by Steven Lopez
Throughout San Mateo County, a number of exciting developments are happening regarding Safe Route to School (SRTS) programming. SRTS promotes walking, biking and carpooling to school to improve students’ health and fitness, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. We applaud the work of many GHSMC partners and look forward to the growth of these efforts to improve the health and safety of our communities; here are just a few of these exciting developments:
Caltrans recently awarded funding to four San Mateo County cities under the SRTS Program. Funds will be use to implement projects to improve unsafe streets and promote walking and bicycling to children, parents, and the community.
• In East Palo Alto, Castaño Elementary, Cesar Chavez Academy, Aspire East Palo Alto Charter School and Eastside Preparatory received funds to construct sidewalks, curbs and gutters and install LED in-pavement crosswalk lights.
• In Redwood City, numerous schools received funding to implement projects. Hoover Elementary School received funds to construct raised crosswalks, bulb-outs, and curb ramps; install minor safety lighting and trees; and upgrade crosswalks and signs. Adelante Spanish Immersion, Roy Cloud School, Fair Oaks School, Garfield School, John Gil School and Hawes School received funds to create a Safe Routes to School Task Force; conduct walking and cycling assessments; and provide tools to evaluate behavioral changes.
• In San Carlos, Arundel School received funds to construct sidewalks and pedestrian safety barriers; construct raised intersections (speed table), sidewalks, and curb ramps; and upgrade traffic signals and sidewalks.
• In South San Francisco, Los Cerritos Elementary School received funds to construct curb extensions (bulb-outs) and install speed feedback signs.
In addition, the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) is now playing a key role in supporting and implementing Safe Routes to Schools initiatives and developing resources to help schools implement SRTS programming. Over forty schools are participating in the SMCOE SRTS efforts and the SMCOE is looking forward to the possibility of additional schools joining the effort. The SMCCOE has recently hired a SRTS Coordinator and has been working collaboratively with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and Alta Planning and Design of Berkeley and has forged new relationships with the Cities of East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City 2020 and the City of San Mateo. The SMCOE has also created a tool kit that includes a list of programs aimed at improving safety for and encouraging walking and bicycling to school.
Furthermore, the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital Safe Kids Program has been active in its support and implementation of SRTS efforts. Through a Get Healthy San Mateo County grant, Lucille Packard collaborated with Garfield Elementary School and community partners to plan and implement a variety of efforts. Over the past months, the group has conducted a walkability audit to gather information about issues around students’ ability to walk and bike safely between their home and school and hosted a bike rodeo and pedestrian workshop to educate the community on pedestrian safety and other issues. In collaboration with the San Mateo County Public Works Department, the group was able to install a pedestrian scramble this October at the intersection of Middlefield and Semicircular Road in Redwood City. This has been a key infrastructure change to improve the community’s health and safety. Lucille Packard is hosting a Safe Kids Task Force Meeting to continue the momentum and work in SRTS programming.
It is exciting to see the great SRTS work being done throughout the county and on such a collaborative scale.