Safe Routes to School E-News May 2011
NEW!
1. REGISTER NOW ONLINE FOR INTERNATIONAL WALK & ROLL TO SCHOOL DAY!
2. JOIN THE SONOMA COUNTY SAFE KIDS BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION TEAM!
3. WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT WALKING SCHOOL BUSES, THEN CONTACT SRTS FOR MORE INFORMATION!
4. NEW SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PEDESTRIAN-BICYCLE COLLISION MAPS AVAILABLE
5. STREET SKILLS FOR CYCLIST CLASSES FOR ADULTS AND TEENS
6. SRTS WEBINARS: LEARN FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN
7. KEEP KIDS ALIVE – DRIVE 25 CAMPAIGN: SUPPORT AVAILABLE
8. JUNE SRTS NEWSLETTER BLURB AND ACTIVITY IDEAS FOR ONGOING WALK/ROLL ENCOURAGEMENT!
9. BECOME OUR SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL FACEBOOK FRIEND!
10. CHECK OUT THE SONOMA COUNTY SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL WEBSITE
11. CONTACT US TO ARRANGE FOR SRTS CONSULTING FOR YOUR SITE/DISTRICT
1. REGISTER NOW ONLINE FOR INTERNATIONAL WALK AND ROLL TO SCHOOL DAY!
Sonoma County’s International Walk & Roll to School Day will take place on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011. The Sonoma County Safe Routes to School program will provide each registered school with a supply of small incentive prizes (pencils, stickers, etc), a supply of promotional posters, a Walk/Roll Day banner, a flyer template, and a guidebook with tips and suggestions for promoting and coordinating a fabulous event. We also coordinate media outreach and law enforcement/elected official participation countywide.
There are now 3 ways to register!
1. NEW! Register online here (preferred):
http://sonomasaferoutes.org/events/walk-roll-registration
2. Email saferoutes@bikesonoma.org to request a registration form
3. Call the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition at 707-545-0153 and ask for Tina Panza or a Safe Routes to School representative.
We encourage schools to register early this year to help assure that we order enough prizes for every participating school. Prizes are generally ordered in August!
The registration deadline will be Friday, September 9th, 2011.
2. JOIN THE SAFE KIDS SONOMA COUNTY BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION TEAM!
The Safe Kids Sonoma County Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Action team needs you! The Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Action Team is comprised of citizen volunteers and local partners, such as the Sonoma County Department of Health Services and the Sonoma County SRTS Program, who are interested in spreading the message of Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety. The action team is proudly led by Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and meets once a month. Some of our projects include maintaining the Sonoma County Helmet Bank, which provides bicycle helmets to children in need, coordinating Bicycle Rodeos, implementing bicycle/pedestrian safety initiatives with law enforcement agencies in each city & the county, and more. The strength of our initiatives is dependent on the involvement of volunteer action team members.
Please communicate this opportunity for community involvement & support to other parents & colleagues!
If you are interested in joining the Safe Kids Bike/Ped Action team, please contact the Safe Kids Sonoma County Coordinator, Karli Tedeschi, at karli.tedeschi@stjoe.org
3. WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT WALKING SCHOOL BUSES, THEN CONTACT US ABOUT HOW TO GET A PROGRAM STARTED AT YOUR SITE!
All over the United States, groups of student are adding a twist to an old form of school transportation--and getting in good exercise while doing it. A Walking School Bus program involves a group of kids who meet up and walk to school as a group (with adult supervision). Students who partake in these projects are more energized and attentive in the classroom, socialize with their neighbors and learn about their community. Plus, it’s safer for children to walk to school as part of a group. Click on the below link to watch a video and learn about this exciting project, then contact saferoutes@bikesonoma.org for more information about how to start a Walking School Bus in your neighborhood or at your school site!
http://everybodywalk.org/films/walking-school-bus-a-community-solution
4. NEW SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PEDESTRIAN-BICYCLE COLLISION MAPS AVAILABLE
California
Active Communities within the California Department of Public Health has
partnered with the University of California, Berkeley's SafeTREC to develop
interactive geospatial PDF planning maps for each city and county in
California. The maps provide a visual depiction of schools, including
school closures and school district boundaries, street-level pedestrian and
bicycle crashes, school free and reduced price meal eligibility, and which
schools have benefited from past state and federal Safe Routes to School grant
awards. The maps can be used as an informational resource to assist with
Safe Routes to School planning and determining which communities may best
accommodate joint use of school facilities. These pedestrian and
bicycle collision maps can also be utilized with SafeTREC's Transportation
Injury Mapping System (TIMS) for comprehensive analysis of pedestrian and
bicycle collisions around schools.
http://tims.berkeley.edu/resources/srts/main.php
5. STREET SKILLS FOR CYCLIST CLASSES FOR TEENS AND ADULTS
Do you know parents who would love to ride their bikes with their children, but don’t feel comfortable doing so because they fear riding in traffic? Do you observe parents and/or teens who do ride, but who are not observing the rules of the road?
Please inform your school community that the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition offers low-cost Street Skills for Cyclist classes for both adults and teens. Classes take place at a central location in Santa Rosa. Arrangements can also be made to offer a class at your school or district, as funding and availability permits.
Street Skills for Cyclists classes are for ALL levels, whether you have been commuting by bike for years, or are rolling your bike out of the garage for the first time since turning 16. Participants who take the class learn about rules of the road, as well as the tricks and methods of effectively and safely dealing with traffic and other road users. The seminar is taught by Martin Clinton, League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor, utilizing proven slide illustrations,diagrams, video clips, and more. A bicycle is not required for the lecture but participants are welcome to ride to the seminar.
Santa Rosa classes are held once a month, on the first Saturday or Sunday.
Remaining 2011 dates:
Saturday, June 4th
Sunday, July 10th
Saturday, August 6th
Sunday, September 11th
Sunday, October 30th
Saturday, December 3rd
Times:
Adult
class
8:45 AM to 12:45 PM
Youth
class:
1:45 PM to 3:45 PM
How to sign up:
Parents may sign up for the class by emailing christie@bikesonoma.org or calling the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition at 707-545-0152.
Seminar Fee*:
General Public: $20.00
Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition members: $10.00
Special class and membership deal: join SCBC at the class and the class cost is only $
*contact saferoutes@bikesonoma.org to inquire about availability and fees for school or district on-site classes
Satisfaction Guarantee:
If participants are not 100% satisfied, SCBC will refund your class fee! Participants may retake the class at any time at no additional cost.
6. SRTS WEBINARS: LEARN FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN
America Walks, in partnership with the National Center for Safe Routes to School, has developed a webinar series to share their expertise on starting and running and SRTS program. Remember – SRTS programs can begin with just one active parent champion and often with little to no funding! Sometimes all you need to get started is a little inspiration.
These monthly webinars are FREE and are for parents, students, teachers, agency staff, community members, professionals, and other interested parties about safe routes to school. Each lasts 60 minutes and covers topics that will help you lead a successful grass routes action. You’ll be able to pose questions to the presenter and see real time polls of the meeting attendees.
All webinars are held on Tuesdays at 10am Pacific time. Recordings/viewings of past webinars can also be accessed through the America Walks website. To register for an upcoming webinar or view a previous webinar, click on the below link:
http://americawalks.org/programs/srts/
Upcoming Webinar:
May 31st: Great Ways to Include Bicycling in your SRTS program
Some Past Webinar topics (there are over 35 dating back to 2008):
· Lessons from Florida’s Crossing Guard Program
· How to Build a Walking School Bus Program from the Grass Routes up: Best Practices in Design, Implementation and Dissemination
· Ways to involve Law Enforcement in Safe Routes to School
· Top 10 Engineering Issues with Safe Routes to School
· SRTS mini-grants: How a Little Can Go a Long Way
· Ensuring Your SRTS Program Includes children with Disabilities
· What Does it Take to Get Drivers to Yield: Engineering Measures that Work
And many more….
7. KEEP KIDS ALIVE – DRIVE 25! CAMPAIGN – SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL SCHOOLS AND NEIGHBORHOODS
“Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25” is a national campaign to change the way we drive on neighborhood streets and beyond. The goal of the program is to put an end to deaths and injuries caused by speeding and distracted driving on our nation’s roads. The program does so by educating and actively engaging citizens in a common commitment to create safer streets for the benefits of all users – drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike. Since speeders are 3 times more likely to be in a crash (AAA) and account for 33% of motor vehicle deaths, observing the speed limit is a great way to significantly reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths.
The Santa Rosa City Public Works Department is the local contact to support neighborhoods and schools in the Santa Rosa City limits in launching a “Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25” Campaign. A representative from public works can speak with your school PTA, parent club, site council and/or neighborhood group about the program. The program focuses on citizen involvement and the placement of yard signs in order to remind drivers to monitor their speed.
If you are interested in support or resources for your Santa Rosa school or neighborhood, please contact Rob Sprinkle, Santa Rosa Public Works/Traffic, 69 Stony Circle, Santa Rosa 95401 707-543-3814 rsprinkle@srcity.org
For more information on the Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25 Campaign and for contacts in other cities, go to: http://www.keepkidsalivedrive25.org/index.html
8. JUNE SRTS NEWSLETTER BLURB AND ACTIVITIES IDEAS FOR ONGOING WALK/ROLL ENCOURAGEMENT/EDUCATION
June Newsletter Blurb: Summertime!
What I’m doing on my Summer Vacation – Bicycling!
It’s summer time, and the living is easy. Time to crank it up and bicycle more! Why drive your child two blocks away to a friend’s house when he or she can walk or bike. Get the whole family involved; Plan out your vacation with bicycling in mind. Bring the bikes along and spend some of your time exploring new places on foot or by pedaling. Take your kids around town on bicycle. Visit the trails near your home. Your kids won’t be bored and neither will you.
Activity Ideas:
· Have a bike-themed week during your Summer daycare/rec program that includes a bike skill day, bicycle parade, bicycle-related movie, and fun activities from our SRTS Supplemental PE Curriculum! Contact saferoutes@bikesonoma.org for help in putting together a bike themed week of activities!
· Provide a list of bicycling activities your local bicycle advocacy group, park & rec department, or local bicycle shop has scheduled for the summer.
· Plan a fun Summer family ride to raise $ for a school-related program.
9. BECOME OUR FACEBOOK FRIEND
Did you know that the Sonoma County Safe Routes to School Program has a Facebook page?
If you are a “facebooking person” please consider “liking” us to receive updates on SRTS related happenings in Sonoma County and beyond.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Sonoma-County-Safe-Routes-to-School/288911572777
10. CHECK OUT THE SONOMA COUNTY SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL WEBSITE!
The Sonoma County Safe Routes to School Program also has a website where you can learn more about the five E’s of a comprehensive Safe Routes to School Program – Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, and Evaluation. There are downloadable resources available for each of the E’s, including lesson plans from our CA standards based K-6 SRTS curriculum guide. You can also view E-News archives from previous months.
11. CONTACT US TO ARRANGE FOR SRTS CONSULTING FOR YOUR SITE/DISTRICT
Interested in starting a Safe Routes to School program at your school and/or district but not sure where to begin? Contact us to receive more information and possibly book a consultation or presentation with one of our County Safe Routes to School Program Managers. We can provide guidance about the resources currently available through the countywide program, and help you determine what would be most effective and feasible for your district or site, given your interests and resources.
For more information, contact Tina Panza @ tinap@bikesonoma.org
School Districts with Federal SRTS Grants:
Bellevue School District/Santa Rosa: Lacinda Moore – laci@bikesonoma.org
Roseland School District/Santa Rosa: Lacinda Moore – laci@bikesonoma.org
Sebastopol Union School District School District: Sarah Hadler – sjhadler@aol.com
Cotati/Rohnert Park School District: Amy Jolly – ambjolly@yahoo.com
All the best,
The Sonoma County Safe Routes to School Team
Tina Panza
Director, Safe Routes to School
Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition
mobile: 707-799-3911
Office:
707.545.0153, fax: 707.573-0147
Mail: PO Box 3088, Santa Rosa, CA 95402-3088
Office: 750 Mendocino Ave. Suite 6, Santa Rosa CA
The Sonoma County Safe Routes to School program, funded in part by the Measure M transportation tax and in part by short-term federal grants to specific local jurisdictions, provides guidance and resources to schools interested in implementing at least one component of a Safe Routes to School program, as funding permits. The goal of Safe Routes to School programs is to encourage walking and bicycling where it is safe, and to make changes where it is not safe. SRTS programs do this through an integrated approach that includes five E's - encouragement, education, evaluation, engineering, and enforcement. However, a school can launch a SRTS program with just one component, and build from there. In doing so, SRTS programs address health and safety by reducing traffic congestion around schools, increasing physical activity, encouraging lifestyle changes for families, creating safer, calmer streets and neighborhoods, and improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition is the lead implementation agency for the county SRTS program.
