Now is an exciting and important moment for all the partners who have promoted the Safe Routes to School program for the past one year! Since the Spruce Elementary walk audit in fall 2021 the City of South San Francisco implemented the award winning Every Kid Deserves a Bike program in partnership with the San Mateo County Office of Education and made several infrastructure improvements around Spruce Elementary school to support students walking and biking to school. South San Francisco Mayor Mark Nagales says in order to make this successful, the key is working with the community. “There is a huge difference between working on communities and working with communities. If you approach with respect, and first understand needs, barriers and living conditions, your team can then see what to deliver, and how.” The City will now be prioritizing active transportation in their budget. Please contact Sonali Suratkar (ssuratkar@smcgov.org) to learn more about the Safe Routes to School program and how your city can promote community health by prioritizing safe active transportation.