HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 7867
City of Palo Alto (ID # 7867)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Study Session Meeting Date: 6/19/2017
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Safe Routes to School Annual Update
Title: Palo Alto Safe Routes to School Partnership Annual Update
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Planning and Community Environment
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Council receive a Staff presentation, review the enclosed annual
update for the Safe Routes to School Partnership, and comment on the adopted Five-Year Work
Plan. No formal action is requested.
Executive Summary
The local Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Partnership between the City, the Palo Alto Unified
School District (PAUSD), and the Palo Alto Council of PTAs (PTAC) works to reduce risk to
students en route to and from school, and to encourage more families to choose alternatives to
driving solo more often. In May 2016, the Palo Alto Safe Routes to School Partnership
celebrated its 10-year anniversary. This report documents the progress of the Safe Routes
Partnership since then and presents the newly-drafted Five-Year Work Plan.
Background
The child transportation safety-focused collaboration between the City, PAUSD and the PTA has
existed in Palo Alto for more than 40 years. In 2006, this collaboration adopted a National
Consensus Statement relying on a ‘5-E’ (Encouragement, Education, Engineering, Enforcement
and Evaluation) injury prevention framework to support safe, healthy and active school
commutes (See Attachment B). In 2016, the anticipated retirement of two highly valued
Partnership members, along with the introduction of new PTA and City staff leadership
prompted a process to review program metrics, assess opportunities and guide future
development. As recommended during this process, and to align with national standards, the
Partnership adopted a sixth ‘E’ for Equity to ensure that the SRTS Partnership provides safe and
healthy outcomes for all students.
City of Palo Alto Page 2
Activities
2016-17 has been a year of transition amidst a number of highlights listed below.
A Five-Year Work Plan (See Attachment A);
138 educational trainings to PAUSD students and parents;
Adopting ‘Equity’ as a key area of focus;
Expanded secondary school outreach and program metrics;
Sustained levels of active transportation mode-share;
A $919,354 Safe Routes to School Vehicle Based Emissions Reductions grant (VERBS) to
enhance South Palo Alto bikeways recommended for funding by the VTA (not yet
budgeted).
A comprehensive table of 2016-17 SRTS activities organized by the six Es is provided below:
Table 1: Safe Routes to School Program Activities, 2016-2017
Activity Partners (in order of
leadership)
Description Outcomes
Encouragement
Bike Palo Alto!
Helmet Fitting
Palo Alto Green
Teams, CoPa SRTS,
Lucille Packard
Children’s Hospital
Injury Prevention
Coordinated a bicycle safety
education table and offered
customized helmet fittings
Ten 15-minute
presentations
Est. 50 participants
Bike to Work
Day
Silicon Valley Bicycle
Coalition, CPA SRTS,
community
volunteers
Coordinated four volunteer-run
Energizer Stations and assisted
with developing promotional
materials targeted to residents
and City staff
2143 cyclists
Record numbers at
Wilkie Energizer
Station
150 safety flyers
distributed to
students at Cal Ave.
Ped/Bike Tunnel
Energizer Station
Fall and Spring
Walk and Roll
to School
Events
PTA, PAUSD, CoPa
SRTS SRTS
Events to encourage families to
try walking, biking, carpooling,
or transit
34 events
Est. 200 volunteers
Hoover Parent
Outreach
Discussions
CPA, PTA, PAUSD,
Sierra Club
Met with parents and
community members to
improve traffic congestion,
appoint new SRTS leadership
and encourage mode shift
3 meetings
Anti-idling pilot
introduced
Teambuilding
City of Palo Alto Page 3
strategies initiated
Middle and
High School
Back to School
Events
PTA, PAUSD, CoPa
SRTS, Palo Alto
Medical Foundation
(PAMF)
Commute planning, bicycle
licensing, bike check-ups, and
helmet fitting
Five 2-3 hour
events
Safe Routes PTA
Champion
Volunteer
Orientation
PTA, CPA SRTS 2.5 hour training for incoming
Safe Routes to School
Champions
Est. 12 participants
Education
Bicycle Life
Skills
Curriculum
CoPa SRTS, PAUSD,
PAPD, PTA, Stanford
Injury Prevention,
PAMF, Bicycle
Outfitter
Three-lesson bicycle safety
trainings for all PAUSD 3rd
graders
Approx. 4.5 hours
of bike safety
education per
student
36 presentations
863 students
Biking with
Preschoolers
Workshops
CoPa SRTS Bicycle safety education for
parents of preschoolers
Two 1-2 hour
presentations
38 participants
Bike to Work
Day Employee
Bike Commute
Workshop
Silicon Valley Bicycle
Coalition, CoPa SRTS
Bike safety education for City
Employees interested in bike
commuting
One 1-hour
presentation
12 participants
Bike Rodeo
Captain Training
CoPA, PTA Prepared Bike Rodeo Captains
for Bike Rodeo event
coordination at their school
5 trainings
All 12 schools
trained
Bringing Up
Bicyclists
PTA, CoPa SRTS Bicycle safety education for
parents of elementary-age
children
One 2-hour
presentation
10 participants
Educational
Materials for
New
Infrastructure
CoPa SRTS,
Transportation staff
Developed educational
materials to encourage safe use
of new infrastructure
One roundabout
navigation poster
One Jordan 2-way
Bikeway
instructional
handout
Eighth Grade
Getting to High
School Event
CoPa SRTS, PTA,
PAUSD
Bike safety and high school
commute planning information
for all 8th graders
Three 2-hour
presentations
668 students
Fifth Grade
Bicycle Safety
Refresher
CoPa SRTS, PAUSD Bicycle safety assembly for all
5th graders entering middle
school
Twelve 40-60
minute
presentations
City of Palo Alto Page 4
978 Students
Fifth Grade
Bicycle Repair
Clinic Pilot
PTA, CPA SRTS, Bay
Area BikeMobile
Opt-in repair clinic for 5th Grade
students hosted at Addison
Elementary
One-hour
presentation
10-20 students
Back to School
Night Table for
Jordan Families
CoPa SRTS Tabled Jordan families with
information about the 2-way
bikeway
One 2-hour tabling
session
K-2 Pedestrian
Safety
Safe Moves, CPA
SRTS
Pedestrian safety assemblies for
all PAUSD K-2nd graders
58 45-minute
presentations
2322 students
Middle School
Bike Skills
Wheelkids Bicycle
Club, CoPa SRTS
On-bike safety education for
middle school students and
parents (opt-in program)
Seven- 4.5 hour
classes
72 participants
Police Training CoPa SRTS Bicycle safety, infrastructure,
and enforcement training for
PAPD
Three 45-minute
presentations
Sixth Grade
Back to School
Bicycle Safety
Orientation
PAUSD, CoPa SRTS Bicycle safety assembly for all
6th graders
14 one-hour
presentations
1029 students
Stanford Service
Learning Pilot
CoPa SRTS, Stanford
University
Community Engaged
Learning staff
Worked with “Obesity in
America” class to develop Police
training module for new bicycle
infrastructure and to analyze
collision data
12 students
Engineering
2012 Bicycle +
Pedestrian
Transportation
Plan Projects
Transportation staff,
Public Works staff
Improvements identified by the
community to enhance walking
and bicycling
Ongoing design
feedback
Bicycle
Boulevard
Program
Transportation and
Public Works staff
Bicycle Boulevard projects that
prioritize improvements for
school children, pedestrians,
and people on bicycles
Ongoing design
feedback
Complete
Streets Projects
Public Works staff
with Transportation
staff input
Roadway maintenance projects
that consider all road users,
including people on foot or on
bicycles
Ongoing design
feedback
Palo Alto
Information
CoPa SRTS Requests for improvements on
school routes submitted by the
67 Palo Alto 311
requests since
City of Palo Alto Page 5
Requests community October, 2015
Site visits at
Addison,
Escondido, Gunn,
Hoover and Palo
Verde
Safe Routes to
School Projects
Transportation and
Public Works staff
Projects on school routes arising
from VERBS grant analysis and
from PAUSD or PTA requests
In process
SRTS Site
Assessments
CoPA SRTS Generate updated Walk and Roll
Maps and document
infrastructure needs at 2 schools
per year.
Site assessments
initiated at
Duveneck and
Ohlone
Enforcement
Adult Crossing
Guards
PAPD Crossing guards for elementary
and middle school students at
qualifying intersections
29 Crossing Guards
Juvenile
Diversion
Program
PAPD, Traffic Safe
Communities
Network of Santa
Clara County
“Traffic School” for youth with
on-bike citations
32 Participants
Monthly
Collision
Reporting
PAPD Bicycle and pedestrian collision
data shared monthly with Safe
Routes/Transportation staff
Monthly reports
Traffic Law
Enforcement
PAPD Enforcement of traffic laws for
both drivers and bicyclists
51 citations
(mostly helmet
violations)
Evaluation
Classroom
Commute
Tallies
CoPa SRTS, PAUSD Expanded online collection of
commute mode tallies to all
PAUSD students
See Table 4
Ongoing
Program
Evaluation
CoPa SRTS Post-program surveys of
teachers, administrators, and
volunteers
67 Evaluations
Parked Bicycle
Counts
PTA, CoPa SRTS Counts of parked bicycles at all
PAUSD schools
See Table 3
Equity
Bike, Helmet, &
Bike Light
CoPa SRTS, PAUSD,
PTA, Palo Alto
Distributed donated new
children’s bikes with helmets,
15 bicycles
300 lights
City of Palo Alto Page 6
Giveaways Bicycles, Lucille
Packard Children’s
Hospital, Gunn
ReCycled
coordinated procurement and
recruited volunteers to
distribute low-cost bike lights at
dusk on major biking routes
60 helmets
Local PTA award
recognition
Bike Repair Bay Area
BikeMobile, PTA,
CoPa SRTS
Free school-based bicycle repair
clinics that engage students in
hands-on bike repair
10 schools
200 bikes repaired
Greendell
Programming
CoPa SRTS, PAUSD Initiated Train-the-Trainer
curriculum development for ESL
classes, held walkabouts for
Walk and Roll Map production,
and began the process of
identifying a Safe Routes
Champion
1 walkabout
Materials
Translation
Metropolitan
Transportation
Commission, Spare
the Air Youth Staff,
CoPa SRTS
Translation of educational and
evaluation materials into
Spanish and Mandarin
2 Documents
Translated
150 Mandarin
flyers shared at
Chinese New Year
Festival
Source: Planning and Community Environment Department, May 2017
Program Evaluation
Our 2016-17 education programs touched approximately 5,860 students, or roughly 49% of
total enrollment. For the first time this year, the Eighth Grade Getting to High School program
was rolled out at all three middle schools. To further increase outreach and pending staff
capacity, 2018 goals will include expanding secondary programming to support opt-in high
school educational opportunities, including growing Palo Alto’s participation in the Youth for
Environmental Sustainability (YES) Conferences sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission.
Table 2: Safe Routes to School Core Education Program Reach
Program Number of
Lessons/
Assemblies
Number of PAUSD Students
Taught
K-2 Pedestrian Safety 58 2322
Third Grade Bicycle Life Skills Curriculum 36 863
Fifth Grade Bicycle Refresher 12 978
Sixth Grade Back to School Bicycle Safety
Orientation
14 1029
City of Palo Alto Page 7
Eighth Grade Getting to High School Event 3 Est. 786
Total for Education Programs 123 5860
Source: Planning and Community Environment Department, May 2017
Tables 3 and 4 present yearly alternative mode share/shift, calculated by using classroom travel
tallies and bike rack counts each fall. Bike rack counts are administered by PTA volunteers
calculating the number of parked bikes at their school.
Table 3: 2016 Parked Bicycle Counts at PAUSD Schools (See Attachment C:)
Source: Planning and Community Environment Department, May 2017
* This is a 1% decrease from last year's count, however the absolute number of bicycles counted is higher than last
year's count of 1,487 bicycles.
Classroom travel tallies are administered by teachers through a show of student hands. In 2016-
17, new online data gathering methods for the classroom travel tally helped expand the
program’s capacity to conduct travel tallies at the secondary level. Online tally response rates
varied from 13 to 96% at each campus with a mean response of 49%. The following data results
were extrapolated to approximate responses from the entire school population.
Table 4: 2016 PAUSD Classroom Tally Projection of Mode to School
School Type 2016 Parked
Bikes
% Biking % + or – since 2015-16
Elementary 802 16% +2
Middle 1,508 49% -1*
High 1,707 44% +1
Total 4,017 33% +1
Walk
(%)
Bike
(%)
Carpool
(%)
Transit
(%)
Other*
(%)
Drive
(%)
Response
Rate
%
Active
Transp.
Modeshare
%
Alternative
Mode shift +
or – since
2015-16 (%)
Elem. 20 15 3 4 4 53 55 46 -1%*
City of Palo Alto Page 8
Source: Planning and Community Environment Department, May 2017
* Other includes scooter and skateboard data and was added to the pedestrian totals
**This was the first year of data collection for the secondary schools. 2015-16 comparison data is not available.
Data Interpretation
Weather variations, date of data collection, classroom tally participation rates, school-based
special events, volunteer-based calculation errors and whether bicycles are left in the rack or
removed during the school day impact the validity of these results. 2017-18 goals include
improving response rates to increase the level of confidence that the data reflects the student
population.
The 1% change in mode shift for elementary schools is well within the norm of data fluctuations
and suggests sustained levels of alternative mode use at a rate that is more than twice the
national average. Nevertheless, the relatively high use of the family car for school commutes of
two miles or less continues to represent a growth area for the program. As the City enters the
construction phase of the neighborhood traffic safety and bicycle boulevard projects this
summer, the Partnership’s target for the immediate future will be to sustain alternative mode
share numbers, with the anticipation that mode-share will increase as more elements of Bicycle
and Pedestrian Transportation Plan achieve implementation.
Discussion
Adopted SRTS Goals, 2018-2022
The 2017 Five-Year Work Plan that was reviewed and accepted at the March 16, 2017, City
School Traffic Safety Committee (CSTSC) meeting will serve as a roadmap for the program’s
continued development. The seven overarching goals of the Five-Year Plan are listed below.
The Safe Routes to School Partnership will prioritize Goals 2 and 4, in addition to its ongoing
yearly goals and activities. The detailed work plan is presented in Attachment A.
1. Grow & strengthen community-wide support for the SRTS E’s & for safe, active, healthy,
sustainable school commutes
2. Update SRTS policies
3. Continue to provide and improve SRTS education in schools and in the greater community
4. Develop and maintain a communications plan to expand our web presence, program, and
education materials
5. Evaluate the program regularly and use the data to improve SRTS
6. Engineer safer routes to school
Middle 11 58 3 4 2 22 58 78 n/a**
High 7 50 6 6 .5 30 33 69.5 n/a**
Total 13 41 4 5 3 35 49 64.5 -1%
City of Palo Alto Page 9
7. Further integrate SRTS into the Palo Alto Transportation Element and across City departmental
functions
Goals 1, 2 and 7 stand out as new directions for the partnership. Work toward Goal 1 has begun
via collaboration with Palo Alto Medical Foundation Pediatrics and Stanford University. Goal 2 is
intended to preserve key practices and knowledge. At the December 9, 2016 Board Policy
Review Committee, PAUSD School Board Members directed the Partnership to develop a policy
that reflects Palo Alto's status as a national Safe Routes to School leader and model for the
region. Goal 7 highlights existing and new areas collaboration within the City for the Safe
Routes program, including ensuring that future shuttle service accommodates student school
commute needs; improving communications about and conditions on school routes where
construction is occurring and collaborating with the Office of Sustainability to assess SRTS
outcomes.
Policy Implications
This program is consistent with key transportation goals in the City’s Comprehensive Plan,
including giving priority to facilities, services, and programs that encourage and promote
walking and bicycling, and providing a high level of safety for motorists, pedestrians, and
bicyclists on Palo Alto streets. Specific policies and programs include:
Policy T-14: Improve pedestrian and bicycle access to and between local destinations,
including public facilities, schools, parks, open space, employment districts, shopping
centers, and multi-modal transit stations.
Policy T-39: To the extent allowed by law, continue to make safety the first priority of
citywide transportation planning.
Policy T-40: Continue to prioritize the safety and comfort of children on school travel
routes. This includes program T-45, which calls for providing adult crossing guards at
school crossings that meet adopted criteria, and T-46, which encourages the City-
sponsored bicycle education programs in the public schools.
Safe Routes to School policy implications are also compatible with Sustainable Climate Action
Plan (S/CAP) goals to reduce single occupancy vehicle use in Palo Alto. Studies show that even a
5% increase in a neighborhood’s walkability can reduce vehicle miles traveled by 6%. This year,
the Partnership further supported the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by supporting the
Sierra Club’s school-based anti-idling pilot at Hoover Elementary School.
Timeline
The Safe Routes to School Partnership supports an ongoing, year-round program which includes
both engineering and programmatic elements. A timeline of recently completed and upcoming
infrastructure projects that reduce risk to students is included in Table 5.
City of Palo Alto Page 10
Table 5: SRTS Infrastructure Project Timeline
Project School Routes to be
Improved
Completion Date or
Future Construction Start
Churchill Ave Enhanced Bikeway, Phase 0 Palo Alto HS Completed April 2016
Cowper/Coleridge High Visibility Crosswalk Walter Hays Completed April 2016
Georgia Ave High Visibility Crosswalk and Bulb-
out
Terman MS
Gunn HS
Completed Summer 2016
Park Blvd Early Implementation, Stanford Ave to
Cambridge Ave
Jordan MS
Palo Alto HS
Completed Summer 2016
Los Robles Bikeway Enhancements Briones
Terman MS
Gunn HS
Completed Summer 2016
North California Ave 24-hour Bicycle Lanes Jordan MS
Palo Alto HS
Completed Fall 2016
Middlefield Road Enhanced Bikeway Connection
& Sidewalk Widening
Jordan MS
Palo Alto HS
Completed Fall 2016
Cowper/Coleridge Traffic Circle Trial Walter Hays Ongoing
Garland Drive Sharrows Jordan MS May 2017
Donald/Arastradero Intersection Spot
Improvements
Terman MS Summer 2017
Overcrossing/Undercrossing Improvements Jordan MS
Palo Alto HS
Summer 2017
Amarillo Ave-Moreno Ave Bicycle Boulevard El Carmelo, Ohlone,
Palo Verde
Summer 2017
Bryant Street Bicycle Boulevard Upgrade Addison, El Carmelo
JLS MS
Jordan MS
Palo Alto HS
Gunn HS
Summer 2017
Louis Road-Montrose Ave Bicycle Boulevard Fairmeadow
JLS MS
Gunn HS
Summer 2017
Ross Road Bicycle Boulevard El Carmelo, Ohlone,
Palo Verde
Jordan MS
Gunn HS
Palo Alto HS
Summer 2017
Channing/St. Francis Wayfinding Signage Duveneck September 2017
Charleston/Arastradero Corridor Plan Barron Park, Briones,
Hoover, Fairmeadow
JLS MS
Terman MS
Winter 2017/18
City of Palo Alto Page 11
Gunn HS
Churchill Ave Enhanced Bikeway, Phase 1 Palo Alto HS Spring 2018
Bryant Street Bicycle Boulevard Extension Fairmeadow, Hoover
JLS MS
Gunn HS
Summer 2018
Maybell Avenue Bicycle Boulevard Briones
Terman MS
Gunn HS
Summer 2018
Park Blvd/Wilkie Way Bicycle Boulevard Barron Park, Briones,
Terman MS
Gunn HS
Summer 2018
East Meadow Drive and Fabian Enhanced
Bikeways
Fairmeadow, Hoover,
Palo Verde
JLS MS
Gunn HS
January 2020
Pending VERBS Funding
Source: Planning and Community Environment Department, April 2017
Resource Impacts
The Safe Routes to School team currently consists of one full-time and two part-time
coordinators for a total of 2.0 FTE (full time equivalents). The Safe Routes to School Fiscal Year
2018 Proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget includes $172,789 for the Safe Routes to
School CIP Project, PL-00026, and proposes funding through Fiscal Year 2022, for a five year
total of $1.55 million for this project. The CIP project allows for strategic investments in school
route safety infrastructure, such as crosswalks, pedestrian flashing beacons, improved signage,
and street markings.
Projects that appear in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), and are financed through
various means, including the Street Maintenance Program, the Bicycle + Pedestrian
Transportation Plan Implementation Program, and the Safe Routes to School Program. The Safe
Routes to School CIP project is partially funded from the Gas Tax Fund.
Environmental Review
This agenda item is for the purpose of obtaining City Council input and is not a “project”
requiring review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Attachments:
Attachment A: Final SRTS Five-Year Work Plan (DOCX)
Attachment B: The 6 E's of Safe Routes to School (PDF)
Attachment C: 2016 Secondary Bike Count Graphs (PDF)
PALO ALTO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP FIVE-YEAR WORKPLAN OVERVIEW*
*Five-Year Work Plan goals and strategies depend on the Safe Routes to School Partnership’s funding and capacity, and may be subject to change as demand dictates.
OUR MISSION
To enhance & sustain the City / PAUSD / PTA community partnership to reduce risk to students en
route to & from school & to encourage more families to choose healthy, active, sustainable
alternatives to driving solo more often.
SEVEN GOALS
YEAR 1 STRATEGIES TO ACCOMPLISH GOALS: 7/1/17-6/30/18
YEARS 2-5 STRATEGIES TO ACCOMPLISH GOALS: 7/1/18-6/30/22
Grow &
strengthen
community-
wide support
for the SRTS E’s
& for safe,
active, healthy,
sustainable
school
commutes
Update SRTS
policies
Continue to
provide and
improve SRTS
education in
schools and in
the greater
community
Develop and
maintain a
communications
plan to expand our
web presence,
program and
education
materials
Evaluate the
program
regularly and use
the data to
improve SRTS
Engineer safer
routes to school
Further
integrate SRTS
into the Palo
Alto
Transportation
Element and
across City
departmental
functions
Build out two
service learning
education,
evaluation and
enforcement
projects with
Stanford
Complete two site
assessments and
update Walk and
Roll Maps
Update City
Comprehensive
Plan policies
Develop a process to
assess
transportation
impacts from school
attendance,
boundary changes
and overflow
Expand crossing
guard evaluation
and reporting
mechanisms
Develop a
process for
integrating
SRTS in all
current and
long-range
planning
efforts
Participate in
countywide SRTS
data pilot
Integrate Statewide
Traffic System
(SWITRS) data into
SRTS
Pilot online travel
tally
Increase Spanish
and Mandarin
materials
Develop SRTS
educational
posters
Develop SRTS
Public Service
Announcements
Expand middle
and high school
Youth for
Environmental
Sustainability
Conference
Participation
Develop SRTS
back to school
night
presentation
materials
Research charity
bike rides and
potential SRTS
involvement
Work toward
PAUSD SRTS
policy adoption
Create a manual
of best practices
or enduring
systems for
transferring
SRTS knowledge
Develop a bell
time change
MOU
Improve opt-in
educational
offerings for
secondary
students, including
bike repair
workshops
Expand
educational
programming to
serve PAUSD
preschool and
adult programs
Implement website
enhancements and
editing procedures
Build out carpool
and bussing
resources
Develop incident
response and
special needs
communication
materials
Develop middle and
high school SRTS
travel tally data
outcomes
Develop a PAUSD
parent survey
Develop innovative
ways of sharing
program outcomes,
including data maps
and infographics
Evaluate participant
demographics
2 3 4 5 6 7 1
2
ONGOING STRATEGIES TO ACCOMPLISH GOALS
Goal 1: Grow and strengthen community -wide support for the six E’s-based SRTS program and for safe, active,
healthy, sustainable school commutes
Support Spring and Fall Walk & Roll Week, Bike to Work Day and Bike Palo Alto!
Maintain teams at each school site
Advocate for rebuilding the PAPD traffic team
Inspire action and educate potential leaders about public process and governance
Support uniform patrols to encourage and enforce compliance with existing laws
Mesh parent messages with student educational programming
Revisit, renew and confirm the roles of the Partnership, as needed
Goal 2: Update SRTS policies
Develop, advance, & institutionalize compatible policies across the Partnership & gather best practices from elsewhere to reflect the SRTS vision:
To connect transportation with safe, healthy community designs that increase physical activity opportunities for children, families, & schools
Goal 3: Continue to provide and improve SRTS education delivered to the schools and in the greater community
Maintain K-2, 3rd, 5th & 6th grade in-class educational offerings
Cultivate a community of parents and others to build a network of skilled leaders for in-school education
Support active transportation events during the year by setting up information tables, assisting families with route planning and responding to
infrastructure concerns
Optimize current educational programs at each grade level to match student capabilities
Goal 4: Develop and maintain a communications plan to expand our web presence, program and education materials
Communicate the value of bicycling, walking, and transit
Communicate program activities and successes to the broader community
Promote a “no-guilt approach” to encourage participation via all transportation modes.
Use Walk and Roll Maps and “Safety Tips for Peds/Bikes/Drivers” as part of messaging
Continue using purposeful incentives to increase SRTS participation
Goal 5: Evaluate the program regularly and use the data to improve SRTS
Conduct yearly travel tallies, bike counts and manage data requests
Incorporate traffic and engineering data into mode split and modal share assessments
Ensure PAUSD administrators know the purpose of data collection and share the data in a way that does not compare schools
Goal 6: Engineer safer routes to school
Respond to Palo Alto 311 requests and conduct community site visits
Assist with Bicycle Boulevard program treatments
Provide materials and education about new infrastructure improvements
Advocate as a Partnership for the rapid implementation of bike network, bike boulevards and arterial projects
Goal 7: Further integrate SRTS into the Palo Alto Transportation Element and across City departmental functions
Support the build-out of the City of Palo Alto Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan
Assist with TDM initiatives to reduce reliance on single-occupant vehicles
Provide students, family and community members with transit system information and offer guidance on proposed transit changes
Promote walking and bicycling and model the behavior through daily transportation decisions
Assist with plans to develop a more efficient roadway network for families choosing active transportation
Use the City School Traffic Safety Committee as a forum to support a transportation system with minimal impacts on residential neighborhoods
Collaborate with local agencies, including public works, utilities, law enforcement and district officials to maintain a high level of safety for
motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists
Ensure that the City Shuttle effectively serves students
The 6 E’S of Safe Routes to School: A Comprehensive Approach to Problem Solving
Encouragement: Organize events and activities to promote walking, bicycling and other alternatives to
driving solo.
Education: Teach children and families about the range of transportation options and traffic safety
skills.
Engineering: Plan and implement operational and physical infrastructure improvements to school
commute infrastructure to create a safer environment for youth who walk and bike to school.
Equity: Support safe active, healthy school commute opportunities for all:
• Understand and address obstacles
• Enable access
• Ensure safe and equitable outcomes for all students
Enforcement: Partner with PAPD to ensure road users obey traffic laws, and provide community
enforcement such as crossing guard programs.
Evaluation: Monitor and research outcomes and trends through the collection of data.
PAUSD Secondary Schools Parked Bicycles, 1985 – 2016
PAUSD Secondary Schools Parked Bicycles, 1985 – 2016