Gilroy celebrated the spring installment of Bike to Work/School Day on May 14, the day when local commuters are asked to leave the car at home and find an alternative means of transit.
Nearly 40 percent of Bay Area commuters live within five miles of their workplace, according to the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, which is holding bike-centric events throughout the region in May.
The group states this is a manageable distance for even the most novice cyclists, but in Gilroy, where just 20 percent of residents work within city limits, the challenge to substitute the car or truck for a bike is obviously greater than tech workers living in the crux of Silicon Valley.
This is where local advocates, city staff and innovative school initiatives have stepped in.
At Las Animas Elementary School, where parents must contend with a neighborhood in flux as construction crews work all around the school, the administration has embraced a simple, but innovative program that aims to minimize traffic congestion during morning drop-off, while promoting healthy lifestyles.
“When you have private taxis dropping off students in the morning, you have an issue with traffic,” said Las Animas school principal, Sylvia Reyes.
The answer: a pilot program where once a month parent volunteers lead a “walking school bus” and walk a group of students the final few blocks to school. For the older kids, a “bicycle train” follows the same concept, this time with bikes.
Reyes said the program, which started in October, has been a great success.
“Our parents our wonderful,” said Reyes. “The program builds awareness and excitement and the early morning physical activity help with students’ concentration and energy levels.”
The school also hosts family nights where kids can learn about bike maintenance and get their bikes fixed for free. And for the class that has the most students participate in the monthly bike or walk to school activity, they get an award at the end of the year.
“The students get little treats so they notice that we are noticing,” said Reyes, adding that the school and program partners hope to extend the program to more days in the month.
“We have noticed a decline of traffic and congestion on those Wednesdays when the program runs,” she said. “Our parents and volunteers have done a fantastic job supporting our students in getting healthy.”
To ensure students are safe on their journey to school, city public works staff meet regularly with school district officials to assess the infrastructure needs of city schools, according to city Traffic and Transportation Engineering Manager, Henry Servin. Public works also meets with the school board four times a year.
At the start of each school year, Servin says, city staff reviews bell times and walking routes to schools and addresses requests for crosswalks, signage or any other necessary structure.
Servin is also the staff liaison for the city’s five-member pedestrian and bicycle safety commission, which works to promote bicycle safety in the city.
The commission hosts “bicycle rodeos” in collaboration with the Gilroy Police Department, where attendees learn the rules of the road and can get some free bike-centric treats in the process. At one of the rodeos, kids got a free bike helmet.
The commission also secured donations for critical signage along 6th street.
Servin says “share the road” signage or street markings are effective tools in bicycle safety.
“When motorists see designated bike lanes or “sharrows” (street markings) – any indicator that reminds them to share the road – they tend to drive safer, go slower and accident rates go down,” he said.
“A little investment in paint and signs go a long way,” he said.
Servin said the city is serious about making it easier for residents to walk or ride their bike in Gilroy.
“It has been the expression of the city council and residents that they want more bike lanes and we are working to provide that,” he said, adding that the city’s general plan has a bicycle and pedestrian master plan.
“Gilroy considers all residents needs – pedestrians and cyclists,” said Servin. “We are a very recreation-oriented community with over seven miles of bike trails and plans for 22 miles.”
Getting commuters out of their cars for the daily slog, may be more of a challenge.
Just 277 people in Gilroy get on a CalTrain daily to work or school, and of those, just over 30 regularly bike to the station, according to Servin.
This is in addition to commuters using the VTA Express bus routes or private bus services from the likes of Google or Yahoo!
“We are hoping that will increase,” he said.
