Letter: Gilroy aims to keep students safe traveling to school

Elementary school classrooms and campuses build the foundation of civic duties and community. Since 2015, through the adopted Safe Routes to School Action Plan the City of Gilroy, the Gilroy Unified School District, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, individual schools, families and other community members have been working to enable children and youth to safely walk and bike to school throughout Gilroy. 

Safe Routes to School aims to create safe, convenient and fun opportunities for students to walk, bike and roll to and from school. In the recent past, principals would coordinate directly with organizations regarding assemblies and programs, as each campus has unique schedules, cultures, identities and activities. 

There was a tragic accident that took place Jan. 16, shortly after 8am near Cydney Casper Park and Las Animas Elementary School in the Glen Loma neighborhood (D3), where a teenage driver struck and killed parents Andrew and Stacia Stuart who had just dropped their child off at school. 

The City of Gilroy in response identified $229,000 in TDA 3 funds from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for traffic safety improvements and pedestrian/bicyclist safety around Las Animas Elementary School. 

We have a documented need through an independent Las Animas Elementary School Area Study that was made public at the June 15 Gilroy City Council meeting. The report cited unsafe street crossing outside of crosswalks, unsafe driving and more. 

The State of California recently updated its rules for setting school zone speed limits through Assembly Bill 382. These updates are designed to streamline local safety efforts and strengthen protections for students walking, biking and traveling near schools. 

City staff evaluated every public school site, developed a comprehensive signage plan and took all essential steps to safely and effectively roll out the new reduced speed limits. This, along with several other city initiatives, is us saying yes to an all-of-the-above approach.

After months of advocacy to GUSD Board Trustees and GUSD Superintendent, I am encouraged to read the re-affirmation in the latest monthly update from GUSD: “Please slow down, follow posted speed limits and observe all safety rules. We are grateful for our continued partnership with the Gilroy Police Department, as we identify areas of concern and share important reminders about pedestrian and bicycle safety. 

“We are also collaborating on the development of safety assemblies for our schools to help reinforce these important practices with our students.”

GUSD has the continued support from a broad coalition. Safety assemblies focused around traffic, biking and walking can help compliment and support Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP) requirements, under California Education Code section 32280-32289.5.

We are actively embracing, advancing ideas and projects that promote the concept of free-range people in the City of Gilroy. We advocate for building and planning that considers future generations as well as current residents who don’t own cars. 

Advancing mobility options reflects what we are teaching the youth in our community through Safe Routes to School and why we are nationally recognized as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American Bicyclists, as well as recognized by the World Health Organization as an Age-Friendly Community.

As GUSD continues down the path of declining enrollment and potential school closures, this creates impacts that weren’t originally designed and mitigated for at their existing campuses—especially when you have parents and students traveling farther distances outside of their home school boundaries or granted permission for interdistrict transfers to programs offered at schools outside of their home schools. 

We need GUSD to help mitigate these impacts their schools bring in conjunction with us.

Zach Hilton

Gilroy City Councilmember