Marin County Safe Routes to Schools
Team Leader Newsletter
May 2004

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1.. Team Leader Gathering May 26th
2.. Turn in Your Frequent Rider Miles Cards
3.. Looking to Next Year
4.. Walkabouts

GENERAL NEWS - Distribute this information through your school newsletters and lists

5.. Double Fine Zone bill passes Assembly
6.. $36 million for Safe Routes in Sales Tax
7.. Ross Town Council Approves Improvements
8.. Featured School of the Month - Kent Middle School

TEAM LEADER UPDATES

1.. Team Leader Gathering May 26th
11:30 - 1:30 San Rafael Community Center 618 B Street

We will hold our final Team Leader gathering on May 26th to wrap up the year and look towards next year. Responding to the requests from the winter gathering, we will discuss How to Change a Culture with featured speaker Deb Hubsmith, Executive Director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. MCBC, in just a few short years, has shifted the attitudes in Marin County to embrace the importance of bicycling as a transportation mode. We will discuss how SR2S can do that within the school culture. We will also talk about recruiting volunteers and finding a replacement Team Leader. We will ask for your evaluation of the program and end with a raffle for a set of Trek prizes saved just for YOU! Lunch and childcare will be provided. Please sign up for childcare in advance. For more information contact Melanie@marinbike.org.

2.. Turn in Your Frequent Rider Miles Cards

We hope that you have had a wonderful Frequent Rider Miles contest and have arranged for your assembly to give out the prizes. Please turn in your Frequent Rider Mile cards so that we can evaluate the participation in the contest. Please give us the name of the bicycle winner and his or her parent's name and phone number. You can bring your cards to the Team Leader Meeting on May 26th or get them to our main office at 733 Center Blvd., Fairfax, CA 94930. Make arrangements through Melanie@marinbike.org. 456-3469 ext. 5#.

3.. Looking to Next Year

Start out next year with a bang by helping us get a transportation letter into your school package. Each year, every school sends out a package in August on introductory materials for the school. We have a letter that can be combined with this package to introduce parents to Safe Routes to Schools, SchoolPool, and other transportation options for your school. Reed School District is already including this in their package. Help us get a letter into your school's package. Contact wendi@marinbike.org.

4.. Walkabouts

A Walkabout (or Bikeabout) is a process for assessing the safety issues along the routes to school and develop a plan for addressing those issues. Stakeholders - parents, children, school representatives, neighbors, city or county staff and elected officials, and law enforcement - gather in front of the school and then walk (or bike) specific areas that have been identified by the school's Safe Routes to Schools Team. The group discusses the issues and comes to an agreement on the problem areas. The group then reconvenes to brainstorm possible solutions. They will be presented with a toolbox slide show by David Parisi to give them some ideas. We are currently planning for, or compiling information from Walkabouts at Gallinas School, Miller Creek Middle School, Park School, Wade Thomas School, Neil Cummins Schools and Marin Horizon School. If you would like to schedule a Walkabout for your school contact wendi@marinbike.org or 488-4101.

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

5.. Double Fine Zone bill passes the Assembly

The Double Fine Zone bill passed off of the Assembly Floor with the vote count of 73-3...we are on to the Senate!!! Assemblyman Joe Nation introduced the bill that will create Double Fines in School Zones in Marin, allowing the funds collected to be used for School transportation safety programs, which can include crossing guards and street improvements. If this bill passes the Senate, each jurisdiction within Marin County will have the option to participate in the program.

6.. $36 million for Safe Routes to Schools in Sales Tax

The County Congestion Management Agency has included $36 million in the Sales Tax package to go before the voters in November. This money will be used for the Safe Routes to Schools education program, crossing guards and infrastructure improvements. It will go a long way in helping to implement many of the improvements identified in our Walkabouts. The tax will also include $182 million for bus service, creating a locally controlled transit system for the first time in Marin, $25 million to ensure the completion of the Highway 101 gap closure through San Rafael and $88 million for maintaining and improving local roads, bikeways and pathways, funding that can also can be used for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. To get the full details of the proposal go to: www.marintraffic.org The proposal now goes before the City and Town councils for approval. The following towns have council members who have expressed hesitation or outright opposition to the sales tax. We urge you to attend these meetings:

• Novato City Council May 25
• Fairfax Town Council June 1
• Mill Valley City Council June 21
• San Anselmo Town Council June 22

To find out when your town will hear the sales tax go to http://www.tam.ca.gov/view.php?id=8

7.. Ross Town Council Approves Improvements

On May 13th, the Ross Town Council approved a plan to re-stripe Laurel Grove and create a walkway along Sir Francis Drake. The recommendations, which came from a study done by Alta Planning and Consulting using input from the Safe Routes to Schools program, were unanimously approved by the council, which directed staff to come back with a funding plan for the two projects. On Laurel Grove, the existing travel lanes will be narrowed to provide for a shoulder for pedestrians and bicycles at a cost of less than $15,000. This project will be included in next year's budget. On Sir Frances Drake the council approved an asphalt surface between the Marin Art and Garden Center to the Town limits with Kentfield. The staff was directed to come back with funding possibilities for this project, which can run upwards to over $100,000. The council also agreed to contract the services of Alta Planning to provide recommendations for the rest of Sir Francis Drake and Laurel Grove. This decision culminates a process that started with a Walkabout, organized by parents at Ross School. Congratulations to Amy Skewes-Cox and her team of parents for shepherding this through the process.

8.. Featured School of the Month - Kent Middle School

Kent Middle School is running a Bike/Walk to School Week from May 17th -21st. The student council with leadership from Safe Routes to Schools staff and the school counselor brainstormed events that would encourage their classmates to bike and walk to school.

The week events include:

• Three days of energizer stations where students will receive free food and a raffle ticket to win Trek Frequent Rider Prizes. Students and Parent volunteers will be manning food tables at three different locations around the neighborhood.
• Kent Middle School will culminate their Bike to School Week with a BMX trick rider performance and the drawing for the raffle prizes during lunch on Friday.

This Bike To School Week has been extremely successful because of great participation from the PTA, the student council and teacher supports. With funds from the PTA, the students will receive free food and a great assembly program. Due to the participation of the student council, the spirit committee did a fantastic job spreading the word to students through signs and peer communication. If you are interested in working with middle school students, please contact Melanie at 456- 3469 ext. 5# for more tips on a successful youth engagement strategy at your school.

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
County of Marin
P. O. Box 4186
San Rafael, CA 94913-4186