Today’s Signal article on the student valets at Helmers Elementary got me thinking.
I’ve had the unfortune of being near some of the schools during arrival and dismissal time. And every time I’m there, I marvel at how crowded small neighborhood streets can become in just a matter of minutes. What’s more, I marvel at how ineffeciently we use our resources: not only are most parents driving only their student to school (rather than three or four others as well), many aren’t even following road signs, directions from staff or common sense in the way they ingress and egress the school zone. Add that to the fact that most neighborhoods have elementary schools in them, which means these schools are within walking distance for many of the students.
Yet everyday we see the same craziness; everyone packs into their car at the designated time then gets frustrated when the street fills up.
Nuts to all that I say.
What if we could replace this:
with this:
okay okay, before you roll your eyes and say, “There goes Jeff the crazy bike commuter guy, I’m going to close this site and go read dlisted.com” I’m not talking about bike commuting here, per se. I’m talking about a crazy European concept called a “Bike Bus,” explained herein via the Streetsblog Wiki:
A Bike Bus is a group of cyclists riding together to a specific destination on a schedule with an experienced leader. Bike Buses are often formed by commuters who ride together to work. However, a Bike Bus can be adapted to go anywhere groups of riders want to go- church, shopping, the zoo, parks—If a road goes there, a Bike Bus can go there. It’s called a “bus” because there is a set route and timetable so it can pick up more “passengers” along the way.
How easy would it be to adapt this concept for kids in the upper grades in an elementary school, for example? With paseos running so close to schools in much of the valley, great weather for most of the year, and schools close to homes, a “bike bus” might be a solution that fits into Santa Clarita’s design perfectly.
Think of all the things this solves: kids get exercise, have fun on the way to school, noisy, dirty vehicle traffic is taken off the road and parents’ stress level goes down. Parental volunteers could lead the “bike bus” and coordinate with their schools while other parents coordinate the bus’ timetable and route. Best of all, students ride safely in a large group with parental supervision.
I know this idea wouldn’t eliminate all the awful traffic at arrival and dismissal time, but surely it could only help.
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No comment Jeff because all that needs to be said has been said. Please keep in mind that students were once able to ride the bus to school. We all know why that went away, yet the city has no problem allowing empty transit buses to drive around town until late in the evening. Get the Chamber of Commerce and the VIA to support using empty buses for bus service for schools and maybe you can see things improve. Save your ink on the bike program. Work on global warming first, I think you will have a better chance for success.
Cash,
City transit buses have nothing to do with school bus service. The yellow buses are operated by the school district. City transit buses recieve federal money and by law the federal funds restrict the use of dedicated school bus service by city transit buses for children 12 and under. The reason for this is because school bus drivers have additional training that is required to transport school kids. By law, you can’t have city transit buses being used as “elementary school bus service”.
So while your intention may be worthwhile, by federal law its not allowed. I like how you always blame the City for anyting thats wrong in this world. If you want school bus service back, you have to talk to the individual school districts.
Why does any student need a ride to a school within a 1/2 mile of their house? I live near 2 elementary schools and am amazed at my neighbors who fire up their enormous SUV to take their child 2 blocks to school. Most parents and offspring are also over weight. When did walking to school stop?
Two words explain why many parents who do not have the time to walk their kids, will give their kids a ride to school…Jaycee Dugard. Sure it is one in a million odds, but as parents we do not want our kid to be that one.
As to Jeff’s idea for kids biking to school on the paseo system as a group, it is a good idea. If adults could be found to supervise and the logistics worked out it could relieve congestion. For shools that have access only on busy streets, not such a good idea (think the Bouquet tragedy) because of the danger. In a urban area with slow speed limits and drivers who are used to sharing the road with cyclists, the concept works better. We pray for Jeffs safety everytime he mounts up.
I agree TimBen….When my kids walked or rode their bikes to school the first rule was they didn’t do it alone! Even when they become teenagers and feel they can ‘protect themselves’, the worry is still there.
The paseo system is great! They can access most schools and in the morning around those schools you’ll find some heavy paseo action, except on those rainy days; Oh to have rainy days again…oops, off subject.
We as parents should feel very fortunate that we have these safe walkways for our children. Over the hill in the SFV, most use very busy street sidewalks when traveling to school and the safety issue is even greater for them.
Getting from point A to point B on bikes, in theory, sounds great Jeff, but have you really done your shopping via bicycle? Try shopping for a family of 4 and getting the groceries home….No, really, try it…LOL
I read an article not long ago (maybe even here) that two dads got together and worked with the school to do bike riding promotions. They used a solar powered scanner at the school so kids could use the bar code affixed to their helmet to prove they rode their bikes and prizes were handed out. They were saying that 20 years ago about 80% of kids rode their bikes to school yet now it is only about 12%
I thought that was a great idea. The FEAR that parents have while understandable is really not statistically reasonable. Better to spend time to teach kids how to handle dangerous situations than tie them in front of the TV safe at home until they die at 40.
OMG! The kids might get too healthy and relieve our streets of hockey…errr soccer moms.
Julie Williams
Check again Julie. The city does transport school children. In fact they use that $750,000.00 double jointed bus and others. I did not say free service. How about the city be a bit more creative than just taking taxpayer money and using it to drive empty buses around the city. The city establishes were buses stop do they not. I know how the transit system is funded so save the lesson for your kids. We have a much better use for the 17 million or so that the city spends on bus service, empty bus service. And BTW Julie, tax dollars are tax dollar be they state, county, city or from the Federal government. In the case of the transit system, the city has stewardship over the tax dollars. They need to stop the waste, FED money or not..
Jane is right. Too many mommies are driving their young kids to school instead of walking or riding bikes with them. Unless you have a job or somewhere else you have to be immediately after dropping off the kids, walking or riding bikes is the best alternative for everyone.
Cash is right as well. The city could be doing more to make it feasible for kids to take city buses to and from school. I looked into having my junior high schooler ride the bus and found out she would have to transfer at the Newhall train station and it would take her an hour or more to make it home.
As to riding bikes, it is quite popular among boys at the junior high school level, but not so with the girls. The bike bus concept sounds cool . . . but until gas goes back up to $5.00 a gallon, I doubt there will be much interest in it here in the SCV.
Cash,
I never said the city didn’t transport kids. If you noticed all of those buses are for junior and high schools. As I said before, the city receives federal dollars that prohibits them from providing exclusive transportation for kids under 12. Jeff’s article is about elementary school age children. Only saying that while your idea is well intended, based on current regulations it is not possible.
Julie Williams
As I said before, the city needs to do a better job of spending our tax dollars. Running empty buses around town just because federal tax dollars pay for it is just pain dumb and irresponsible. Perhaps Ken Pulskamp could be creative for the taxpayers for A CHANGE, and find a way to better utilize the buses to provided better service to the parents that have school age children. No one said “exclusive transportation” for kids under 12 without qualified drivers. Maybe we could have a 21 point plan that would improve the delivery of services to the taxpayers. Heck, such a plan would offer at least the opportunity for two more junkets to DC.