MCBC NHTSA Final Repor on Safe Routes to Schools

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Safe Routes to Schools Demonstration Project
Final Report
Prepared for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
By the Marin County Bicycle Coalition
September 27, 2001

Introduction: In August of 2000, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition (MCBC) received $50,000 through a cooperative agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to develop a demonstration Safe Routes to Schools program in Marin County, California, a suburb of San Francisco. This Final Report addresses the A) objectives, B) activities, and C) accomplishments of the demonstration program from August 2000 through July 2001. The MCBC originally received the NHTSA cooperative agreement to work with two schools in Mill Valley, California (Edna MaGuire School and Mill Valley Middle School). Later, because we received additional funding from local and state sources, we received approval from NHTSA to expand our reporting to include the nine schools in Marin County that participated in the pilot Safe Routes to Schools program. The program served approximately 3,500 students throughout the year. No injuries were reported during the program.

Participating Schools: What follows is a list of nine schools that participated in the pilot Safe Routes to Schools program in Marin County, California. It is important to note that each school implemented our program in a manner that was suited to the format, curriculum, and structure of their unique school and town. In the "Accomplishments" section we have indicated our methodology for collecting the data. We have also indicated other schools that used our materials to begin Safe Routes to Schools programs based on the methodology developed by the MCBC. The schools listed below were the nine active partners during the 2000-2001 school year.

Mill Valley: Edna MaGuire Elementary School*, Tam Valley Elementary School*, Mill Valley Middle School*, and Marin Horizon's School.

San Rafael: Vallecito Elementary School*.

Fairfax: Manor School*, and Saint Rita's School.

West Marin: Lagunitas School* (Elementary and Middle Schools).

* This symbol denotes that the school participated in the traffic counts/student surveys and have been included in the countywide average for travel modes to school. Two schools were not counted (both private schools) because their volunteers did not use the correct methodology in collecting the school travel data.

A. OBJECTIVES

What follows are the original objectives that were indicated in our unsolicited proposal request, followed by an explanation of accomplishments. More detail about methodology as well as charts of travel modes to school have been included in this report.

Objective I: Increase the number of children walking and bicycling to school.

Progress: The Marin County Bicycle Coalition and our partner Multi-Mobile surveyed travel modes to school in the Fall of 2000 and in May of 2001. Summaries of progress are as follows (on a Countywide basis), denoting the percentage of children at schools arriving by each mode of transport.

	# Students 2000		# Students 2001		% change
Walk	251	14%	380	22%	+57%
Bike	124	7 %	199	11%	+57%
Carpool	200	11%	321	18%	+64%
Drive alone	1071	62%	780	44%	-29%
Bus	98	6%	76	5%	-17%
Total #s	1744	100%	1756	100%

We have attached a spreadsheet with graphs that shows the exact data for the six schools which provided complete information. In Section C. "Accomplishments" we have included a description of the methodology used to collect the data.

Objective II: Increase community participation in transportation solutions and develop a broad base of community support.

Progress: At each of our nine schools, we developed "teams" of volunteers that assisted in promoting the Safe Routes to Schools program. Team activities included: organizing Walk and Bike to School Days, volunteering in the classroom, writing articles for the school newsletter, mapping the routes to schools, and working with local government and law enforcement to make physical and safety improvements. These Safe Routes teams consisted primarily of parents, but in some cases also included elected officials. There are now strong teams in each of our nine schools, and every school has asked the Safe Routes to Schools program to return and expand the program in the Fall of 2001.

The nine schools we worked with during the 2000-2001 school year were located in four geographic community regions - the city of Mill Valley, the town of Fairfax, the San Geronimo Valley (Lagunitas School District), and the North San Rafael, Terra Linda (Vallecito School.) Through this process, we learned that it is most effective to organize a Safe Routes to Schools program on a city-wide basis. As a result, in Mill Valley and Fairfax (the two communities that focused programs for their participating schools) we combined local teams into community wide task forces. This unified effort linked schools together on a city-wide basis for working on mapping and engineering improvements. At all of our schools, the Safe Routes to School Teams and Task Forces developed relationships with law enforcement (local police, California Highway Patrol, and the Sheriff's Department) that led to a greater law enforcement presence on the streets.

In our pilot programs in Mill Valley and Fairfax the community-wide task forces mapped the routes to schools, assessed problem areas, and developed an improvement plan in cooperation with the schools, city staff and elected officials. We held community-wide meetings for both towns in addition to regular Task Force meetings held either monthly, or when necessary, twice monthly. In Fairfax we had 40 people attend at least one meeting including parents from both our pilot schools, neighbors, elected officials, staff from public works, the fire and police departments, and members of the town's planning commission, parks and recreation commission, and volunteer board. In Mill Valley we had 103 participants attend at least one meeting, including parents from four public schools and staff and parents from one private school, neighbors, city council members, school board members, and staff from the town's police and public works departments.

Objective III: Decrease the number of private motor vehicle trips to school.

Progress: Our student surveys recorded a 64% increase in carpools and a 29% decrease in the number of students arriving alone in their parent's cars. Parents and school administrators have commented on how the program has reduced traffic congestion throughout the year.

Objective IV: Identify and work to provide a "safe route to school" for every child living within 2.0 kilometers of their school.

Both Mill Valley and Fairfax are completing Safe Routes plans that have mapped out all the safety improvements needed throughout the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the community. This work was done in cooperation with city and county staff with the help of our Safe Routes engineering consultant.

For safety improvements, this final report includes: A) a map of the Safe Routes to Schools plan for Mill Valley, and B) a list of suggested improvements from the Fairfax Task Force (the map for Fairfax is still in progress). Because the existing Safe Routes to Schools programs will be continuing, we can expect local teams to be advocating implementation of the Safe Routes plans in the upcoming year. The process of identifying and providing for safe routes to schools for every student is an ongoing process which centers on: A) community participation, B) working with the town to make physical improvements on both a short-term and long-term basis, C) having a law enforcement presence, and D) running campaigns that deal with driver safety and promotion of Safe Routes to Schools. All of these components are in progress and will be continued.

Objective V: Increase the health and safety of school children through bicycle and pedestrian traffic safety education program; reduction of motor vehicle speeds; and redesign of streets, trails and crossings.

Progress: Our Safe Routes instructor, Christina Davis, taught bicycle and pedestrian safety training to every student at Tam Valley and Edna Maguire Schools in Mill Valley, and in selected classes at Lagunitas elementary, Manor and St. Rita's schools. We also conducted bicycle safety rodeos at Tam Valley, Edna Maguire, Vallecito, Manor, St. Rita's, and Lagunitas Schools. In addition our instructor gave lessons in Transportation Choices and the Environment at every elementary school. Class lessons included basic traffic safety, bicycle checks, and safe riding instructions.

Mapping exercises in Fairfax and Mill Valley resulted in grant applications in both towns to Caltrans for pedestrian and bicycle improvements. Fairfax applied for and received County TEA funding to improve sidewalks approaching Manor School and has another grant application pending with Caltrans for additional sidewalk improvements on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Mill Valley applied for a Safe Routes to Schools capital grant for improvements for bicycle and handicapped access at Edna Maguire Elementary and Mill Valley Middle School.

In Mill Valley, near Edna MaGuire School, as part of a short-term improvement, the town is now revising the signal phasing and lane configuration at the East Blithedale and Lomita Drive intersection to require the southern and northern movements to occur at different times. This will reduce driver confusion at the intersection as well as enable safer pedestrian and bicyclist movements across East Blithedale. In addition, the pedestrian signal will be activated with early release timing, allowing the walk signal to come up a few seconds before the green light. This improvement is being installed now and is scheduled to be completed for the start of the 2001 school year this September.

Mill Valley also applied for a Pedestrian Enhancements grant from Caltrans for both infrastructure and education. The application specified the need for improved crosswalks throughout the town, and for a Pedestrian Safety Education program that will include banners, posters, and city-wide promotion campaigns to promote driver safety throughout the town and to protect children while walking and biking to and from school. The goal of the campaign is to reduce motor vehicle speeds.

The centerpiece of this program is a series of flags that will hang from key locations throughout the town with the slogan: Drive Friendly Mill Valley. The banner will be created through the efforts of local artist Adam Brown and children in the Mill Valley Schools. A contest will be held soliciting design ideas from the children. The winning designs will then be incorporated into a single design that the children and the artist will develop and implement together.

These flags will be supplemented by a full promotional campaign that will include:

Posters of the flags to be displayed in store windows
Flyers to be mailed to every household in Mill Valley
Media articles
A Safety Pledge to be promoted through neighborhoods and schools

After this campaign gets rolling, we will be in a position to measure speeds on the roadways and determine how it has affected the speed of cars around schools.

In Mill Valley, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and the Marin Share the Road program were also successful in getting the town to install seven "Share the Road" signs. These road signs were recently approved for use by Caltrans, after the MCBC advocated for their need. Marin County was the first community in California to install these new signs, with Mill Valley being the first town to implement this safety education provision.

B. ACTIVITIES

1. Walk and Bike to School Days

Walk and Bike to Schools Days have taken place in each of the four communities where we sponsored Safe Routes to Schools programs. The first Walk and Bike to School Day took place on October 4, 2000 "International Walk to School Day." This event was such a success that parent teams at schools have been organizing regular events ever since. Since the fall, Walk and Bike to School Days have been growing in size, with the intention to make every day walk and bike to school day. The events have generated a lot of enthusiasm and have created a "snap shot" of what success will look like when more children walk and bike to school regularly. What follows is a description of Walk and Bike to School Day events from each of the four communities:

Mill Valley schools have declared the first Wednesday of every month Walk and Bike to School Day. At Edna Maguire School the Team of parents give out juice and treats to the kids and have organized regular "staging areas" where those students who live too far away can be dropped and walk the rest of the way. Over 50% of the student population in Mill Valley participates on a regular basis on these special Walk and Bike to School Days. Although the Mill Valley Middle School has found that Bike Trains as an organized activity are not as attractive for the older children, there is also a marked increase in the number of children who walk and bike on Walk/Bike Wednesday at the Middle School.

Vallecito School in San Rafael has held sporadic Walk and Bike to School Days and put a special emphasis on encouraging children to take the bus as well. They have used the Safe Routes to Schools GIS mapping system to identify where children live and have altered their bus stops to encourage more ridership. On Walk and Bike to School days, they provide crossing guard assistance at key intersections.

Lagunitas Schools holds a weekly Walk and Bike to School day every Wednesday with parent volunteers leading bike trains and walking buses from both ends of the community. There has been a marked increase in the number of children who walk and bike on a regular basis.

Fairfax schools also hold weekly Walk and Bike to School days each Wednesday. Team parents have a table at the school and often provide juice and hot chocolate. In the April traffic count they found that there has been a 20% drop in the number of cars dropping off children to school on those days.

2. Frequent Rider Miles Contest

The Frequent Rider Miles contest was launched in March of 2001 and has found an enthusiastic audience. Children were issued "tally cards" where they mark off a square every time they walk, bike, carpool, or bus to school. They earned two points for walking or cycling, and one point for taking the bus or carpooling. When they earned 20 points, students turned in their card for a small prize and had their names submitted for a grand prize raffle for a new bicycle, donated by Specialized Bicycles and distributed through Mike's Bicycle Center. Students are encouraged to turn in multiple cards during the contest period. Specialized Bicycles also provided a number of other prizes for the year-end raffle including helmets, hats, gloves, T-shirts, rear lights, and bags for a total of over $7000 worth of prizes. Each school implemented the contest to fit its own needs.

Manor School in Fairfax designed its own cards and only rewarded walking and biking. Vallecito School had boxes in every classroom and assigned classroom monitors to stamp the cards. Edna Maguire School had a central location where children deposited their cards and picked up new ones. Schools averaged a 25-35% participation rate in the Frequent Rider Miles contest.

This contest had a tremendous effect on changing students behavior. Here is what some Lagunitas Middle School students had to say:

Kyla Channell: My mom used to drive me to school every day. Now I ride my bike with my friend. We started because of the Frequent Rider Miles(FRM) contest, but now even though the FRM thing is over we ride anyway because it's fun. My advice to others is ride your bike or walk if you're not going too far. Otherwise try to carpool. Don't drive around so much.

Taylor Hopkins: I used to always ride the bus to school, but when the FRM thingie started I started walking to school with some friends. We would actually get to school faster because the bus took a longer route. Yesterday I went on the middle school mountain biking field trip, and now I want to ride my bike more. My advice to other kids would be to walk to school with a group. You can talk with your friends, and that way you get good exercise without even knowing it.

Hannah Warner: I used to always get to school with my parents. The last two months I've been walking to school with my friends and we're still doing it even though the FRM contest is over. It gets me up in the morning. When I wake up I'm tired but by the time I get to school I'm ready to go. I've got a lot more energy and I feel more athletic. Instead of taking up most of your energy, it really motivates you. Actually, if you think about it, when you ride in a car it uses up more energy from the environment. It helps the environment when you walk.

3. Safe Routes Mapping

Our town-wide programs have mapped out the routes to schools and identified problem areas. (Please see enclosed Mill Valley map.) Volunteers have walked the routes individually and reported back to the group their findings. This information was then compiled onto a map that will be used to determine possible engineering solutions with town officials. Leaders from the Mill Valley Task Force met with officials in early May to present their findings. This meeting resulted in two applications to Caltrans to fund pedestrian and bicycle improvements and a continued relationship between the school Teams and the town's public works departments. There were subsequent meetings with Edna Maguire team leaders and the public works director and police representatives to discuss the morning drop off situation at the school. Tam Valley team leaders met with Supervisor Annette Rose and walked the access road to the school. A subsequent meeting with Caltrans to walk Shoreline Highway near Tam Valley School is planned for this summer.

The Fairfax program, which received additional funding from the California Department of Health Services, organized a design Charrette, mailing out notices to every household in the town. Charrette, a French word for "little cart", is a design workshop technique that brings stakeholders together to create a focused plan of action. On April 28, 2001, over 40 people gathered at the Fairfax Women's Club to discuss the safety issues for children traveling to school in Fairfax. The high-powered group included representation from the Town Council, the Planning Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Volunteer Board, the Police and Fire Departments, the Public Works Director, the Chamber of Commerce, as well as parents and neighbors of St. Rita's and Manor schools.

Fairfax Town Council member Lew Tremaine welcomed the participants and vowed to keep the town involved in pursuing solutions generated by the design workshop. St. Rita's Middle School students Becky Hendricks and Chip Bailey-Gates got the crowd's attention by describing their own rugged commutes to school via bicycle. Becky also told of her class project measuring the pounds of pollution generated by cars driving through Fairfax every day. The Middle School students were very powerful presenters.

The Fairfax Safe Routes to Schools Task Force presented a slide show of trouble spots along the school routes describing incomplete sidewalks, unsafe crossings, and narrow streets without access for bikes and pedestrians. Transportation consultants David Parisi and Michael Jones showed how streets can be made safer with more visible crosswalks and bike lanes, wider sidewalks, bridges, speed bumps, raised crosswalks, medians, refuge islands, and choked intersections. All of these "traffic calming" techniques have been proven highly successful in other communities.

The groups then dispersed into work teams, complete with maps and pens to devise their own ideas on how to make Fairfax a better place for biking and walking. Each table worked out their own highly creative solutions in a frenzy of activity. At the end of the day, each team had an opportunity to present their ideas to the whole group. A plethora of innovations came forth of both short term and long term solutions including medians on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, a raised crosswalk (similar to a tabled speed hump) at St. Rita's, a new crosswalk at Manor Circle and a pedestrian bridge to the neighborhood, a crossing guard program for the town, and a pedestrian promenade through the downtown.

The Fairfax Task Force met again on May 16, 2001, to sort through and prioritize the myriad of ideas. Sixteen people returned to participate. We also biked the routes with our consultant to show him the issues at hand. The consultants will then take these recommendations and create a working document that will be presented to the town. The goal is to adopt this as an official Safe Routes to School program for the town, creating access to additional capital grant funds. Furthermore, on July 3, 2001, the Fairfax town council adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for the town which included a high priority for Safe Routes to Schools engineering improvements. It is our plan to also include Safe Routes to Schools in the General Plan Revision for the Town of Fairfax.

4. Classroom Education

We have provided classroom safety training to all of our elementary schools in the form of videos, discussions and presentations and bicycle rodeos. The rodeos consisted of cut-outs of traffic signs, cars and buildings to help kids simulate maneuvering a bicycle or walking in a street environment. A simulated "Jeopardy" game (based on the TV game show format) taught the children about safety terms and situations in a fun environment. (The Toolkit that we are now producing will include curriculum guides for each lesson that was used throughout the year.)

We also taught the children about transportation choices and the environment. The environmental lesson begins with a history lesson that teaches about the County of Marin's original plan to construct a freeway around Mount Tamalpais and down the coast, and to widen a two-lane road into a major thoroughfare and how this was stopped. This gives the children an understanding of how ordinary people can generate change in their community to protect the environment.

The history lesson is the same for grades 1-5 and can be used with middle school students. The activity for grades 1 & 2 is literature based; a read-aloud of Family Mouse Behind the Wheel by Wolfgang Zuckermann. The read-aloud is a chance for students to experience quality literature with a moral about physical activity for health, the power of community involvement and the dangers of over development. The activity for third and fourth graders is a species web. The species web is a chance for students to experience the inter-relatedness of all species and habitats. The fifth graders participate in a science experiment that simulates global warming.

The classroom traffic safety unit for first and second graders consists of three lessons and activities. The first lesson began with a review of why it is important to walk. This prepares the students to view the Safe Street Crossing With Willie Whistle video. This is followed by a more thorough assessment of understanding and activation of previous knowledge in the form of an oral safety quiz played as a game in which the whole class participated. The second lesson is the walking obstacle course where the students practice in a "hands on manner" the rules of safe street crossing taught in the video. The final lesson is a review of the material covered, administered in the form of an oral assessment and closure of the unit with the reading of a children's story about a bicycle adventure. Students are given a certificate of completion to take home and share with their parents.

For third, fourth and fifth graders, the safety curriculum covers walking but has a greater emphasis on bicycling. The five lessons and activities include a written assessment encompassing safe behavior and basic laws, a safety pledge to take home and sign with their parents, a twenty-five minute safety video, a demonstration of bike fit and safety check and a bike safety rodeo followed by another written assessment. Workbooks covering the material are also sent home.

The "Safetyville" bicycle rodeo is an opportunity for students to practice bike skills in a safe and supportive environment. There are always at least three courses: the slalom, which emphasizes handling the bicycle, the slow-paced race which focuses on balance and control; and the street simulation which encompasses stop, look and listen; look left then right then left, controlled starting and stopping and left and right hand turn signals. Other stations include the Jeopardy game, safety checks for bicycles, and a station for safety art and activity books.

The Safety training provided by Safe Routes to Schools is giving students the skills and parents the confidence to allow their children to ride and walk.

Middle Schools

The Lagunitas Middle School Media Elective viewed and discussed films and videos which examined the roles bicycling has played in our society. We explored the way various genres have different goals and debated the way the media in our culture influences our thinking and behavior. The students were responsible for conceiving and producing their own group video projects. Our aim was to put the means of production in the hands of the students in order to demystify the process, empowering them as makers and encouraging them to be more critical viewers. We intend to fully develop this curriculum and offer it as "Transportation, the Media and Me" in all of the middle schools next year. Lagunitas Middle School students also had a group discussion and wrote an essay on the theme of "Think Twice." This concept encourages drivers to "Think Twice" before they drive, considering the consequences to the environment and the planet's future (see attached).

5. Newsletters and Promotion

Throughout the year, we provided our team leaders with template flyers, fact sheets, and monthly newsletters (see enclosed, which were distributed throughout the nine pilot schools and mailed to elected officials, town staffers, and other interested parties). Several of the articles in the newsletter are written by team leaders, and many of our team leaders have used these materials in articles for the school newsletters. The program also included an e-mail list serve (for parents to interact on e-mail) and an e-mail distribution list (for organizers to distribute information to participants).

On January 19, 2001, Safe Routes to Schools organized a classroom demonstration, roundtable discussion and Walk Home from School Day at Tam Valley Elementary School. The featured speaker and dignitary at this event was Congressman James Oberstar, the founder of the National Safe Routes to Schools program. This event was also attended by representatives from the offices of many elected officials including: local city council members, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey's office, Senator Barbara Boxer's office, State Assemblyman Joe Nation's office, and State Senator John Burton's office.

On March 22, 2001 we held a Countywide Forum at the Marin County Office of Education to introduce Safe Routes to Schools to new schools and allow our pilot schools to meet and talk with one another. We had more than 50 attendees including many representatives from interested schools, showing an incredible need for the program to expand countywide. There has been additional interest due to the recent study by the Marin Congestion Management Agency which determined that 21% of the morning traffic is parents driving their children to schools. Presentations were made by the Safe Routes staff; Engineer David Parisi; Janie Teitlebaum, principal of Edna Maguire; Mill Valley City Councilmember Dick Swanson; Mill Valley Police Lieutenant Angel Bernal; and Supervisor Hal Brown, current president of the Board of Supervisors.

We have received a tremendous amount of press coverage for our program throughout the entire year. In addition we were chosen for the Marin Independent Journal's Caring and Sharing award for the spring of 2001. This provided us with a feature story and a series of ads to solicit donations for the project. The Marin Independent Journal provided $5000 in funding, and through this program, we received an additional $15,055 in community donations for Safe Routes to Schools.

6. Other School Contacts

Several schools in Marin County were so enthusiastic about our Safe Routes to Schools program that they were eager to start up their own programs during the 2000-2001 school year. While we could not provide direct assistance outside of our nine pilot schools, we have continued to communicate with contacts from each of these additional schools, providing them with forms, newsletters, and fact sheets. Each of these schools plans to start with our program in the Fall of 2001 (funding permitting). Many of these schools now have ongoing team meetings. Neil Cummins school serving Larkspur and Corte Madera held its own Frequent Rider Miles contest and held monthly Walk and Bike to School Days. Brookside Schools in San Anselmo has organized bike trains and had regular Walk and Bike to School days. Ross School, Basich School in Kentfield and St. Patricks in Larkspur have also held Walk and Bike to School days. Additionally, we have been contacted and have provided materials to Wade Thomas School in San Anselmo, Kent and Hall Middle Schools, Gallinas School, and Bolinas elementary schools.

7. Walking School Buses and Bike Trains

While we had some success with organizing groups of children to walk and/or bike together to school, we found that the walking school bus idea did not take hold in many communities. In discussing this issue with our counterpart in British Columbia (the Way to Go program), we found that this concept is not for everyone and only entails a fraction of the activities in their schools. We were advised to concentrate more on events, themes and contests and on making the physical environment safer. According to one Safe Routes staff from England's Sustrans program: "Children were not made to walk in single file wearing yellow vests." It is interesting to note that once we stopped trying to create organized walking buses and bike trains, they cropped up on their own. Older children organized themselves to walk and bike together, and some parents organized their own neighborhoods. We have not given up on this concept and will provide instruction manuals (available from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention) to anyone who wants to organize these types of escort services in their own neighborhood as we know that it does work in certain communities with strong volunteer support. In addition, through our GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping specialist, we have been able to locate where children live, in an effort to help communities organize themselves to create parent escort services. At the Brookside School in San Anselmo, the team has posted a map of the town at the school, with names of parent contacts in each geographic region surrounding the school. As a result, parents interested in having their children join a bike train or walking school bus can easily call the right contact person.

8. Using the NHTSA Agreement to Generate Additional Funding

The $50,000 Cooperative Agreement from NHTSA and the status of being a National Model program helped tremendously to generate additional funding for our Safe Routes to Schools Program. Other grants included: Marin Community Foundation ($25,000); The Fred Gellert Family Foundation ($2000); the Miller Family Foundation ($5000); the Marin IJ Caring and Sharing Fund ($20,055), the County of Marin ($10,000), prizes from Specialized Bicycles (worth $7000) and printing donations from the County Congestion Management Agency ($3000), and Fair Isaac ($2500). The California Department of Health Services also chose Fairfax as one of its ten pilot Safe Routes to Schools programs awarding the town a $25,000 grant which has been administered by our project coordinator.

This additional funding greatly enhanced our ability to conduct the project. In April, 2001, the Marin Congestion Management Agency designated $310,000 in Federal Transportation Enhancement funding towards a countywide Safe Routes to Schools program for the 2001-2003 school years. The City of San Rafael was the lead agency for all of the cities in Marin County for applying for this grant. Currently, San Rafael is applying to Caltrans to receive their Notice to Proceed. At that point, San Rafael will issue a Request for Proposal for the project. The MCBC's Safe Routes to Schools program will be bidding for the contract as part of a three-way team which also includes Nelson/Nygaard Consulting, and David Parisi Engineering Associates.

9. Networking and Presentations on the National and Statewide Level

Safe Routes to Schools staff made presentations about our program at several conferences including: ProBike ProWalk (Philadelphia: September 2000); the National Bicycle Summit (WDC: March 2001); the California Department of Health Services Traffic-Related Injury Prevention Programs (Sacramento: May 2001). Debbie Hubsmith, Executive Director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition has also been approved to be a speaker at the Velo-City International Conference in Scotland this September, and Wendi Kallins, Program Director for Safe Routes to Schools will be speaking at Railvolution in San Francisco also in September.

C. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

What follows is a list of accomplishments for the year. Following this list is a description of the data, how the data were collected, and how the data were analyzed.

An increase in children walking to school by 57%
An increase of children biking to school by 57%.
An increase in the number of carpools by 64%
A decrease in the number of children being driven alone by 29% (see attached for complete results)
Completed parent surveys (see attached for results)
A list of recommended infrastructure and safety improvements for the greater Mill Valley area with an accompanying map (attached)
A list of recommended infrastructure and safety improvements for Fairfax with an accompanying map (list attached, map in process)
103 adult participants from Mill Valley, 61 from Fairfax, 51 from Lagunitas, and 29 from Vallecito. (contacts on file along with sign up sheets from each meeting)
A contact list of almost 300 including the pilot program participants (on file)
All nine pilot schools have signed up for a second year
Ten independent school programs launched or in planning stages using our model and forms (correspondence on file)
Powerpoint engineering toolbox presentation designed for each school (on file)
Ongoing press coverage of the program (samples attached)
The organization of many successful events
Development of a website: http://www.saferoutestoschool.org
Expansion of the program from two to nine pilot schools, thanks to the generation of additional funding
State and national recognition as a model project for the nation
Presentations at state and national conferences

Methodology for School Travel Mode Counts: The basis for the mode share percentages were tabulated through student surveys. At most schools, the student surveys were taken each morning in homeroom for three days to one week, in the Fall of 2000 and in May of 2001. Student surveys were averaged to determine the hard numbers.

At the beginning of the school year (fall 2000) we asked students to indicate through a raise of hands how they arrived at school - walking, biking, carpooling, bus, or driving alone with their parents. Some of the students also arrived by skateboard and scooters. In May we had our teams re-take this same survey to compare with the Fall numbers. Two of our private schools were unable to complete this task, so these schools are not included in the countywide counts.

Our percentages for mode shares the Fall of 2000 and the Spring of 2001 were calculated through the hard numbers of children walking and biking to school. The tabulation of the percentage change at the end of the year was calculated through comparing the before and after percentage numbers. We compared the percentages from the beginning and the end of the year because in each case, the sample size changed slightly.

Our Safe Routes to Schools program also took traffic counts at the beginning of the year by stationing counters outside to count cars, as well as student walking and biking. Our traffic counts at the end of the year proved problematic. Most of the initial counts were taken by our own staff, as we did not have the teams solidly in place at that time. In May we asked our Safe Routes to Schools teams to oversee the school surveys and the traffic counts. Unfortunately, the traffic counts either were not performed at all, or were done in a manner that made them impossible to use because they did not count all of the cars, or because they did not take the counts during the same time period as the Fall counts. Only Manor School and Lagunitas School turned in successful traffic counts that could be matched to the fall numbers. This enabled us to compare the traffic counts with the student surveys, and the results were comparable.

Besides student surveys and traffic counts, we sent out parent surveys to all participating schools to learn about their travel choices and why they make them, and to evaluate the barriers to and opportunities for developing walking and biking strategies. We had a 10-20% return rate for our surveys. The City of Mill Valley mailed out its own survey and had 50% return rate, although their survey was not as thorough as ours. These surveys also helped to identify more volunteers for our program.

We also distributed evaluation forms to our Teams for feedback on the program. The evaluations returned indicated an overall satisfaction with the program. All indicated that they noticed an increase in the number of children walking and biking and felt that the program was either very well, or moderately well received in the school. Mill Valley participants felt there had been an improvement in the relationship with the town's police department as a result of the program. All respondents felt there had been an improvement in their relationship with the town's public works departments.

Seventy percent of the respondents believed that there is now a safer environment for their children to walk and bike to school and those that checked "no" felt that there would be a better environment once the recommended engineering improvements were implemented. One principal noted that "kids are far more conscious of their own safety". All but one respondent felt the components of the program were "good to excellent" including the in-class presentations and safety rodeos, the Walk and Bike to School Days, the route mapping and the contests. One parent loved "the kids' enthusiasm about the camaraderie of getting to school on foot". For next year's program, they asked for more structure and better scheduling of the in-class education, year-round contests, more law enforcement, driver safety education, and crossing guards.

What follows is a description of the projects' short-and long-term impacts on project participants, our organization, and the community.

The program was wildly successful in creating enthusiasm and awareness about traffic dangers and the benefits of walking and biking.

More children now choose walking and biking as their preferred mode of getting to and from school.
Students have more awareness of the environmental consequences of their actions and the detriment driving has on the environment.
Children are better trained in traffic safety skills.
The community will see more infrastructure improvements such as better sidewalks and bike paths, safer means to cross the street, and ultimately slower traffic motivated by the program.
There has been reduced traffic congestion around schools and in the community in general.
The Safe Routes Teams have bonded together and feel more support with each other, from the school and school district and from the town towards their concerns.
The relationship between the schools and the towns has also improved, with better cooperation and communication.
The Safe Routes to Schools program has been embraced by the County of Marin and the County Congestion Management Agency has designated 30% ($310,000) of its Transportation Enhancement funding to continue and expand the program for two more years.

On the negative side, those children who cannot walk or bike to school because of age, distance, before and afterschool care, physical impairments, or parent disapproval felt left out of the program. We tried to include them by having them assist with the contests, and through creating "staging areas" for Walk and Bike to School Days.

Conclusion

The Safe Routes to Schools program is based on developing partnerships and encouraging community collaboration with the goal and promise of an outcome where more children walk and bike to school. This has the potential to relieve traffic congestion, and increase environmental health, personal health, and the livability of our communities. There were no injuries reported during the pilot year of our Marin County Safe Routes to Schools program.

Safe Routes to Schools results in the creation of a beneficial infrastructure that encourages walking and bicycling, and education that teaches safety skills for these transportation modes. Our approach nurtures neighborhood planning, community organizing and leadership development. Overall, the Safe Routes to Schools program stimulates environmental awareness and action by organizing communities to develop school transportation programs that encourage safe walking and bicycling to school.

We have fostered improved relationships between parents, neighbors, schools, police, and local government through a collaborative approach to addressing the safety issues around schools. All of the programs felt they had improved their relationship with the local towns and cities, and the Mill Valley participants felt that they had an improved relationship with the police department. Police, Highway Patrol, and town officials assisted and participated in Walk and Bike to School Day. San Rafael and San Anselmo police assisted with Bicycle Rodeos. The County Sheriff Department provided safety training for Marin Horizon school. The Marin Congestion Management Agency will be partially funding the program for another two years allowing schools to participate countywide.

Through our work, we have been grateful to be in a leadership role, sharing our program, methodology and successes with others. Program staff members have presented our program at a number of national, state and regional conferences and have been contacted by programs throughout the country for advice and forms. At a recent Traffic-Related Injury Prevention Programs conference in Sacramento we were able to interact with other Safe Routes and Safe Communities programs throughout the state and to coordinate with other Bay Area programs. We have also spoken at two other national conferences and presented at the Velo-City conference in Scotland in September of 2001.

With this final report, the Marin Safe Routes to Schools program has also submitted a "Took-kit" manual (through the NHTSA contract) to provide a detailed hands-on approach for creating a Safe Routes program. Ten other Marin County schools have already borrowed from our model and templates to begin programs in their communities. Currently, we are working with 26 schools in Marin County for Walk-to-School Day on October 2, 2001. The Safe Routes to Schools program that we have developed is a flexible model that can be implemented in any school anywhere in the world.

Now that we have completed our pilot program and Safe Routes to Schools is expanding, we are utilizing "Train the Trainers" techniques so that we may reach a wider audience. Our program will include teachers, volunteers, and law enforcement to assist in the classroom education. We are also conducting training workshops for the team leaders and their volunteers three times during the year to instruct them in implementation of the program. Our first trainings were attended by 33 individuals from 15 schools in Marin. This year, we are also continuing to meet with our team leaders on a regular basis to offer assistance and consultation. Many schools have requested a year-round Frequent Rider Miles contest and we plan to improve upon that contest and add more contests.

The Safe Routes to Schools program has now been consolidated under the auspices of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. If funding permits, we hope to create a new position of Field Coordinator who will enable staff to schedule class time and coordinate volunteers, assist with rodeos and other class presentations, and provide general support for the Project Director, Wendi Kallins.

Safe Routes to Schools is a 21st Century program that creates sustainable transportation solutions that benefit everyone, whether you are a student or a senior. Children are indicators as to the safety of our streets. When our streets are safe for children to walk and bicycle, they are safe for everyone. More people walking and bicycling for transportation creates a cleaner environment, a more livable neighborhood, and healthier individuals who are active in the community.

Thank you for the opportunity for Marin County to serve as a national demonstration program for Safe Routes to Schools.

Respectfully submitted by,

Debbie Hubsmith, Executive Director
Marin County Bicycle Coalition
P.O. Box 35
San Anselmo, CA 94979
www.marinbike.org
(415) 456-3469