receiving weekly e-blasts with suggestions for making the contest a success. To help promote your contest, you can schedule a Pedal Power assembly by contacting peggy@marinbike.org or organize a Poster Art session by contacting laura@marinbike.org .
Have More Green Fun on Bike to Work Day
Thursday, May 14, is the Bay Area’s 15th Annual Bike to Work Day. Join thousands in celebrating bicycling as a healthy and fun way to make your local trips – to work, school, the store, library, or movie. Stop by a Marin Energizer Station in the morning for a bag of goodies. Enter to win prizes and join the Team Bike Challenge at 511.org. Join the Marin County Bicycle Coalition to enter the Bike Month Sweepstakes. For more details, visit www.marinbike.org.
Riding with Youth Classes
Riding with Youth classes are made possible by a recent $25 million federal grant funding the Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) in Marin County and the collaboration between WalkBikeMarin and the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.
Workshops are held six times per year after school or on a weekend day at various locations throughout Marin County. The classes are taught by Safe Routes to Schools instructors.
To learn of scheduled workshops and to register go to MCBC www.marinbike.org or WalkBikeMarin www.WalkBikeMarin.org. To lean more or to schedule a Riding With Youth Workshop contact Peggy at 456-3469 ext 8# or email peggy@marinbike.org.
Thanks for the Office Furniture
Safe Routes to Schools has new digs at 737a Center Blvd. in Fairfax. Thanks to Sandra-Danioth Jones and Associates for donating a desk, a bookcase and two lobby chairs for the new office. Come check us out..
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:
Project Coordinator:
Laura Kelly
415-456-3469 ext. 2#
laura@marinbike.org
For information on
school classes:
Project Coordinator
for Logistics:
Peggy Clark
415-456-3469 ext 8#
peggy@marinbike.org
