Fall Newsletter 2024
SR2S Newsletter Spring 2026
Join us on February 12 from 10:30 to 12:30 at the offices of the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) ,
located at 900 Fifth Ave., San Rafael. Have lunch with us, connect with fellow volunteers, and pick up your supplies.
RSVP to [email protected] or [email protected].
Students at Kent Middle School are helping more Marin kids get on two wheels. In January, members of the school’s Eco-Action Club collected nearly 20 gently used bicycles to donate to families who cannot afford them.
“Did you know that some kids in Marin have never owned a bicycle because their family can’t afford one?” asked Cooper Miley, manager of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition’s Cory’s Ride earn-a-bike program. Miley spoke to students about the upcoming Cory’s Ride BikeFest, where the donated bikes will be given away to Novato students and their families.
As students receive their new bike at BikeFest, Safe Routes to School instructors will teach children how to ride competently on a mock street and other courses designed to enhance their skills and street awareness.
Kent students promoted the bike drive through campus announcements, video broadcasts, and posters around campus. Supervised by Safe Routes to School Teen Coordinator Lou Goodwin, the Eco-Action Club invited families to drop off bikes during after-school car line for a full week, turning unused bikes into meaningful community support.
“As parents juggle housing, food, and transportation costs, buying a $250 bike often isn’t possible, especially since kids outgrow bikes so quickly,” Miley said. “These donations help ensure every child has the chance to ride.”
Over the years, bicycles donated by Marin County middle school students have gone to families at Bahia Vista, Lynwood, Loma Verde, Hamilton, and Rancho elementary schools, expanding access to biking across multiple community.
This spring, Marin’s Health and Human Services (MHHS) awarded a $24,000 grant to enhance equity in the Transportation Authority of Marin’s (TAM) Safe Routes to Schools education and encouragement programs. Now in its 11th year, this partnership has grown from an initial $2,000 investment supporting active mobility prizes at Title One schools into a critical source of funding that expands safe, healthy transportation options for Marin’s most underserved students and families. Title One Schools are those where at least 40% of the students qualify for free or reduced price lunches.
This year’s funding will support hands-on education and encouragement at schools across Marin, including bike education at BikeFest in Novato, education for students in West Marin, and the distribution of suggested route maps to help families choose safer walking and biking routes. The grant will also expand Park and Walk programs at Lu Sutton Elementary and other Novato schools, along with four encouragement events and contests at 11 schools that build excitement and long-term habits around active travel.
By prioritizing Title One schools, this investment promotes safe and healthy travel to school while helping reduce barriers to mobility for families with fewer transportation options. Safe Routes to School programs support physical and mental health, foster independence, and strengthen community connections around schools. This support is especially vital for those most vulnerable, helping all students to travel safely and confidently to school and daily destinations, regardless of income or neighborhood.
Care and love for Planet Earth will be the theme running through Safe Routes to Schools events this spring.
The series kicks off with Walk and Roll Wednesday on March 4, honoring the late Jane Goodall, the pioneering American scientist who discovered that chimpanzees have feelings just like humans. Goodall, who passed away last year, left a lasting legacy of compassion for animals and the planet.
In celebration of Earth Month, many Marin schools will host optional events highlighting the environmental benefits of walking and rolling to school, including reducing pollution, fighting climate change, and promoting healthier routines for students.
In April, the large majority of county schools will participate in a new weekly contest, Let’s Planet Together, continuing the focus on protecting our only home. The contest will wrap up on May 6 with one of the biggest Safe Routes celebrations of the year: National Bike to School Day.
Students will be rewarded for participating with small incentives like Earth Day seeds and fidget toys. Raffle prizes include playful monkey hats in March in honor of Jane Goodall and a scooter for the contest finale.
In an effort to stay eco-friendly, Safe Routes to Schools is replacing the contest’s plastic sleeves and strings with recyclable cardboard cards and cotton strings for all participants.
Severe southbound Highway 101 congestion has been spilling into neighborhood streets across Novato, and schools are feeling the impact. Since carpool hours were extended on the freeway, drivers have increasingly diverted off the freeway, creating heavy backups on surface streets and long morning delays at school drop-off zones.
At San Jose Middle School, the effects were especially visible. Parents faced extended waits in traffic just to reach the roundabout directly in front of campus, turning the morning commute into a daily bottleneck. In response, the school partnered with Safe Routes to School, teachers, administrators, and the Leadership class to pilot a Park and Walk event on December 11.
Park and Walk targets families who live too far from school to walk or roll. It encourages them to park a few blocks away and walk part of the way, reducing congestion near campus while giving students a chance to get fresh air and exercise. Families were invited to use two designated drop-off locations about a 10-minute walk from school, bypassing the crowded roundabout altogether.
Leadership students greeted walkers with music, treats, raffle prizes, and colorful signage, turning a stressful morning commute into a positive community experience. Parents spent less time idling in traffic, and students arrived energized for the school day.
Building on the success achieved during their first Park and Walk campaign last year, Lu Sutton Elementary School is launching its second campaign in response to ongoing construction on Novato Boulevard. Traffic detours are funneling cars onto Center Road, directly in front of the school, creating long delays at drop-off. The campaign will run from March 4 through March 11.
Lu Sutton’s administration, parent volunteer Natalie Levine, and Safe Routes to School are collaborating to change drop-off habits and reduce congestion. Like the effort at San Jose Middle, the goal is to improve safety, ease traffic, and create lasting behavior changes, one short walk at a time.
Safe Routes to Schools bicycle rodeos are hands-on events where students learn and practice safe riding skills in a fun, controlled environment. The rodeos are mostly offered to 4th and 6th graders during physical education classes. Safe Routes provides a team of trained instructors and all the needed equipment, arriving at school with a trailer full of bikes and helmets for students who need them.
At each rodeo, students rotate through four engaging courses tailored to their skill level:
1. Learn to Ride (LTR) Course Students who are learning to balance or mastering basic skills start here. Coaches help with seat adjustment, mounting and dismounting, braking, and scooting to practice balance. Kids ride gentle downhill slopes to practice long glides and steering while building confidence before advancing to the other courses.
2. “Mergstacle” Course Designed for more experienced riders, the “mergstacle” combines merging, obstacle navigation, and lane skills. Students ride over a low seesaw plank, navigate “potholes,” and practice scanning, signaling, and merging with other students to change lanes. The course emphasizes control, focus, and safe lane positioning.
3. Lane Drills This course reinforces foundational skills through games. Students practice mounting, dismounting, starting, stopping, braking, signaling, switching lanes, and riding with oncoming traffic. Activities like Red Light/Green Light and Yellow Light drills keep learning dynamic and fun.
4. Rules of the Road Here, students practice riding predictably in real-world scenarios, including a six-lane rotary, a three-way intersection, and crosswalks with “lava planks”. Coaches teach right-of-way rules, yielding to pedestrians, and safe navigation around other riders.
Coaches remind students to perform an ABCQ check before riding: Air (tires), Brakes, Chain, Quick release for the front wheel, plus a short test ride to ensure the bike is in proper working order. Helmet fit and safety are also reinforced throughout the rodeo.
Parents can expect an engaging, hands-on experience where their children practice bike skills in a supportive environment. Students learn to be more confident, visible, and predictable riders ready to apply their lessons on neighborhood streets, trails, and paths. Coaches encourage kids to continue riding and growing their skills long after the event.
If your school wants to inquire about pedestrian or bicycle safety, please contact Katy Vanoni.
Four student groups, including 14 students in total, from two elementary and two middle schools have been named winners of the 2025 Safe Routes to Schools Buddy Up Contest. The contest celebrates students who walk, bike, or carpool to school together, promoting friendship while reducing traffic, cutting pollution, and getting healthy daily exercise.
Over 65 Buddy Up groups from 17 schools across Marin County were nominated this year. Selecting just four winners was no easy task, but Safe Routes to Schools recognized the groups’ creativity, teamwork, and commitment to active, eco-friendly transportation.
Each winning group received a $50 gift card as a reward for their efforts and for showing that getting to school can be fun, social, and sustainable.
Let’s see who they are:
GLENWOOD ELEMENTARY: Giovanni Seligson 1st grade, Ezio Seligson 5th grade, Logan Davido 4th grade, Esten Coe 4th grade
They call themselves the “Strand Fam” because they all live in the Strand community at the Loch Lomond Marina. The group buddied up when all members of the group were in kindergarten, and they continue to commute to school together five days a week. They typically ride their bikes 2–3 times per week, but on bad weather days, they carpool in their families’ minivans and SUVs. Remarkably, these riders who once resisted biking now beg their parents to let them roll every single day. The Strand Fam kids are close friends who genuinely enjoy the time they share on these mornings. They love chatting, supporting one another, and experiencing how the morning exercise energizes them for the school day.
MANOR ELEMENTARY: Quinn Gaffney 4th grade, Camilla Hutchinson 4th grade, Kaya Putanoff 4th grade
They all meet and walk together from one of the student’s homes to the school (3/4 of a mile each way) and love getting a chance to chat together while walking and running. There is a neat trail that they are able to take for part of the way to avoid the busy roads when it’s not too muddy. When they have extra time, they will walk further up the nature trail and take in the views. Periodically, more kids join to the point that one day there were seven of them (from kindergarten to 5th grade). According to their parents, they all love starting their day that way.
HALL MIDDLE: Julia Hegarty, Julia Silviera, Maya Hajnal
Julia Silveira is the student that lives the farthest, so she rides her bike to Julia’s Hegarty’s home and they both ride together to Maya’s home. They feel like they are grown ups and they are not afraid because they have their friends with them. They have fun on their way and they even want to leave home earlier so they have more time to enjoy the way and to hang out before classes. This moment makes school a much more fun experience and gets them more excited to go to school.
WHITE HILL MIDDLE: Parker Clifford, Alafair Sparrow, Riley Johanssen, Phoenix Gleason
These girls have been walking to school together since kindergarten. Now in Middle School, they enjoy the parent-free hang session that walking to school allows them to have. It’s a great way for them to connect and get their gossip out before class starts.
By several measures, the San Rafael Learning Center at Short School is the youngest public school in Marin County. It is the most recently established campus in the county and serves the youngest student population: 100 transitional kindergarten (TK) students, all between four and five years old. Next year, these students will continue their educational journey at Laurel Dell, Coleman, and Venetia Valley elementary schools.
This year, the Learning Center reached an important milestone by joining the Safe Routes to Schools program, giving its students and their families access to resources that promote safe, active, and healthy ways of getting to school. Through the school’s new family liaison, Adriana Cruz Díaz, the Learning Center requested participation in the program to begin introducing these concepts early.
“Starting these conversations at such an early age is incredibly valuable,” said Adriana Cruz Díaz.. “Safe Routes to School helps families build healthy habits around walking, biking, and traffic safety that children can carry with them as they grow.”
For Safe Routes to Schools, working with transitional kindergarten students is especially encouraging. Early exposure to pedestrian safety, awareness of surroundings, and active transportation can help establish lifelong habits that benefit both personal health and the broader community.
California has been steadily expanding access to TK in recent years. Under a statewide initiative, TK programs are being phased in to serve all four-year-olds, with universal eligibility fully implemented by the mid-2020s. As more families participate in TK, programs like Safe Routes to Schools are becoming increasingly relevant, supporting not only academic readiness but also student wellness and family engagement from the earliest years of education.
Marin County continues to earn recognition as a regional and national leader on e-bike safety, education, and policy. This was on full display at Senator Becker’s January 28 virtual Town Hall meeting, which drew nearly 200 attendees. The well-attended forum spotlighted Marin’s approach to education, enforcement, and legislation in response to the rapid growth of e-bikes and growing concerns about safety, especially with non-compliant two-wheelers (e-motos) sold as e-bikes. As e-bike use has surged – from fewer than 300,000 sold nationally in 2019 to an estimated 1.3 million in 2025 – the conversation has become increasingly urgent, particularly as serious crashes and public confusion rise alongside adoption.
Safe Routes to Schools Program Director Gwen Froh played a key role in the Town Hall, sharing Marin County’s on-the-ground experience educating youth and families about safe, legal e-bike use. Froh joined Assembly member Damon Connolly and other experts to discuss the continued need for proactive, prevention-focused strategies to help communities adapt to new mobility realities. Her presence underscored the importance of strong local leadership and cross-sector collaboration to ensure e-bikes and the appropriate education to enhance community safety.
That leadership has also been recognized on the national stage. Froh was one of just three industry leaders invited to present at the National Safe Routes to School Virtual Summit, where her session drew nearly 150 educators from across the country. She highlighted Marin’s role in clarifying a critical and growing issue: the distinction between legal pedal-assist e-bikes and high-speed, throttle-powered e-motos that are often marketed as e-bikes. These motorized two-wheelers pose serious safety risks and fall outside existing education and insurance allowances. By elevating this issue locally and nationally, Marin County is helping shape clearer policies and safer outcomes, ensuring the promise of e-bikes is realized without compromising public safety.
Here is the link to Senator Becker’s Town Hall: E-Bike Safety: Education, Enforcement and Legislation
https://sd13.senate.ca.gov/video/e-bike-safety-education-enforcement-and-legislation
Calendar of Upcoming
Task Force Meetings
- Sausalito/Marin City – Monday, Feb. 9 at 5:00 PM
- West Marin – Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 5:00 PM
- Novato – Wednesday, Feb 11 at 5:00 PM
- Larkspur-Corte Madera – Thursday, Feb. 12 at 4:00 PM
- Ross – Monday, March 30 at 10:00 AM
- Ross Valley – Friday, April 3 at 10:00 AM
- Mill Valley – Wednesday, April 15 at 9:30 AM
- Kentfield – Thursday, April 16 at 9:30 AM
- Reed – Thursday, April 23 at 10:00 AM
- San Rafael – Wednesday, April 22 at 5:00 PM
- Miller Creek – Monday, April 27 at 4:00 PM
Contact Wendi Kallins if you are interested in joining a task force or if you would like a copy of archived
task force meeting notes.
PAST NEWSLETTERS
SR2S Newsletter Fall 2025
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SR2S Newsletter Summer 2025
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SR2S Newsletter Winter 2025
February 13 Volunteer Luncheon Please Join us for the Safe Routes to Schools Volunteer Luncheon on February 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Transportation Authority of Marin (900 5th Street, Suite 100, San Rafael.) Get up to speed with the plans for the spring, mingle with your fellow volunteers, and pick up your supplies. RSVP to Monica or Mira. Infrastructure Improvements BenefitCorte...
SR2S Newsletter Fall 2024
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