Walk and Bike to School Day A Huge Success
By Wendi Kallins

On Wednesday, October 04, the streets of San Geronimo Valley were filled with children and their parents walking and biking to school. At least 275 kids and about 30 parents participated in International Walk or Bike to School Day. They arrived in droves, coming in organized bike trains and walking school buses, with parent volunteers escorting the kids to school. Signs admonishing cars to "share the road" were up from Lagunitas School all the way to St. Rita School. A group of Cascade Canyon students were seen heading west over White's Hill in the pre-dawn hours. The cars on Drakes were forced to slow down just by the shear multitude of children on the roads.

Walk to School Day is the kick-off event for GO GERONIMO's Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) program at the Lagunitas School District. SR2S helped implement the new signs on School Road where the speed limit is posted at 15 mph and drivers are instructed to be aware of the narrow one-lane bridge. We also cleaned up the school kids path from Forest Knolls (see box) and we will also be taking a look at the crossing guard issue. But the SR2S program is much more comprehensive.

Safe Routes to Schools, which was developed in countries as diverse as Australia, Denmark, England and British Columbia, starts by forming a team of parents, kids, teachers, neighbors, local police and government officials. This team will develop a travel plan which will include identified routes to school, recommended street improvements, organized escorts to school, and programs to raise community awareness.

The SR2S team begins by studying the routes that children take to school and identifying engineering improvements that will make those streets safer such as walking paths, striped bike lanes or separate paths, traffic calming, and more visible crosswalks. The children are also invited to participate, since they often know these routes better than the adults.

Since funding and improvements often takes years, the team is given other tools to create safer streets right now. Increased enforcement always helps, but there are other ways to get drivers to behave themselves. Community-wide education admonishing drivers to slow down and be aware of children can often make an enormous difference. The team will also form Walking School Buses and Bike Trains, which consist of at least two adults escorting children to school, with a wagon or cart to haul heavy backpacks. Neighborhood Safe Houses where children can go for assistance or neighbors who post themselves along the routes can also add a measure of safety.

Education is key to any SR2S program. The Marin County Bicycle Coalition has hired Chris Davis as a full time Safe Routes Instructor to go into the schools and assist teachers with various exercises. Chris will be teaching bicycle and pedestrian safety to the children, as well as developing curriculum to raise their awareness about transportation.

The children will need encouragement to try something new, so the team will develop contests, prizes and other treats as incentives. The Lagunitas team will come up with community events to bring everyone together in celebration of safer streets and healthier children. The first event was Bike to School Day last May when parents and children walked and biked from all the villages to school. This was repeated for International Walk (or Bike) to School Day on October 4th and the kids were rewarded with a free Double Rainbow ice cream thanks to the generosity of Lagunitas resident and Double Rainbow owner Steve Fink.

All of these elements combine to create a community-wide awareness of the benefits of safer streets to allow more walking and biking to school. The goal of the program is to reduce the traffic congestion around schools and increase the number of children who arrive by their own power.

If you would like more information about Safe Routes to Schools or would like to join the SR2S Team, call project coordinator, Wendi Kallins at 488-4101, wkallins@igc.org.. Check out our website at www.saferoutestoschools.org.

Thanks to the Good Earth, Double Rainbow Ice Cream, The Two Bird Café and the Swing Café for their generous donations that made Walk to School Day a treat for everyone.

Frequent Rider Miles Winners 2000

One hundred people participated in GO GERONIMO's annual Frequent Rider Miles contest, racking up over 3100 miles saved, thereby reducing the polluting emissions and traffic caused by people driving alone in their cars. Participants counted the miles they traveled by walking, biking, skating, carpooling or busing during the month of May. Only registered GO GERONIMO members were eligible to win, with only one prize awarded per person.

Lagunitas Student Dean Poppe won first place in two categories for overall miles earned plus bicycling. He also placed second in carpooling. Dean opted for the bicycle award - a $50 gift certificate from Sunshine Bicycle Center in Fairfax. Dean saved 128 miles by choosing to use low or zero emissions modes of travel.

Second place winner for overall miles earned was San Geronimo student, Will Castle of Lagunitas who also placed first in carpooling. For earning 123 miles with 98 for carpooling, Will won a kayak trip for two from Sea-Trek of Sausalito.

Woodacre resident, Michael Wheeler took third place for overall miles and for carpooling and won a $50 gift certificate from Northgate mall. Michael earned 74 miles overall with 56 miles for carpooling.

For walking, Evan Marguson of Forest Knolls took first place for walking 21 miles. PJ Frechette came in second with 14 miles and Alexandra Bando was third place winner with 11 miles. Evan gets a pair of shoes from Maloka in San Anselmo.

In the skating catagory, Buck Swift won a pair of back packs from Marin Skate Shop in San Rafael for skateboarding 14 miles. PJ Frechette and Luke Silby came in second and third with 11 and 10 miles respectively.

Lagunitas Student Terin Franz won first place for riding the bus 43 miles and gets a movie and pizza party with three friends courtesy of the Fairfax Theater and Ghiringhelli's Pizza. Conner Fairwell came in a close second with 42 miles and Nathaniel Zack was third with 37 miles.

Other winners in the bike category were Cory Nielsen and Zack Brennan who tied for second place with 32 miles, and Jeremy Gray and Anny Owen who tied for third with 30 miles. Fifty people were awarded a free music CD of their choice from Bedrock Music for saving 25 or more pollution miles during the month. Everyone is a winner when people chose to travel in ways that are kinder to the environment.

Interview with Overall Mileage Winner, Will Castle

GG: How did you win the overall mileage award?

WC: I did a lot of carpooling. Every week I go to boy scouts in San Anselmo...I was already doing it before the contest.

GG: What other modes did you use?

WC: Lots of skateboarding, I took the bus a lot and used my GO GERONIMO card to get some rides.

GG: Tell me about a ride...

WC: Me and Luke got dropped off in Fairfax, by his Dad, to see a movie. We were walking backwards by those flashing crosswalk signs(in front of St.Rita), holding our laminates out and this lady drove by. She turned around, she said she wanted to support the program.

GG: Do you know who it was?

WC: It was someone's mom, I think Starr's mom.

GG: We did an interview with her once too. Did you ask to see her card?

WC: It was on the front(dashboard) of her car, right there.

GG: Where did she drop you off?

WC: In Lagunitas, at the store.

GG: How did you feel using the Ride Registry?

WC: We had been walking for fifteen minutes, we stopped to get a Slurpee and it was about time! We were thankful, it was a pretty hot day.

GG: What would you tell people about your experiences?

WC: Alternative transportation is FUN.

GG: Have you used your prize yet?

WC: No, it's just sitting in my room. I might use it or I might sell it to my parents.

GG: Are you going to participate in the Frequent Rider Mile incentive program next year?

WC: Yes.

Interview with Constance Washburn, Education Director of MALT and valley mother of
two teenage boys, Will and Andrew Castle

GG: How does it feel to be the mother of the overall carpool winner in the Frequent Rider Miles Contest?

CW: I'm glad he took it seriously and thought about how he uses his commuting miles. I thought it was pretty cool.

GG: Did you see a change in his behavior during the Frequent Rider Miles incentive program?

CW: A little...I mean he was more conscious of how he was getting to and from places. But mostly he was just used to taking the bus or carpooling. That's just what you do around here.

GG: Carpooling seems to already be a fixture in your lifestyle. What would your advice be to help others create that?

CW: Get to know all your kid's friends' parents.

GG: How do you influence your child's environmentally sound transportation habits?

CW: I don't know that I do...a lot of times I'll say, "Walk or bike"....

GG: Does he complain about the difficulty of this?

CW: I'll say, "Yeah, right--you can do it, I'm sure. You're a very athletic twelve year old. Yesterday he wanted a ride to Forest Knolls--very close. I said, "Forget it, walk, it'll take you ten minutes!" I wish I could walk, I'd much rather walk than drive.

GG: Any ideas about how we can change our lifestyles in terms of alternative transportation usage?

CW: I commute to Point Reyes, at various times. There's really no one else going in that direction so I pretty much drive to work. I try to go over the hill as little as possible. I combine my trips into one day and just go once a week. I get really upset if I have to go back over the hill on the same day.

GG: Give me your "crystal ball" view of valley transportation for kids...

CW: I don't know, I think it's getting a core group of kids...I think if they're getting in situations where they need a ride, parents need to say, "Go get signed up (with GO GERONIMO) and use it, but only with GO GERONIMO drivers. Parents need to encourage kids to do it, to participate in the program. Parents would not have to pick them up all the time which would be a good thing.

GG: On the congestion situation?

CW: I commute in the other direction. When I get over the hill I'm always in shock....about how many people there are....and the lines, etc. On Sunday afternoon in Lagunitas, getting across Sir Francis Drake is always hard.

GG: What about the Stagecoach?

CW: Oh you mean the valley shuttle bus? Yeah, I think it would be great on the Fairfax end for kids to be able to get back from school after soccer practice and other events on their own. I'd vote for the afternoon/nighttime shift (as opposed to early shuttle hours). If they miss the last transit that leaves from Drake High, they're out of luck unless their parents are coming home from work in East Marin.

GG: On Safe Routes to School?

CW: I really would like to encourage kids to ride bikes and walk. It's good exercise in the morning. It wakes them up, gets the blood flowing to the brain. They're a lot more alert when they get to school. It doesn't work with my kid, he ends up walking to the bus...

GG: But Constance, the walk to the bus from your house is as far as some kids walk to school!

GG: Last gems of wisdom for the rest of us?

CW: For parents to encourage their kids to use GO GERONIMO. Be out there picking up kids who use it. We need a critical mass for it to be a viable mode of transportation.

Improvements Upcoming on the School Children's Pathway

The School children's Pathway through the French Ranch property is getting a major overhaul this fall.

An on-site planning meeting on September 12th brought together Bruce Burman of French Ranch Partners, David Hansen of the Marin County Open Space District, and Wendi Kallins and Brent Harris, both representing GO GERONIMO. We walked the length of the path discussing various details of the drainage, trail surface, traffic safety, and accessibility. Dividing up the necessary work between our various organizations, we formulated a plan of action.

GO GERONIMO will organize two or three work parties to mow high grass, prune blackberry bushes, and perform minor hand grading. The first of these parties took place on September 23. French Ranch Partners will supply the mower and will install drainage pipes, drain rock and trail surface rock or dirt to raise the trail high enough to prevent flooding. French Ranch will also consult with a traffic engineer and install crosswalks and traffic signs as necessary. The Open Space District will get the west end of the trail graded.

To volunteer for one of the GO GERONIMO workdays call Brent Harris at 488-1433.

COMMUTER OPTIONS
By Victoria Holman

This morning started as many others do for me these days, with the breeze brushing my cheeks and
refreshing my spirit on my 15-minute, morning bike ride to work. But it hasn't always been that way.

Prior to last April, when I began working full-time in the Valley, I was among the masses who start their day in the crunch of a "morning commute". I was working in San Rafael, and had what I regarded as a "good" commute, between 25 & 35 minutes long and I never had to get on the freeway. I would pick up my skedge carpool rider in Woodacre and off we would go to join the crowds on Sir Francis Drake. What I failed to realize at the time was just how stressful that morning ritual had become. Increasing numbers of commuters on the roads had added at least fifteen minutes to the drive in the last couple of years. An accident on 101 would double my commute time with masses of singly occupied vehicles coming over Nicasio Valley Road and heading east on Drake to avoid the 101 slam. Any deviation from the norm would lengthen my commute by another 10 to 20 minutes, and magnify my stress ten fold, as I sat idly in my car inching down the road, knowing I would be late for work. And I wondered why I felt worn out and in need of espresso as I started my workday.

All that changed last Spring when I was lucky enough to land a job here in the Valley. Living at the top of Tamarack in San Geronimo, it now takes me about 15 minutes to ride my bike to work at City Spirit Publications in downtown Lagunitas, and what a way to start the day!! First I cruise down the fire road for a little thrill, then I say hi to my neighbor dogs who come out to bark and chase me awhile. Gaining speed I work my way down through the curvy roads of Forest Knolls, as others start their cars to join the madness over the hill. I breeze along the Drake for a brief time and there I am in Lagunitas. I arrive at work refreshed, energized, exercised, and peaceful inside.

And while we don't all have the option of working close to home, we do all have options in terms of how we commute. Try riding your bike to work sometime, you'll probably get there faster. Or drive with a friend, carpool or "skedge" rider and make the drive social and fun, while you ease the crowds on the road.

All around us folks are finding creative ways to combat the growing stresses in our lives and
communities. By making simple changes in old habits, we can help enrich ourselves personally, and benefit the community as a whole. How and when we choose to transport ourselves is one of the ripest opportunities for each of us to do just that.

New Inkwells Bridge on Schedule
By Brent Harris

An engineer has been hired and design work has begun on the Inkwells Bridge, just west of Lagunitas. The bridge, which will serve cyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians wishing to cross the San Geronimo Creek at The Inkwells, will follow the alignment of the existing Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) pipe to the existing Samuel Taylor Park bike path. Construction is expected to begin in August of 2001. The bridge will also support the existing pipeline and a new pipe which MMWD is installing in the near future.

The project planning is being handled by the Marin County Department of Parks and Open Space. The engineering and construction management are in the hands of MMWD. An engineering consultant., CSW/Stuber-Stroh of Novato, has been hired to prepare the actual design and construction documents.

Supervisor Steve Kinsey convened a meeting of the parties involved in the design process at the site of the bridge on September 13th to discuss the details of the project and to aquatint the consultants with the design process to date. Attending were Supervisor Kinsey, David Hanse and Ron Paolini of Open Space, Dana Roxon of MMWD, Ron Angier and Ray Spencer of State Parks, representatives from CSW/Stuber-Stroh, and representatives from the community including a representative of GO GERONIMO.

The engineers are beginning to survey in the near future.

Watch The Wheel for progess reports on this vital bikeways and trail link or check out our web site at www.gogeronimo.org. For more information contact Brent Harris, the Community Representative for the project, at (415) 488-1433.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan News
By Debbie Hubsmith

The Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is a coordinating document that provides a 20 year vision for how the County of Marin could provide the necessary infrastructure, education, and awareness to increase the walking and biking transportation mode share to cover 20% of all trips in Marin County. In other words, one out of five trips would be on foot or on bike!

The plan would result in safe routes to schools, improved bike lanes, more bike paths (Class I paths, separated from automobiles), better bicycle parking, and more respect among drivers and cyclists alike. At the present time, the County is preparing a final version of the plan, and will scheduling a public meeting to adopt the plan.

The backbones for the system will be North/South and East/West bikeways that would follow and parallel the railroad rights of way - separated from car traffic wherever possible. For the San Geronimo Valley, the major recommendations that GO GERONIMO put forth, and have been included in the draft, are as follows:
· Better access from the lower campus to the upper campus on Lagunitas Road.
· New and better bike racks at school campuses and other public places.
· Restoring the "Schoolchildren's Path" and creating the path from French Ranch to Roy's Redwoods.
· Consideration of lighted crosswalks and new crosswalks in various locations.
· Working with private property owners to get as many "Class I" paths as possible parallel to Sir Francis Drake.
· Repaving San Geronimo Valley Drive from the bottom of White's Hill to Sir Francis Drake in San Geronimo.
· Stenciling bike lane markings on Drake. Signing the road with "Share the Road" signs and Class II bike signs.
· Consideration of painting bike lanes red or another color to create a visual separation.
· Consider the designation of bike routes signs on Castro Street and Meadow Way, but talk to neighbors first.
· Create a safe connection to Fairfax. Consider all of the options that have been recommended in the report: opening the tunnel, widening the shoulders of Drake, and creating a separated off-road route.

These recommendations are just that - recommendations. Any and all final construction plans would need to go through more intensive planning, community input and environmental review even after the plan is adopted. To really make things happen, it will take community will and support. So, if you want to have a new crosswalk, "Share the Road" signs, better maintenance of our roadways, or a tunnel to Fairfax, then please let GO GERONIMO know, and let the County of Marin know too. For more information or to get involved, please call me at 488-1245 or check www.marin.bike.org. GO GERONIMO looks forward to working with you to make the Valley truly walkable and bikable.