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| Bike-to-school plan runs into roadblocks |
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Oct. 21: Subcommittee requests bike-to-school pilot plan According to a draft of minutes of the community-relations subcommittee, Roseann Casazza said that "the traffic supervisors’ responsibility is to cross children and adults accompanying children. Ms. Casazza explained that a bike is a motor vehicle, and the traffic supervisors are not hired to manage motor vehicle traffic. She feels that given the town by-law that prohibits children from riding on sidewalks, allowing children to ride bicycles to school is dangerous. She added that the traffic on the bike path makes the path dangerous for children who are riding bicycles." {mospagebreak title=Draft minutes, Dec. 16 subcommittee meeting} Community Relations Subcommittee, December 16, 2008 – Meeting #10In attendance:Jeff Thielman, Subcommittee Chair Sue Sheffler, Subcommittee Member Ron Spangler, Subcommittee Member Kathleen Bodie, Interim Superintendent Clarissa Rowe, Chair, Board of Selectmen Joey Glushko, Planning Department, Town of Arlington Scott Smith, Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) Roseann Casazza, President, Traffic Supervisors' Union Linda Carella, Traffic Supervisor Catherine B. Crowley, Traffic Supervisor Claire Horan, Traffic Supervisor Kathleen Koiketos, Traffic Supervisor Joe Maslace, Traffic Supervisor Jim McDonald, Traffic Supervisor Rose Murphy, Substitute Traffic Supervisor Joan Preval, Traffic Supervisor Willie Smith, Traffic Supervisor Eric Aranow, Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee (ABAC) Dan Chadwick, Hardy parent Andrew Conway, Arlington resident and parent Chad Gibson, Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee (ABAC) Phil Goff, East Arlington Livable Streets Coalition Lauren Hefferon, Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee (ABAC) Sarah Huber, Thompson parent Julie Idlet, Editor, “Cycle Kids†Ashby Loshin, student Peter Loshin, Ottoson/Peirce parent Paulo Marinelli, Arlington resident Jeff Roth, Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee David Watson, Executive Director, Mass Bike Adria Arch, Arlington Center for the Arts William Rowe, Arlington Business Owner The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. 1. The minutes of the Nov. 13, 2008, meeting were approved. Motion by Sue Sheffler, second by Jeff Thielman. Approved 2-0-1. (Mr. Spangler did not attend the Nov. 13 meeting and abstained). 2. Eric Aranow and Lauren Hefferon presented a pilot proposal for a bike to school program at the Hardy School. The program kick off would be in March of 2009. Eric and Lauren said that a limited and controlled pilot would be the best way to demonstrate and lay the groundwork for safe bicycling to school in Arlington’s elementary schools. Main points of the presentation: a. The program would be evaluated at the end of the year, be overseen by a committee that includes parents and representatives of the school, adhere to a set of ground rules for safety and good conduct, and be assessed in terms of the level of participation, adherence to safety rules and traffic laws, effects on traffic, and feedback from stakeholder groups. b. The objectives of the pilot are to demonstrate that cycling to school can be done safely, show that cycling can reduce traffic in school areas during pick-up and drop-off, educate the community about the benefits of safe cycling, demonstrate interest, convey a positive message (endorsed by the school) about cycling as a means for fitness and transport, and gather data on the above that will inform future plans. c. There are five elements to the pilot: - Education: educating children and adults about bike safety. - Engineering: bicycle racks, signage, maps, dismount zones, field checking road conditions. - Encouragement: activities to encourage children and parents to choose alternatives to driving. - Enforcement: way to ensure ground rules are observed. - Evaluation: measurement of the program. d. Key Ground Rules - Students bike to and from school only when accompanied by an adult. - Students and parents agree to dismount and walk their bicycles when entering any dismount zone identified in the map. - No bicycle riding is permitted on school grounds. - Students and parents agree to abide by town and state laws governing bicycling. e. Education Programs - Eric and Lauren said there are two programs to choose from: 1. Cycle Kids which serves students in Cambridge (500 elementary students), Somerville (150 elementary students), New York City (300 elementary students). The programs involve a physical education teacher and a parent or police officer in these programs. 2. Mass Bike program which provides training through the Mass Safe Routes to Schools program. f. The presenters noted that the Transportation Advisory Committee analyzed crashes between 1990 and 2002. They reported that 1.8% of the crashes in town during that period involved bikes and no bike fatalities. In the pilot program, bike routes to school would not include Lake Street and Massachusetts Avenue. g. The presentation included testimonies from Stoneham, Reading, Canton, and Washington, D.C. h. Eric and Lauren reviewed a map around the Hardy School where students would ride to school. They noted that over the past four years there has been one accident involving a bicyclist on the side streets in the designated area for riding to the Hardy School. 3. Bike-to-School Discussion a. Joey Glushko from the town planning department said the department and the Board of Selectmen have supported and encouraged biking in the town. b. Scott Smith of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) said the group has not yet heard the formal proposal but will at a meeting on January. c. Clarissa Rowe, Chair of the Board of Selectmen said the Board has not seen the proposal, but she was present today to hear the proposal. She said the board had referred the issue to TAC for advice. She noted that the town is installing bike racks at various points throughout the community. Ms. Rowe also said she likes the idea of parents biking to school with their children, but understands that many details of the program need to be addressed. She said a solution may be placing a bicycle rack outside of school grounds. d. Rose Casazza said the traffic supervisors are opposed to a bike program. She said that the traffic supervisors’ responsibility is to cross children and adults accompanying children. Ms. Casazza explained that a bike is a motor vehicle, and the traffic supervisors are not hired to manage motor vehicle traffic. She feels that given the town by-law that prohibits children from riding on sidewalks, allowing children to ride bicycles to school is dangerous. She added that the traffic on the bike path makes the path dangerous for children who are riding bicycles. e. David Watson of Mass Bike and Scott Smith of the Transportation Advisory Committee noted that per Chapter 85, Section 11B of Massachusetts General Laws a person walking a bicycle is a pedestrian, entitled to the same protection under the law as all pedestrians. f. Interim Superintendent Kathleen Bodie said that she and the principals continue to have concern about the safety of elementary school children who would like to ride their bikes to school. g. Sue Sheffler asked if there was any common ground. Could a bicycle rack be placed outside of school grounds? Would the supervisors and principals be open to trying the pilot for three months as the group proposed? The traffic supervisors said they were not open to this possibility. h. Eric Aranow said that placing the bike rack outside of school would not erase the need for the principal’s support of the three-month pilot program. He said the idea of the pilot is for people to be open-minded, support rather than undermine the experiment, and see if the program is workable. i. Jeff Thielman said the group should next take the proposal to the Transportation Advisory Committee for its input. TAC meets on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7:15 p.m. j. Note: Attached to the minutes please find a letter from Philip Goff, Chair of the East Arlington Livable Streets Coalition, and the presentation made at the meeting. 4. Arlington Center for the Arts (ACA) Director Adria Arch said her group has distributed materials throughout the district for many years per Policy KHC, which permits the superintendent to allow such distribution. Interim Superintendent Bodie declined to permit the distribution of ACA materials this year. She said she would take the request under advisement. 5. William Rowe said he had concerns about vandalism allegedly by students from Arlington Public Schools at his building on Water Street. He said that the school department has not cooperated in the investigation, and the vandalism, mostly graffiti, has continued. Ms. Bodie agreed to meet with Mr. Rowe to learn more. 6. There was no new business. 7. There was no old business. The meeting adjourned at 5:25 p.m. The next meeting will take place at the Brackett School on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 12:30 p.m. An agenda item for the meeting will be improvements to the area around the Brackett. {mospagebreak title=Letter from Phil Goff, EALS Coalition} Letter of support from Phil Goff, Chair, EALS CoaltionHello. My name is Phil Goff, I live on Grafton Street and I have a 1st grader at the Thompson School. I want to speak in support of the proposed Bicycle Safety Pilot Program and its placement in one of the elementary schools in East Arlington. I also want to first briefly relay my own personal view on whether elementary school children should be encouraged or discouraged from bicycling to school.As a bicycle safety advocate, I know of no evidence that a parent and child riding bicycles for a short distance, wearing helmets, and following traffic rules should be in any more danger than those walking or being driven. For every student who arguably shouldn’t be cycling to school because he/she would need to bike along a busy street like Broadway or Mass Ave, there are others who can get to school using quiet neighborhood streets or who can take the bike path to Hardy. Parents should be trusted to determine what's safe for their family given their children’s abilities and confidence level as well as the available route options to school. Many of East Arlington’s local streets work well for cycling with young children, while others do, in fact, have speeding problems. For this and other reasons, I founded the East Arlington Livable Streets (EALS) Coalition because I thought that the community needed a stronger voice on transportation-related problems throughout the neighborhood. Only four months old, the EALS Coalition represents over 50 residents that we have on our e-mail contact list, including a core group of 15-20 who regularly attend our monthly meetings at the Fox Library. EALS is committed to improving transportation options in East Arlington and we foresee a neighborhood that offers a far more friendly environment for cycling in the future. A big part of this equation is the improvements to Mass Ave due to arrive in two or three years. The planning process is now in high gear and the likelihood of striped bike lanes is high, for many have spoken in favor of them and the Town’s planners have indicated support as well. The bike lanes, combined with the possible narrowing of the street cross-section and other safety enhancements, will help calm traffic significantly, promoting Mass Ave as a more multi-modal and livable street. Our other primary goal is to work with the TAC and the Town to address speeding and cut-through traffic on our residential streets. We aim to develop a plan that carefully looks at one-way streets, new stop signs and traffic calming to facilitate walking and biking to school along streets where traffic is slowed or diverted to wider or commercial streets where it belongs. The EALS Coaltion’s vision falls nicely in line with those who propose bringing the Bike Safety Pilot Program to either the Thompson or Hardy school. We intend to offer our assistance and advocacy energy to make the program a success and look forward to its expansion to other schools throughout the Town. Teaching safe bicycling skills at an early age is one of the best ways to encourage a lifetime of bicycling and a more sustainable lifestyle. As a parent who tries hard to teach good cycling skills to my son, I hope someday that Arlington can be a bike-friendly town where people of all age groups feel that they can get around town by bike. I am convinced that this Pilot Program will help us reach that goal and I urge the School Committee to provide a space for it at either Thompson or Hardy School. {mospagebreak title=Full text of pilot proposal} Arlington Safe Bicycling to School - Pilot ProposalDraft 12/16/08Presented to the Community Relations Subcommittee Authors: Eric Aranow, Lauren Hefferon, Andrew Conway Contributors: Scott Smith, Joey Glushko, David Watson, Chad Gibson, Newell Lessell Summary The Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee (ABAC) is interested in promoting safe bicycling to schools as a viable and often preferable alternative to driving. In a meeting with the Community Relations Subcommittee, it was agreed that a limited and controlled pilot would be the best way to demonstrate and lay the groundwork for safe bicycling to school in Arlington elementary schools. The pilot program: • will include one school • will be evaluated at the end of the calendar year • wlll be overseen by a Guiding Committee • will adhere to a set of ground rules for safety and good conduct, to which all participants will agree • will be assessed in terms of: • level of participation, • adherence to safety rules and traffic laws, • effects on traffic • Feedback from stakeholder groups The objectives of this pilot are: • Demonstrating that cycling to school can be done safely • Showing that encouraging cycling to school can reduce traffic in school area during pick-up and drop-off times • Educating parents, children, teachers, and other stakeholders about safe cycling and the benefits of cycling to school • Demonstrating that there is interest in cycling to school among parents and children • Conveying a positive message (endorsed by the school) about cycling as a means for fitness and transport • Gathering data on all of the above that will inform future plans The elements of the pilot include: • Education - Education of children and parents in safe cycling, the rules of the pilot program, and in how to choose a safe bicycle route to school • Engineering - Bicycle racks; signage; maps identifying recommended bicycling routes, dismount zones and routes not recommended for inexperienced cyclists; field checking road conditions on the proposed routes for potholes and wheel-eater storm grates • Encouragement - Events and activities to encourage children and parents to choose alternatives to driving • Enforcement - Ground rules and a mechanism for ensuring that the ground rules are observed • Evaluation - Measurement of participation levels, safety, and effects on school traffic, both before and during the pilot, feedback from stakeholders The ground rules for the pilot include: • Students will bike to and from school only accompanied by an adult • Students and parents agree to dismount and walk their bicycles when entering any dismount zone identified in the map • No bicycle riding is permitted on school grounds • Students and parents agree to abide by town and state laws governing bicycling For feedback to the School Committee, there will be an interim report in July 2009, and a final report in January 2010. The Current situation in Arlington Compared to many other communities in the nation, Arlington is a relatively densely-populated community that already sees a substantial amount of bicycling, especially in its flat eastern section. It has one dedicated bike/pedestrian facility, the Minuteman Bikeway. Elsewhere, cyclists and motorists are expected to share Town streets. In many respects, Arlington already is bicycle friendly: • The close proximity of homes, businesses and public transportation facilities make cycling a practical option, with travel times competitive with automobile, particularly in the flat eastern section of the town. The traffic congestion near Alewife station has made cycling the fastest option for traveling between Alewife and points in East Arlington. • The high population and business density, combined with short travel distances, encourages lower motorist speeds than are sometimes seen elsewhere in the U.S. • A substantial and increasing number of residents regularly ride bikes. • An effort has been made to provide bicycle parking at public buildings, such as Town Hall and the Community Safety building. We expect new bike racks to be installed near our libraries in the near future. • The Town's zoning regulations now call for bicycle parking in addition to automobile parking. • The Town has an active bike committee that maintains good relationships with Town officials; as a result, bicycle accommodation is considered in road projects. • Most arterials, such as Broadway, most of Mass Ave, Summer Street, the section of Mystic Valley Parkway that borders Arlington, and Lake Street are wide enough to allow convenient lane sharing between motorists and cyclists. • The town hosts one of the most successful and heavily used rail-trails in the U.S. Arlington was one of the first communities in the United States to create a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, although the program that was created focused entirely on walking and did not include bicycling. The need for bicycling to school Walking to school is a good alternative to being driven, but the practical reality for most families who live more than 0.4 miles from the school is that they usually choose driving rather than walking 10 minutes or more. Furthermore, as more parents choose to commute by bicycle, bringing their children to school by bicycle would be a win for everyone concerned. Why a Pilot? During discussions with the Community Relations Committee about introducing bicycling to Arlington elementary schools, a number of concerns were voiced: • Is it possible to identify safe routes for kids to ride to school in Arlington? • Won’t school traffic congestion make the immediate area around the school unsafe for children on bicycles? • If children bring bicycles to school, will we have to worry about them bicycling on the school grounds? • How can we avoid ungoverned children being unruly on bicycles? • Are there really enough cyclists to make this worth the effort? • Won’t having kids riding to school increase the responsibilities of crossing guards and school administrators? • Wouldn’t this introduce new expenses that the town can ill afford at this time? It was agreed that the best way to address these concerns would be through a Pilot implementation, limited in time and scope, and carefully controlled and evaluated. The Proposed Pilot The Pilot will run from January to June 2009, at a single school. Its objectives will include the following: • Demonstrating that cycling to school can be done safely • Showing that encouraging cycling to school can reduce traffic in school area during pick-up and drop-off times • Educating parents, children, teachers, and other stakeholders about safe cycling and the benefits of cycling to school • Demonstrating that there is interest in cycling to school among parents and children • Conveying a positive message (endorsed by the school) about cycling as a means for fitness and transport • Gathering data on all of the above that will inform future plans It will be run by a Guiding Committee, who will be responsible for planning and managing the Pilot, coordinating events and activities, and providing a point of contact for Pilot-related issues. Before the public kickoff, the Guiding Committee will engage local businesses to provide incentive rewards that will be used as encouragement to help motivate children and their parents to participate in the program. During this same time frame, they will arrange to have a bicycle rack installed on the school grounds, taking advantage of a State grant program that funds installation of bicycle racks. Then in the public kickoff, the Guiding Committee will conduct an informational meeting for parents and teachers, describing the benefits, objectives, rules and incentives of the program, and familiarizing them with the resources available to help parents bicycle safely to the school with the students. These resources will include an annotated map of the school district identifying recommended roads, roads not recommended for inexperienced cyclists and suggested crossing locations. Soon after the kickoff, there will be bicycle safety training available to the students. The specifics of how much training, in what form, by whom it will be provided, and to whom it will be available will be determined after this proposal is approved. There will be an incentive program along with specific activities to encourage children to get to school by walking or cycling. All participant students and their parents will agree to abide by the following ground rules: • Participating students will bike to and from school only accompanied by an adult • Participating students and parents agree to dismount and walk their bicycles when entering any dismount zone identified in the map • No bicycle riding is permitted on school grounds • Participating students and parents agree to abide by town and state laws governing bicycling The first line of enforcement of these ground rules is parental supervision. Parents will be expected to monitor their children during the bicycle commute, keeping them in line with safe, responsible and respectful behavior, and reminding them to dismount in the dismount zones. If there is an incident of unsafe or unruly bicycling or bicycling on school grounds, it can be reported to the Pilot Coordinator (a member of the Guiding Committee), who will address the issue with the offender. Before the public kickoff, the Pilot will conduct a baseline measurement of automobile traffic during pickup and drop-off times. This will be followed up by measurement during encouragement events (such as a “Kids’ Power Weekâ€, during which children can qualify for rewards by getting to school by bicycling or walking), and measurement during non-events. The encouragement/incentive program will provide the Pilot with important data on levels of participation. At the end of the pilot, the program will be assessed in terms of: • level of participation, • adherence to safety rules and traffic laws, • effects on traffic • feedback from stakeholders From this assessment, the Guiding Committee will create a Final Report with recommendations for how to expand Bicycling to School to other schools beyond the Pilot school. Appendix 1: The 5 E’s The proposed Arlington Pilot is based on the FIVE E’s, which is a commonly-used framework for conducting programs such as this, with a heavy emphasis on education and encouragement for kids and parents. Education Education is one of the key and complementary strategies in a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program and our Arlington Bicycle to School Pilot. Education activities include teaching pedestrian, bicyclist and traffic safety and creating awareness of the benefits and goals of SRTS. While education dovetails with engineering and enforcement, it is most closely linked to encouragement strategies. For example, children may learn pedestrian and bicyclist safety skills and then get the chance to join a mileage club that rewards children for walking or bicycling to school. Encouragement activities also offer "teachable moments" to reinforce pedestrian and bicyclist safety education messages. Planning education strategies includes identifying: • Who needs to receive information. • When the education should be delivered. • What information needs to be shared. • How the messages will be conveyed. Education - Who • Children • Parents • Drivers • Neighbors Education - When Before beginning encouragement strategies, children should receive pedestrian and bicyclist safety education. Sometimes education strategies need to begin quickly. For example, in areas with unsafe routes where children are already walking or bicycling out of necessity, education is urgently needed to reduce the risk of injury to children until other measures can also be put into place. The timing for education activities can also depend on the issues in the community and how education fits with other parts of the SRTS program. Education - What and How Key messages for children: • Pedestrian Safety Skills. • Bicyclist Safety Skills. • Personal Safety. • Health and Environment Benefits. Key messages for parents: Parents play a role in their child's safety in three ways: 1. As teachers of safety behaviors. 2. As drivers on the school campus during drop-off and pick-up times. 3. As drivers near the school. Key Messages For Drivers Near the School Drivers near the school can help create an environment that feels safe and inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists. They need to know the following: • Watch for, and yield to, pedestrians and bicyclists near and around the school. • Obey speed limits for the school zone. • Come to a complete stop at stop signs. • Do not block pedestrian crosswalks. Suggested Education programs to choose from: The Pilot will choose between programs offered by Cycle Kids and Mass Bike. The education partner will be chosen according to a set of objective criteria, yet to be defined. Option 1: Cycle Kids This is the current breakdown on the number of students going through a Cycle Kids class each year: • 500 students a year in Cambridge • 150 students a year in Somerville • 300 students a year in NYC Teaching models: • In Cambridge and Somerville: Physical education teacher and a police officer • In NYC: Physical education teacher and parent Background: Since its founding, CYCLE Kids has reached more than 1,800 students in 17 schools or community organizations in metro Boston and New York City; 24% of these children learned how to ride bikes for the first time. Student Profile: Mary Gomes couldn't ride a bike before she joined CYCLE Kids, but she learned in her first semester. She loved it so much that her father, a truck driver, not only bought a bike for Mary; he bought one for himself so he could ride with her. Mary has taken the CYCLE Kids course for three semesters — and quit only to give another child a chance. Now her challenge is to get her father to wear a helmet! Teacher Profiles Joel Burke, a physical education teacher in the city of Camridge, MA, piloted the first CYCLE Kids class at the King Open school. He has been teaching the program for three years and continues to get excited whenever he teaches a child to ride for the first time. He even has children meet with him before the school day starts to given them a chance to ride and practice what they have been learning. Kathy Murphy, a sergeant in the Cambridge Police Department's Bike Patrol Unit, is a strong supporter of CYCLE Kids and engineered the police department's purchase of helmets for Cambridge children in the CYCLE Kids classes. Kathy wants to see CYCLE Kids become mandatory for Cambridge 5th and 6th graders, to make sure participants continue to learn bike handling skills and the rules of riding on the road. Option 2: MassBike Bicycling Safety Training MassBike currently provides bicycling safety training statewide through the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Program. The training is offered to 4th through 8th grade students, one classroom at a time. With a typical elementary school having three classrooms per grade, it is possible to train two full grades in one day. MassBike's program is a single class session, and is taught by a certified MassBike instructor. No school resources or parent participation are required -- all the school needs to do is schedule the class time. Participating SRTS schools may request the bike safety training from MassRIDES at no cost, or work directly with MassBike on a fee basis. The program is engaging, interactive, age-appropriate, and fun. It focuses on four key concepts: Wearing a Helmet, Dressing Properly ("Bright & Tight"), Checking You Bike for Safety ("ABC Quick Check"), and Following the Rules of the Road. The program may be tailored to address any issues or concerns specific to each school. Each child receives a colorful poster reinforcing the four key concepts. Parents receive a pamphlet on bicycling safety for kids, and instructions for organizing "bike trains" (supervised group rides to or from school). MassBike began teaching this program in Spring 2008, and has already reached more than 1200 children in 15 schools around the state. The MassBike program is based on the successful in-school program of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. Now in its ninth year, the Maine program has reached over 80,000 children, and Maine has reported a 50% reduction in bicycle crashes in the target age group. Engineering Engineering is one of the complementary strategies that Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs use to enable more children to walk and bicycle to school safely. Communities tailor a combination of engineering, education, encouragement and enforcement strategies to address the specific needs of their schools. Engineering approaches can improve children’s safety to enable more bicycling and walking. Engineering is a broad concept used to describe the design, implementation, operation and maintenance of traffic control devices or physical measures, including low-cost as well as high-cost capital measures. Effective improvements do not always require substantial funds. For example, signs and paint are relatively inexpensive and can make a big difference. Completion of these projects can build momentum and community interest in making other improvements. Easy-to-implement, low-cost, small projects done concurrently with larger, more expensive projects will keep products on the street and build continuous interest and support from the community. For this pilot, we would like to address • Bike racks at schools • Signage • Efforts to manage excessive motor vehicle traffic on roads adjoining the schools • Safe cycling route suggestions that minimize interaction with cars and pedestrians • Identify and regulate the school zone. • Slowing down and reducing traffic around the school Encouragement and Awareness Encouragement activities play an important role moving the overall Cycling Pilot program forward because they build interest and enthusiasm, which can buoy support for changes that might require more time and resources, such as constructing bike lanes. • Can be quick and easy to start • Can be done with little funding • Can be organized by parents, students, teachers or community volunteers • Focus on fun and enjoyment • Jumpstart a community’s interest in walking and bicycling • Show quick success and generate enthusiasm for other strategies that may require a greater investment of time and resources • Can foster safe walking, bicycling and physical activity behaviors that will be useful throughout children’s lives • Offer teachable moments to reinforce safe walking and bicycling behaviors. Possible encouragements and incentives: • Go GREEN Bike /Walk • Wednesdays Bike to school days • Mileage Clubs and contests • Earth Day activities • Incentive event, kids get discount coupons at local stores for biking and walking • Have local cycling athletes/ champions come and talk to kids • Posters and signage • Free equipment /discount coupons from bike shops as prizes for participations • Reduce car drop off: A “25 or Less†campaign aims to further reduce the number of cars dropping off children in front of the school. Stickers saying “25 or Less†and “We are counting…on you!†are posted throughout the school. To promote participation, reminders are included in the school newsletter, and the number of cars is announced daily. Enforcement and engagement The public typically thinks of enforcement as officers writing tickets. In fact, enforcement, especially for SRTS programs, is a network of community members working together to promote safe walking, bicycling and driving. This can be accomplished through safety awareness, education and, where necessary, the use of ticketing for dangerous behaviors. Enforcement includes students, parents, adult school crossing guards, school personnel and neighborhood watch programs all working in conjunction with law enforcement. Working together to enforce rules for safe walking, bicycling and driving makes it safer and easier for everyone to walk and bicycle. For this pilot we propose: Initially we will depend primarily on the Community Enforcement Approach The Community Enforcement Approach Representatives of communities and schools can improve safety behaviors in many ways. Older students can become safety patrol members and help during drop-off and pick-up times at the schools. Adults can volunteer to become crossing guards to enforce safe behaviors at crossings. Neighborhood speed watch programs can provide opportunities for residents to educate drivers about their driving speeds while making drivers aware that the neighborhood is concerned about safety. All adults in a community need to set good examples for their children and others by obeying traffic rules and being attentive in their driving, walking and bicycling. Community enforcement approaches include: • Safety Patrols. • Adult School Crossing Guards. • Neighborhood Speed Watch Programs. | For this pilot we propose: • Create rules & guidelines for cycling to school based SRTS and meetings with principals, police visits • Efforts to get police more involved at challenging crossings • Dismount zones • Support from crossing guards • Enforce car parking laws • Initially parents are the key and best enforcers. (example: parents enforce kids in child seats, walking through cross walks, etc) • For most laws and rules, the users self-enforce: A combination of good citizenship and responsible usage Evaluation There are several factors for which the Pilot will be evaluated: • level of participation that we are achieving o During encouragement events o After encouragement events o On average • safety and good conduct issues • effects on automobile traffic We might include a pre-kickoff survey so that we can learn about where kids are coming from, are they dropped off by parents; and why do so many parents seem to drop off their kids causing traffic and safety issues, would they bike, etc. The encouragement/incentive program will provide us with a significant amount of participation data, as children will register for participation, and will keep a log of their non-automobile commutes. Safety and conduct issues will be logged as they are reported. Measuring automobile traffic specifically related to pickup and drop-off can be challenging, especially when a school is located on major thoroughfare or popular cut-through streets. The specific approach to measuring traffic at the Pilot school will be determined once the specific school has been identified. Ideally, the Pilot will measure pickup and drop-off automobile traffic at three representative points: • baseline – pre-kickoff • peak – during an encouragement event • ongoing – several weeks after an encouragement event Appendix 2: Stakeholder Support Needed for Success Roles and responsibilities Pilot Guiding Committee - The Pilot Guiding Committee will consist of a small group of parents who are cycling advocates and SRTS (Safe Routes to School) supporters. • Plan and manage Pilot Project • Coordinate events and activities • Provide point of contact for Pilot issues Pilot Coordinator - One member of the Guiding Committee will be designated as the Pilot Coordinator. This person will be the single point of contact for the Pilot Program. Superintendent – Provides official sanction for the Pilot Program. Involved in decision on post-Pilot expansion of Cycling to School program. Pilot School Principal – Communicates support for the Pilot Program and reinforces the emphasis on safety and responsibility. School representative – A person acting on behalf of the Pilot School Administration. This person could be the Principal, a Gym teacher, or other designated person. This person will represent the Administrations perspective in discussions with the Guiding Committee on plans and issues. School Committee – Reviews interim and final reports. Involved in decision on post-Pilot expansion of Cycling to School Program. DPW representative - Involved as required (e.g. for Bike Rack installation, for signage, etc.) Transportation Advisory Committee - Involved as required SRTS representative – interacts with National and State SRTS programs to get support where appropriate. Police and Police representative – Enforce parking and traffic laws in school vicinity. Police representative may talk to children at the school about bicycle safety. Crossing Guards and Crossing guards representative – Enforce safety at crosswalks. If necessary, remind cyclists to dismount before crossing. Report safety and conduct issues to the Pilot Coordinator. Cycling educators/trainers (source TBD) – Provide at-school bicycle safety (and perhaps bicycle skills) education to children Parents – Interpret School District Map to design their children’s bicycling/walking routes. Accompany children on the bicycle commute. Supervise their children’s behavior and adherence to safety rules and laws. Sign children’s bike/walk logs. Students – Register and participate in the Bike/Walk to School program. Record their non-car commutes. Learn safe cycling behavior and Pilot rules. Commute happily to school and take pride in being green! Appendix 3: Usage and Safety Data for Arlington A major difficulty in assessing the risks of walking and cycling is in estimating the amount of walking of cycling that actually occurs. Nationwide, perhaps 1% of urban trips[1] are by bicycle. In Arlington, we have the following data points, all based on observations and surveys made between 2001 and 2008: -- Between 1 and 4% of the traffic mix on Mass Ave. during the peak hour was observed to be bicycle traffic (the 1% seen on a cold cloudy March day, the 4% in nicer weather). Observations were made near Town Hall and in East Arlington. -- 7% of the respondents in the 2002 Vision 2020 survey reported riding 15 or more days per month. -- During peak periods in good weather, close to 200 cyclists per hour have been observed using the Mass Ave / Route 60 intersection. This is roughly 4 to 5% of the overall peak hour traffic volume at that intersection. -- Peak period bicycle volumes on the Minuteman Bikeway are over 100 bikes/ hour, a number that is higher than the automobile volume on most Town streets. Cycling crashes Motor vehicle crashes that involve injuries and/or substantial property damage are reported to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, with summary data then being made available via Mass Highway. A few years ago, the Transportation Advisory Committee analyzed some 13 years worth of crashes in Arlington, from 1990 to 2002. Overall findings were as follows: -- During these 13 years, there were 8803 reported crashes, with 4096 people injured. -- 155 of these crashes (or 1.8%) involved cyclists -- 154 cyclists were injured (3.8% of the injuries). -- There were no car-bike fatalities. There were a total of 230 crashes reported at the Massachusetts Avenue / Route 60 intersection. Of these, 6 (or 2.6%) involved cyclists. Table 1 shows the numbers of motor vehicle-bike, motor vehicle only (MV) and motor vehicle-pedestrians crashes in Arlington, both Town-wide and for selected streets near several schools.
A few things should be noted on this table: -- As expected, the busier streets have more crashes. -- There may be some double counting in the above numbers: for example, a crash at Brooks and Chandler will be listed twice: once in the total for Brooks and once in the total for Chandler. -- A "Motor Vehicle" crash on the bikeway might be, for example, a car that rear-ends another car whose driver has stopped for a path user. -- Where minor streets, such as Rawson Road, report substantial numbers of crashes, they tend to be at the intersections with much busier roads. For example, the majority of crashes along Rawson Road occur either at Warren Street or Broadway. -- Overall numbers of crashes for local streets near the Dallin, Hardy and Thompson schools appear to be similar. A number of streets near the Hardy school have extremely low numbers of crashes. What about cycling mishaps that don’t involve automobiles? Most cycling injuries have nothing to do with automobiles, but are the result of falls or collisions with fixed objects. Even here, however, outdoor cycling shows a lower injury rate than many other sports. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 21 (3), pp. 461-467, 1993, presented the following rates per 1000 hours of activity.
Conclusion Arlington’s own traffic data indicate that, from the standpoint of bike-motor vehicle crashes, the town is not a particularly dangerous place for cycling. Although there are traffic issues (and related crashes) on several busy roads, many streets in town have light volumes and extremely low crash rates. Recently, an infrastructure assessment was performed on the area around Dallin School. The draft report stated that “The neighborhoods around the Dallin School are ideally suited to walking and bicycling to school.†[2] Given the crash data above, there is no reason to expect a different conclusion for Hardy or Thompson schools. [1] From Pucher and Dijkstra, “Promoting Safe Cycling and Walking to Improve Public Health: Lessons from the Netherlands and Germany,†American Journal of Public Health, 2003. [2] Preliminary School Assessment for Dallin School, Safe Routes to Schools Infrastructure Program, October 2008. page 10. Appendix 4: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center Guidelines for Educating Children and Teens The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) (www.bicyclinginfo.org) is a national clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement, access, and mobility for pedestrians and bicyclists. It is supported by the U.S. Department of Transportation, state and local agencies, and by private groups. Key points they make include the following: "Bike education involves a lot more than safety. The first thing to remember about bike education is that should also promote bicycling. Focusing solely on the dangers of the road tends to discourage people from cycling. But the best kinds of bike education highlight the benefits of cycling—such as sports, exercise, adventure, pleasure, healthy transportation—while arming new cyclists with the knowledge and tools they need to safely share the road." Bicycles are fun to ride, but they're also legally considered vehicles, and are therefore subject to most of the same traffic rules and regulations as motor vehicles....The minute a bicycle enters a pathway, a sidewalk, a park, a street or road, it is not a toy; it is a vehicle. Between the ages of five and eight is the most popular time for kids to learn how to ride a bicycle. Make it the most popular time to learn safe riding skills, too....children ages 5–8 are advised not to bicycle on busy streets or major arterials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children in this age group stick to cycling on sidewalks only. Beginner cyclists should only bicycle with adults when learning to ride. While there is no "magic age" that determines when it is safe to ride on arterial roads, children in the 9–12 year-old age group likely have developed the cognitive skills that allow them to bicycle on the road." Their complete advice on educating children appears in the following links: www.bicyclinginfo.org/education/children.cfm www.bicyclinginfo.org/education/children-5to8.cfm www.bicyclinginfo.org/education/children-9to12.cfm Appendix 5: Example of a Policy Space for automobile drop off and pick up around Hardy School is extremely limited. Parents and students are strongly encouraged to walk or bike to school. By walking or riding with your children, you help them develop the skills to be safe as pedestrians and cyclists, provide them (and you!) an opportunity for physical activity, and help reduce traffic congestion at the school. Walking Parents of are asked to time their children's departure so that they will arrive at school between 8:00 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. A number of designated “Walking School Buses" are in operation (see map and description). For safety, walkers should - Respect the Parent Volunteers, and refrain from running and pushing. - Always look twice and listen before crossing the street. Never assume a driver will stop. Try to make eye contact. - Where available, cross with the traffic supervisors (crossing guards) or at the traffic light with the “walk†symbol. - Cross only at intersections, never from between parked cars. - Walkers should stay on the sidewalk except when crossing at an intersection. Bicycling Parents of are asked to time their children's departure so that they will arrive at school between 8:00 a.m. and 8:10 a.m. A number of designated "Bicycle Trains" are in operation (see map and description). For safety, cyclists should - Respect the Parent Volunteers, stay with the group, and refrain from swerving - At busy intersections, dismount and walk across with the traffic supervisors (crossing guards) or at the traffic light with the “walk†symbol. - Cyclists must wear helmets, and should use an appropriate basket or pannier (not a backpack) for carrying heavy loads. - Bicycles and other wheeled vehicles must be walked on school property, and locked at the rack that is provided. The school has no responsibility for damaged or stolen bikes. Car Riders In order to ensure that all students being picked up or dropped off at school are safe, the following rules MUST be observed at all times (see map). 1. The school parking lot and bus loop is reserved for school buses and staff only. No other traffic is allowed in these areas. 2. The designated drop-off/pick-up area is on the left side of Chandler Street, by the playground. This is reserved for parents who are briefly stopping to drop off or pick up students, and are not getting out of their cars. Unattended vehicles will be ticketed. The child should exit on the left (curb) side of the car (i.e., should be in the back seat). In the morning, there will be a school staff person present in the playground to receive children and provide supervision. 3. There is no parking at all on the right-side of Chandler Street during drop off /pickup hours. 4. Park on an adjacent street and walk to school, if you feel it is necessary to watch your child in the playground. In general, parents who are parking and getting out of their cars are asked to park elsewhere in the neighborhood. 5. Please drive slowly and observe stop signs. 6. Never park in the crosswalk, or within 20 feet of any intersection 7. Obey the directions of the traffic supervisors, and yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. 8. For the safety of the children, no U-turns, double parking or cutting across traffic. 9. NOTE: Any parents who witness any violations to these rules are asked to report the license plate number, make and model of the vehicle to the Arlington Police Traffic Unit ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) Appendix 6: Case Studies and Testimonials Biking to School Works! Communities very similar to Arlington have had great success with programs like the one we're proposing. Central Elementary School 36 Pomeworth Street Stoneham, MA Central School has been working with the Safe Routes to School program since the spring of 2006. We became involved because Stoneham does not have school buses to transport children to and from school. As a result, there were typically more than two hundred vehicles traveling through our driveway, twice a day, bringing approximately 365 students in grades K-5 to and from school. While Safe Routes to School emphasizes walking, biking, and use of car pools, Central School focused primarily on the development of its walk to school program for the first two years. As a result of our efforts, we were able to reduce traffic flow by as much as 80% in good weather and have experienced a general decrease in traffic by 20-40%. With less traffic in and around the school there is improved safety. Walking also supports a healthier lifestyle and promotes better social interaction. Recently, parents have urged the school to invest in bike racks so that students who live the further distances from school can begin to ride their bikes. Central School has since had a bike rack donated by a local business and has submitted grants to help purchase additional bike racks and to provide free bike helmets to students. In the spring, we plan a bike safety rodeo to coordinate with our annual ice cream social event in May. We expect the biking component to further decrease the need for students to be driven to school. Stoneham has also received grant money to hire a Community Safe Routes coordinator to help develop a walking/biking culture among the town’s residents. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Lawrence R. MacElhiney Principal 781-279-3860 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it --------------------------------------------------------- READING, MA: The Safe Routes to School program offers biking and walking safety classes. On certain days we give out little hand-outs to those kids who have walked or biked to school, like a coupon for a free slice of pizza at a local business or a gel bracelet. The kids love these little knick knacks. We have had two bike safety classes offered by MassBike to train our middle school children the proper way to drive their bikes, at no cost. A number of our crossing guards require children that do ride to school to get off their bikes before they cross the street in the crosswalks. We have had no accidents involving biking to school, either with walkers or other vehicles. Biking and walking has helped us lessen the traffic congestion during drop off and pick at schools and helps keep our kids health. With the rise in Type II diabetes in children under the age of 15, this is a great program to help children get the otherwise elusive exercise they need. Walking and biking to school can only make it safer as it will lessen the vehicle traffic around the schools, which is the major cause of most of the accidents. Once the school has partnered with the Safe Routes to School Program for a year, they are eligible to receive a grant to improve the infrastructure around the school to make it more walk-ability and bike-ability, at no cost to the Town. We have had great success with our program and are in the process of having the rest of our schools join the program. Michael Lee Safety Officer Reading Police Department --------------------------------------------------------- Hansen School Canton, Ma Before the Safe Routes to School bicycle safety program the bike racks at the Hansen school remained empty most of the year. After we visited the school the racks were full of riders for months. Towards the end of the year as it got colder the number of students riding lessened. Students who received the training as fourth graders continued to ride even after they became fifth graders. The principle stated that he had received no resistance from parents, crossing guards, local police, etc. He also reported that there have been no crashes and no accidents. The only issue at all that came up was that one parent wanted to have the bike rack moved to a more central location. The parent felt it was too far for the students to walk all the way behind the school to lock up their bicycles. Mr. Griffin also stated that if SRTS bike safety classes were given every year it would sustain the success of the program and continue to encourage riders. The school has also had great success with their walking school buses. Mr. Griffin reported that overall the bike training program was a valuable program and would like to encourage more bike safety training. Bill Griffin Principle (781) 821-5085 ext 101 Hansen school Canton, MA Washington, DC: I will say that in DC, the students and their parents are the ones who are leading the way with bicycling to school. We have parents at a couple of schools that have begun biking together to and from school. As many as 20 kids will bike together with a number of parents. Typically, one parent will take the front of the “bike trainâ€, another will take the back, and the rest will ride in the middle. There are really little kids riding in these groups, some on tagalong bikes but others on their own bikes. I’ve even seen bikes with training wheels parked outside some of the schools. In any case, these parents started riding with their kids without asking permission from the schools. They began to do so after figuring out that biking was the most convenient way to get to school. Amazingly, the schools are accommodating them. In fact, they’re calling me and asking for more bike racks, a request I am happy to accommodate. Let me know if you have any questions about DC’s experience, Jennifer Hefferan Safe Routes to School Coordinator Transportation Policy and Planning Administration District Department of Transportation 2000 14th Street, N.W., 7th Floor Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-671-2227 Fax: 202-671-0617 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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The bike-to-school pilot plan that earlier appeared to have buy-in from Arlington's elementary principals has run into a key roadblock -- the town's traffic supervisors oppose the proposal. At a school subcommittee meeting Dec. 16, a variety of supporters of the trial plan, set for March at the Hardy School, heard the head of the union representing the supervisors, more commonly known as crossing guards, express direct opposition.
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