Bike to School Day a Huge Success!
Congratulations to all of the cyclists who biked, scooted and skate boarded to school today. As of May 9th, a total of 2322 students biked to 44 schools spread throughout the County. On an average day, the schools reported a cumulative total of 784 bicyclists – making today’s count a 338% increase!
Close to 70 Alameda County schools are organizing bike events this May, a participation number that has grown by 53% since 2012. You can find the list of participating schools here.
Get Ready for Bike to School Day!
63 SR2S Schools Participating in May
May is National Bike Month and bicyclists around the bay area are getting ready to celebrate. Schools across Alameda County will be joining in the festivities. This year, 63 Safe Routes schools are participating in Bike to School Day; that’s a huge increase from the 38 schools that participated last year! From kindergartners to high school students, thousands of students are expected to get to school using their own “pedal power” in the hopes that many of them will become more frequent riders to school.
Those schools celebrating the event on May 9th will be joined by thousands of adults participating in Bike to Work Day, including parents who can ride to school with their children and then continue on their way to work.
Check our list of participating schools to see if your school is participating, and when! Looking for resources for Bike to School Day? Check out the Bike to School Day 2013 section on our Resources page.
Alameda County SR2S Parent Survey Now Available
It’s that time of the year again: the Safe Routes to Schools program is collecting feedback with our parent survey. Every spring, the SR2S program asks parents of students at participating schools to tell us what they think of the program. Has your child participated in some of our programs like the Golden Sneaker Contest or Bike to School Day? It’s finding out what works and what doesn’t that helps us make the best program possible. And the better the program, the easier and safer it will be for students to walk and bike to school.
The survey should take you less than 10 minutes to complete and the responses you give are 100% confidential.
English Spring 2013 Parent Survey
Spanish Spring 2013 Parent Survey
Alameda County SR2S at Berkeley’s Earth Day Bicycle Festival
The Berkeley Safe Routes to Schools Task Force partnered with the Berkeley Unified School District and local bike shops for a fun filled, bike filled, bike-centric Earth Day Celebration on April 20th. The Alameda County SR2S team was at four Earth Day events around the county, in Berkeley, Emeryville, Hayward, and Fremont.
In case you missed the fun, here is a little taste from the Berkeley festival!
Students, Teachers Honored at Livermore School Board Meeting
This past week the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools program paid a visit to the board meeting for the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. Joining the SR2S team were eleven dedicated parents, two students, and two teachers from classrooms that competed in the Golden Sneaker Contest. The two teachers were recognized by the school board for their winning classrooms.
The Livermore winners of the Golden Sneaker Contest
In addition to the teachers’ recognition, the Alameda County SR2S program was presented with a framed “Above and Beyond” award from the school board for its commitment to “helping ensure the safety of the students and families of the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District.” Afterward, Alameda County SR2S staff provided a presentation on all the Safe Routes programming happening in Livermore and suggested “next steps” to bring more SR2S programming to more Livermore families in coming school years.
Record Number of Students Across Alameda County Walked & Biked in Golden Sneaker Contest
McKinley Elementary School in San Leandro Wins “Platinum Sneaker” for Greatest Participation
Students across Alameda County walked, biked, and carpooled as much as possible during the first two weeks in March, competing in the “Pollution Solution Golden Sneaker Contest” as part of the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program. The annual contest challenged students to increase their walking, biking, carpooling, and transit use to reduce emissions and increase physical activity. Contest participation has increased from 12 schools in 2011 to 58 schools this year.
The principal and school champion for McKinley Elementary accepting the Platinum Sneaker Award
After tallying the results, McKinley Elementary School in San Leandro showed the greatest increase in the number of students using active and shared transportation during the 2013 Golden Sneaker Contest, earning it the Platinum Sneaker Award. On a typical day 48% of McKinley’s students walk, bike, or carpool to school, and during the Golden Sneaker Contest – 69% percent did! This was the highest change countywide, and represents 65 students making the shift to healthier transportation, and a total of 4,277 trips over the two week contest.
McKinley Elementary will be honored for its success by the Alameda County Transportation Commission at its March 28, 2013 Commission Meeting.
“Our goal is to support students and families to make the shift to healthier, more community friendly transportation. Safety is always a top issue for parents, and by investing in safe access for walking and biking, we increase family participation and change transportation habits.” said Alameda CTC Chair Supervisor Scott Haggerty. “McKinley Elementary shows us that our investments are worth it!”
In addition to the county-wide competition, classes in each school competed with each other to have the greatest increase in green transportation modes, and the class with the greatest participation in each school received a Golden Sneaker trophy.
The contest was sponsored by the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program, funded by the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Program Manager Carrie Harvilla Honored with “Continuing Service Award” from Fremont PTA Council
Carrie celebrates her award with Parkmont Elementary’s Safe Routes champion, parent Malini Kumar.
Golden Sneaker Contest 2013
Congratulations to all schools that celebrated the Pollution Solution Golden Sneaker contest the first two weeks of March! See a full list of the 58 schools that participated in the 2013 Golden Sneaker contest.
From March 4-15, participating schools competed to see which classroom could walk or bike to school the most. Below are highlights from last year’s contest, including the amazing Albany Middle School Green Team presenting to their classmates and peers.
Spring Family Cycling Workshops
The Alameda County Safe Routes to School program is proud to offer three family cycling workshops this spring for parents and students. Family Cycling Workshops are a great way to get students who are interested in bicycling to school fully trained in safe cycling. The workshops generally take two and a half hours, and include fun games, prizes, and a group bike ride at the end of the workshop.
The three spring family cycling workshops are in Berkeley on April 20th and in Dublin on May 4th and in Hayward on May 11. Space is limited, so sign up today!
Can’t make those dates? The East Bay Bicycle Coalition schedules family cycling workshops throughout Alameda County, with additional classes scheduled this spring in Albany, Concord, El Cerrito, and Oakland.
Hot Off the Presses: Fall-Winter 2012 SR2S Newsletter
Alameda County SR2S is proud to share our latest biannual newsletter with you (also en Español). Covering the fall semester of 2012, we take a look at all the great International Walk & Bike to School Day celebrations that took place across the county on October 3rd. We’ve also got other program news and a schedule of all the fun events we’ve got planned this spring. So take a look! You can find this newsletter, and newsletters past, in our Events & News section.