Latest VDOT SRTS Mini-grants awarded

VDOT just announced the awarding of several new $1,000 Quick Start Mini-grants. Congratulations to Laurel Ridge Elementary School located south of GMU. They received a grant to purchase bike racks to "Promote Biking to School." However, Fairfax County Public School staff have said they would provide bike racks to any school that needed them. We plan to find out details.

Congratulations also to Cunningham Park Elementary School in Vienna. They received funds for "Walking Wednesdays, Bike Rodeo, and Pedestrian and Bike Safety." Let's hope we'll be seeing more kids walking and biking to school this year.

FABB Safe Routes to School page

We recently created a FABB web page to summarize the various online Safe Routes to School resources, Safe Routes to School in Fairfax. Over the past couple of years FABB members have been working with an informal coalition of advocates to encourage more kids to bike to school. In order to accomplish that goal, we need safer bicycle routes, educated riders, and supportive parents and school staff.

There are many challenges but we've made some progress. See our blog posts about FABB's Safe Routes to School-related work. If you have ideas for other information that should be included on the page, let us know.

Fairfax school receives SRTS mini grant

Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean was one of four Virginia schools awarded $1,000 mini grants. They plan to purchase two bike racks. We've been in touch with the school and hope to meet with them to discuss bicycle safety classes and possible formation of a bike train. Congratulations to Kent Gardens.

The deadline for applying for the next round of Quick Start Mini-grants is December 20. The grants are great for holding bike rodeos, holding bike safety classes, or purchasing incentives for kids who participate in walk and bike to school days.

VDOT announces SRTS mini grants

The Virginia Safe Routes to School Program just announced Quickstart Mini-grants:

The Virginia Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program is now accepting applications for our new $1,000 QuickStart Mini-grants. These mini-grants are appropriate for communities that plan to start a SRTS program this fall, or for communities with an on-going SRTS program that need a little help with a SRTS event. Title 1 schools are encouraged to apply and will be given priority.

The first round of applications is due by September 6, 2012, and will be announced in mid-September, in time to support an International Walk to School Day event and related activities. Communities are encouraged to schedule their Walk to School Day events during the month of October. International Walk to School Day is Wednesday, October 3.

WAMU show on walking and biking

FABB member Jeff Anderson and his kids were featured on the WAMU radio show Metro Connection "From A To B: Families Try To Bring Back Walking, Biking To School." At about 1:45 into the program Jeff is interviewed.

I like the quote from his daughter Laurel: "I like doing it because we're not using energy and it's a lot of fun and I like getting exercise in the morning." Jeff: "We're trying to get the school system to restart their bike and pedestrian education that they used to give. So we kind of have like 10 years with kids, from what I can tell, who haven't been given the pedestrian and bike education that they used to get."

Christine Green of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership was also interviewed at about 4:25. She works to "bring all the players in the community together, that's the school system, transportation engineers, the planners, parents, the public health folks, community advocates" to help make it safer for kids to walk and bike to school.

May-June FABB Newsletter now available

MAY-JUNE 2012 FABB News

A bi-monthly publication of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling

www.fabb-bikes.org

County Bicycle Master Plan

The final stage of the Bicycle Master Plan process is underway. FABB representatives went to all eight of the bike plan area meetings, which were very well attended. To see the area meeting presentations and read a summary of comments made at the meetings visit the Bicycle Plan Materials & Resources page. See also FABB blog entries about the bicycle plan.

Based on the existing Bicycle Route Map and cyclist input, a draft bicycle route network is being developed. However, there is more to becoming a bicycle-friendly community than bicycle route network recommendations. Our culture needs to change through bicyclist and motorist education, adequate enforcement of existing traffic laws, and fun, social bicycle events. We also need to know how many people are bicycling and how bicycle mode share is changing over time through a bicyclist counting program. Policy and program recommendations to address these needs will also be part of the final plan.

A countywide public meeting to present the draft plan is slated for June. Cyclists will then have an opportunity to comment on the plan. Once the meeting date is determined it will be announced on the project events page and on the FABB Events page. The bicycle plan will set the stage for bicycling in the County for the next 30 years. Having a comprehensive list of projects, programs, and policies in the plan is extremely important.

Fairfax County Budget
Thanks to all of you who wrote to the Board of Supervisors asking them to fund the Bicycle Program. Each Board member received more than 300 letters . FABB also testified before the Board at the budget hearings. After the hearings we met with Lee District Supervisor McKay to make our case for funding the Bicycle Program once again.

Despite the letters and testimony, the Board decided against any funding for the Bicycle Program, which means the program has no operating funds. Some money is available for projects from the Commercial & Industrial tax funds, but little money is available for such activities as bicycle education and encouragement, a bicycle counting program, and other non-infrastructure activities.

While we didn't succeed in getting funds for the program, we know that the Board heard from cyclists loud and clear that more needs to be done to make Fairfax a safer, more convenient place to bike. In our meeting with Supervisor McKay we suggested that Fairfax could benefit from a program similar to BikeArlington. At the May 1 Board of Supervisors meeting he presented a Board Matter asking staff to determine how Fairfax could implement such a program.

FABB Rides
This year we are planning several special rides and we're inviting all FABB supporters who are WABA members to join us (our insurance is through WABA). The first ride will be a social, no drop ride to the Udvar-Hazy Center the see the Space Shuttle Discovery on Saturday May 5. We plan to hold several similar rides (e.g. history of the W&OD Trail, cargo bike ride, Tysons tour, etc.) throughout the year that we'll announce on the FABB Events page.

Tour de Fat
Is DC ready for the Tour de Fat? For the first time the cycle-themed "carnival" will be held in DC this year at Yards Park on Saturday, June 16. The festival starts in the morning with a costumed bicycle parade. The day is filled with fun, bicycle-oriented activities. Tour de Fat is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Ale. They donate proceeds of Tour de Fat to local bike advocacy groups and FABB is one of the beneficiaries.

We need your help. FABB has agreed to provide volunteers to issue wristbands. We need several more volunteers in the morning (9 a.m. - 1 p.m.) and afternoon (1 p.m. - 5 p.m.). If you want to join the fun and help raise some money for FABB, please consider volunteering for Tour de Fat. To volunteer send an email to chairman@fabb-bikes.org.

Safe Routes to School - Bike to School Day May 9
The first ever National Bike to School Day is being celebrated around the U.S. on Wednesday, May 9. At least a dozen Fairfax County schools are participating, including Wolftrap and Marshall Road Elementary Schools, which will run bike trains that day. Is your local school participating?

FABB and other organizations participated in the Safe Routes to School National Training Course held at Herndon Middle School on April 26. The group learned strategies for developing SRTS programs in Fairfax and FABB members had a chance to network with staff from Fairfax County Public Schools, Police, VDOT, and parents and to discuss next steps for SRTS in Fairfax.

FABB reps also attended meetings on the Fairfax Co Public Schools Strategic Facilities Plan to discuss the importance of properly planning non-motorized access to our schools. We also pointed out the hidden costs and negative impact of building kiss & ride facilities. Why not take a minute to comment on the plan goals.

Fairfax County Parkway Trail
Several sections of the Fairfax Co Parkway are being repaved. VDOT held public meetings on the repaving and many cyclists turned out to argue that the adjacent trail should also be repaved. VDOT told us that the trail is not part of the repaving project, but they understand that the trail is in bad shape and needs to be repaved.

FABB members did an assessment of the trail that VDOT will use to help prioritize sections of the trail needing repaving if funds become available.

REI Donates Gear to FABB
REI donated bike panniers that will help us haul outreach literature and other materials that we use at community events where we discuss our work, answer questions, provide routing advice, and encourage cyclists to support FABB. This is our second donation from REI. Thanks to REI and especially to Rhonda Krafchin, Outreach Coordinator at REI Fairfax.

Bike Month
May is Bike Month and as you can see below, the month is packed with a long list of events. WABA is holding their major event of the year, BikeFest on Friday, May 11. This year the event will be held at Eastern Market in DC. Come on out and support the work of WABA, which is the sponsor of FABB. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and live music, and check out entries in this year's Bikebuild contest.  Register online.

Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 18. Register at biketoworkdaymetrodc.org and sign up for one of the 60 pit stop locations in the Metro DC area. If you're attending a Fairfax pit stop, why not invite your county Supervisor to join you?

FABB Fact: 47% of Americans say they would like more bike facilities in their communities. Source: National Survey of Bicyclist and Pedestrian Attitudes and Behavior by Dawn Royal and Darby Miller-Steiger, NHTSA.

Events - For full details see the FABB Events Page

Thursday, May 3, 6:00pm - VDOT Six-Year Plan Meeting
Saturday, May 5, 9:00am - FABB ride to Udvar-Hazy Center
Sunday, May 6, 9:00am - Bike Rodeo at Wolftrap Elementary School
Wednesday, May 9 - National Bike to School Day
Thursday, May 10 - I-66 Multimodal Study Comment Period Ends
Friday, May 11, 8:00pm - WABA's BikeFest
Saturday, May 12, 3:00pm - Bike Rodeo at Oak View Elementary School
Monday, May 14- Friday, May 18 - Vienna Schools Bike/Walk Challenge Week
Wednesday, May 16, 7:30pm - FABB monthly meeting
Friday, May 18 - Bike to Work Day
Tuesday, May 22, 7:00pm - School Facility Planning Meeting
Saturday, June 16 - Tour de Fat
Wednesday, June 20, 7:30pm - FABB monthly meeting
Tuesday, June 26-29, Velo-city Global 2012

FABB BLOG - For other news and articles of interest, visit the FABB blog.

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Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling is a grassroots initiative, sponsored by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, aiming to make bicycling an integral part of Fairfax County's transportation network. Visit us on the web.

NPR feature on biking to school

Eric, 7, Laurel 9, and Carina Anderson, 9, of Vienna, VA

David Darlington recently wrote an article in Bicycling magazine, The Fight to Let Kids Ride to School. Darlington was the featured guest on the show Talk of the Nation, What's Lost When Kids Don't Ride Bikes to School.

Several commenters on the program lament the fact that they live close to school but it's not safe to bike there. That's what happens when we plan schools without properly planning non-motorized access to surrounding areas.

Other comments related to the cool factor; how to make bicycling socially acceptable:

But when I was a kid, like you just said, I rode to school. And there's a difference today, it seems, between recreation and transportation. A lot of kids still ride bikes, but they kind of do it with their parents on the weekend for fun. But the idea of actually using a bicycle to get somewhere is alien to them. Oliver Robinson, who is the superintendent of schools in Clifton Park, just south of Saratoga Springs, who has done a lot of great things there for kids and bikes, he admitted to me that even his own sons, they ride up and down the street for an hour for fun. And then they come inside and say, Dad, drive me to the store to get a Gatorade.
...
LUDDEN: So in other words, we need some campaign to make bike riding cool?

DARLINGTON: Yeah, and that's what Safe Routes to School tries to do. Robert Ping, the Portland organizer for them, said that's exactly - that is his number one priority when they come into a community, is to try and - they try to stress the cool factor. They figure out what it is, what's going to make bicycling seem cool in this town.

Regarding the cool factor, isn't it ironic that one of the first thing that high school kids purchase when getting to college is a bicycle, something they wouldn't be caught dead with in high school?

The Bicycling article discusses the challenges of riding to school in a suburban New York community (although the photo from the article, above, features the children of FABB's Jeff Anderson):

"Kids on bikes are still made to feel like second-class citizens here," Olson observed. "Look at the size of the space in front of the school—it should have a sheltered bike-parking area. Instead the kids have to park by the road and walk back through three crossings of this busy entrance. They're made to feel as if they're in some suburban parking lot—which is exactly where they are. At really good schools, they would be welcomed—the principal would be out here, and there would be a system for counting how many days a kid has ridden, and a prize for the person who walks or bikes the most. But this school isn't doing that."

Update 3 May 2012: See a followup article from Robert Ping of the SRTS National Partnership, A National Conversation About Bicycling to School.

National SRTS training course in Herndon

Join community leaders, school officials, health and transportation professionals, law enforcement officers, parents and neighbors for this opportunity for Herndon Middle School.

The course provides participants with the knowledge and skills to develop sound SRTS Programs based on community needs and conditions, best practices and responsible use of resources. The day concludes with participants developing an action plan.

The course is offered free of charge with lunch and snacks provided. Course size is limited so register early. Online registration available. See a copy of the SRTS training flier.

See an earlier FABB blog post about the bicycle program at Herndon MS.

FABB's Jeff Anderson profiled in VDOT SRTS newsletter

Jeff Anderson

Jeff Anderson has been organizing bike trains at Wolftrap Elementary School for several years. Wolfie's Bike Train runs several times a year. Jeff has also been instrumental this year in working with FABB, WABA, Trails for Youth and others to encourage Fairfax County Public Schools to get more involved in the Safe Routes to School Program.

Jeff is profiled in the latest edition of the Virginia Safe Routes to School Winter Newsletter. As you can see from the photo on the right that Jeff is also a cyclocross racer, but we won't hold that against him. Here's the interview from the newsletter:

Friends and Faces

Jeff Anderson is a parent of three children, all of whom bike to school at Wolftrap Elementary School in Vienna. Jeff spearheads the school's Safe Routes to School program, and as his photo shows, is a cyclocross racer in the mid-Atlantic region.

How did you get involved in SRTS?
It was by accident, really. My wife, kids and I are great bike enthusiasts. So when my oldest child started first grade at Wolftrap Elementary School, biking to school was a given. The only glitch was that the school lacked a bike rack. Two weeks after asking the principal about it, the rack appeared! Shortly after that I started a bike train, comprised mostly of my daughter's friends and some neighborhood kids. The bike train now operates monthly over a nearly 2-mile route.

I wasn't totally unaware of SRTS at the time, so I talked with someone at another school about their SRTS program. That got things started for me and now I understand what the states' SRTS program is and how the program can help Wolftrap. I work with the school's PTA to promote SRTS. The PTA is very supportive and is an outlet to the school community about SRTS events and activities.

Other than enjoying biking, why is SRTS important to you?
I am committed to getting more students to walk and bike to school as a way to reduce the number of cars around the school during arrival and dismissal. All three of my children are at Wolftrap - in 5th, 3rd and 1st grade - so I'm in it for the long haul and believe that by the time my 1st grader leaves Wolftrap, things will be very different. My vision is for 20 or more bikes in the racks most days. We now have two racks, but we'll need a third with that many kids biking to school. And, I would like to see kiss and ride used as a convenience, not as the main mechanism for kids getting to school. This would greatly reduce the 90-100 cars using Wolftrap's Kiss & Ride each school day.

Is the school principal supportive?
Because principals have a lot of decision-making power, they can often influence decisions parents make about how their kids get to school.Our school principal has been great. She really understands SRTS and supports the program. Most importantly, she trusts parents to do the right thing in setting up and running programs and activities. This is key for SRTS successes at any school. Our principal's support for SRTS comes from her own active lifestyle. She runs marathons and is very visible about promoting health and well-being in the school. She understands the importance of educating the whole child. For example, she didn't object to the bike/walk challenge we held during SOL testing week, joining in our walking and biking to school activities.

How do the students feel about SRTS?
They love it. They get very excited about the bike and walk challenge, creating meeting points for walking and biking to school. They especially love the comraderie that comes with walking and biking to school together. Unlike the past, this initial socialization happens on the way to school, not in homeroom. Our students' enthusiasm is contagious! School board members, state delegate (Mark Keem), and a couple local professional bike racers have all joined in.

Have you applied for infrastructure funds to improve the walking and biking conditions around Wolftrap?
No, Wolftrap has good sidewalks around the school. The infrastructure is the easy stuff; county engineers know how to do this. It's the education and encouragement which is harder.

So, how have you tackled the need for education and encouragement?
We received a $2,000 grant from Prevention Connections and will host our first bike rodeo in April 2012. This is a logical growth of our past work. For example, in 2010 we held a series of events during the May National Bike to Work week, such as a bike education workshop for students and parents, and after school events with the police department. It was the second year of our Bike and Walk Challenge Week, which we have continued since its inception in 2009. I started the Bike and Walk Challenge Week with the goal of creating a friendly competition among classes at Wolftrap Elementary School and other Vienna schools to see which could get more kids to walk or bike. During the week, we challenged parents to not drive their kids to school. We counted kids walking and biking to school, and those arriving by car. As the week progressed, we reached a 50% reduction in the number of students arriving by car and about ½ the kids either walked or biked to school by the end of the week.

Who else do you work with on SRTS at the school and in the larger community?
I am really proud to say that the entire Wolftrap Community has been involved, including the PTA. PTA members help get out information about our SRTS program and actively participates. For example, PTA members count kids and cars during the challenge week. A couple of parents help - regardless if the temperature is 19 degrees or 90 degrees!

What about the school division?
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is really beginning to engage in SRTS. Working with the Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB), Trails for Youth, the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA), FCPS supported International Walk to School Day in October 2011, resulting in 26 schools participating in event activities. Our goal is for 50 schools to participate in the 2012 event. Another sign of their support is a change in the criteria for the division's Golden Wellness Award. Schools apply for the award, ranking themselves in areas such as recycling and student health. In the past, the application didn't provide credit for walking and biking to school. But, we successfully lobbied for a change in the application. Now, walking and biking to school is included in language for the health and well-being awards. In addition, the FCPS School Board recently passed new school policy that puts decision-making about how children get to school firmly in the hands of parents. The policy also adds bicycling education to the existing pedestrian and bus safety education.

Fairfax Co and Vienna schools receive SRTS funding

The VDOT Safe Routes to School program recently announced the schools that received funds from the program for 2012. Terra Centre Elementary School is located on Burke Centre Parkway. They received funds for Bike/ped crossing improvements. Cunningham Elementary School in Vienna, located on Park Street, received funds for new sidewalks. Congratulations to both schools and especially to parents whose hard work helped get the applications completed and submitted.

Each application requires completion of a School Travel Plan. These take a great deal of work, usually by parents with help from either county or town staff. These plans are required for all grants, those for non-infrastructure funds used for encouragement activities, and for infrastructure funds to build such things as sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and trails. We're hoping this requirement is eased for non-infrastructure funds in the next round of funding.

Safe Routes to School Program funding was removed in the most recent version of the Transportation Bill that passed the House of Representatives. The Senate could vote on it's version of the bill later this week. It's not too late to contact your Senators to ask them to restore SRTS funding as proposed by amendment 1549.

Ride to promote Safe Routes to School

Four young women are riding bikes cross country from Florida to San Francisco to raise money for the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Communities program and for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. Organizer of the ride Jeanie Ward-Waller currently lives in DC. The group leaves Key West on Saturday, Feb. 4. You can follow their progress on the Ride American for Safe Routes website.

It's a cruel irony that the U. S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is voting today on a Transportation Bill that would cut most funding for bicycling and pedestrian projects, including the Safe Routes to School Program.

Transportation bill cuts bike and ped funding

From bicyclesigns.com

The federal Transportation bill that was released yesterday will effectively eliminate dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. According to an email message sent yesterday by the League of American Bicyclists:

Moments ago, Congressman John Mica (R-FL) announced the introduction of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act. The proposed bill eliminates dedicated funding for bicycling and walking as we feared, and it goes much further and systematically removes bicycling from the Federal transportation program. It basically eliminates our status and standing in the planning and design of our transportation system -- a massive step backwards for individuals, communities and our nation. It's a step back to a 1950s highway- and auto-only program that makes no sense in the 21st century.

The bill reverses 20 years of progress by:

• destroying Transportation Enhancements by making it optional;
• repealing the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school;
• allowing states to build bridges without safe access for pedestrians and bicycles;
• eliminating bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs; and
• eliminating language that insures that rumble strips "do not adversely affect the safety or mobility of bicyclists, pedestrians or the disabled."

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will vote on the bill on Thursday. Representatives Petri (R-WI) and Johnson (R-IL) will sponsor an amendment that restores dedicated funding for Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School. There are no Virginia representatives on the T&I Committee. However, you can take action. See the LAB Advocacy page for suggested next steps.

DRAFT VDOT Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan

The VDOT Safe Routes to School coordinator just released the DRAFT Virginia Safe Routes to School Five-Year Strategic Plan 2011-2016. Comments are being collected until February 17.

We have not yet had a chance to read the details. This is from the one-page summary at the beginning of the report:

In the short term,

• The Program Structure will remain as is, with all program elements managed by VDOT’s Central Office.
• Outreach and Education efforts will focus on aggressive outreach with existing resources, guided by an annual communication plan (developed separately from the Strategic Plan), and by optimizing partnerships with other state agencies.
• Project Application and Selection will focus on re‐instating the non‐infrastructure application program.
• Project Implementation and Management will become more streamlined and include clearer guidance.
• Project Close‐out will become a more reliable and predictable process for the State SRTS Coordinator and grantees.
• Evaluation and Measurement will include processes to generate information about project effectiveness.
• SRTS Program Sustainability will provide greater support for VDOT staff working on SRTS projects and begin to identify ways to create self‐sustainable local SRTS Programs.

Beyond 12 months, the anticipated changes include:

• A revised Program Structure that expands the SRTS Advisory Committee’s role, especially with respect to project selection.
• A more flexible Outreach and Education plan, according to demand by local SRTS Programs and within existing resources.
• Program Sustainability efforts that focus on making SRTS a part of standard operating procedures for VDOT and participating localities.

Fairfax Co School Board modifies bike to school policy

On Thursday the Fairfax County School Board modified the policy on biking and walking to school. The new policy clarifies that parents make the final decision as to whether their children bike to school. It also added language that encourages kids to walk and bike to school

Prior to their action, the school system did not have a clear policy regarding whether kids were allowed to bike to school. At some schools students were banned from biking:

Recognizing the health benefits, FCPS encourages parents to consider having their children walk and/or ride a bicycle to and from school using existing infrastructure. This parental decision is not subject to review by the principal. Ultimately, parents have the responsibility for selecting their children’s routes to and from bus stops, schools, and home. Parents are also responsible for providing supervision that is appropriate for the student's age, maturity and conditions of the chosen route. The unique procedures for kindergarten students are addressed in the current version of Regulation 8617.

The second part of the change relates to retaining bike and ped safety education, which is part of the Grade 1, 5, and 7 curriculum. Until a few years ago School Education Officers rotated through the elementary schools and taught bike safety classes. The classes were dropped when the program was cut.

It's critical that kids are taught how to safely walk and bike along our streets. We can't advocate in good faith to get more kids on bikes unless we ensure they receive safety education. We also think they will be better teen drivers if they learn the rules of the road at an early age.

The old policy was outdated and needed to be replaced. It didn't include bike safety and it referenced the school education officers. Here's the new policy:

Safety Education: The school system will ensure that programs of walking, bicycling and bus safety education shall be established and maintained for students in the elementary schools. Such programs shall be conducted in accordance with Virginia Department of Education curriculums and guidelines. Staff members will provide general safety information to school communities and respond to requests for specific information and advice when practicable.

FABB has been advocating for these changes for the past two years. Thanks to Jeff Anderson, a member of FABB who leads Wolfie's bike train (see photo above), who lead this effort.

Thanks to the School Board and the Facilities and Transportation staff for their support for the Safe Routes to School Program and for encouraging more kids to walk and bike to school. Much more needs to be done but we're setting the foundation for the future.

The challenge now is how to find the resources to ensure that bike safety is taught in all 138 elementary schools. Safe Routes to School grants would help as would reinstatement of the School Education Officers, as was recommended by the School Health Advisory Committee last year.

Read more details about the policy changes. Now, about bikes being a prohibited student activity...

Safe Routes to School in Fairfax

As we've mentioned in the past, FABB has been working closely with school officials to encourage more kids to walk and bike to school. See a summary of this work written by Gina Arlotto of WABA.

We were encouraged to read about Safe Routes to Schools in the Fairfax County School System publication State of the Schools - December 2011 and we especially liked Superintendent Dale's comments:

Fairfax County Public Schools is proud to participate in Safe Routes to Schools, an international effort to encourage more families to get out of their cars and onto their feet to enjoy the many benefits of safely walking and bicycling to school. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school and to work with their PTA or PTO to organize walking events.

"Walking is a simple way to incorporate exercise into your day," said FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale. "We encourage all FCPS students and families to participate in this program and walk or bike to school whenever possible."

The program promotes physical activity, pedestrian safety, and concern for the environment. Several Fairfax County public schools have established a Safe Routes to School program and participate in bike and walk to school challenges.

Thanks to FCPS for embracing Safe Routes to School and we look forward to seeing more kids walking and biking to school in the future. For more info see the Fairfax SRTS Facebook page and the Fairfax schools Walk to School site.

Safe Routes to School in Fairfax

Wolfie's Bike Train riders

Gina Arlotto of WABA recently posted a good summary of all the progress being made by Fairfax County in getting more kids to walk and bike to school on the WABA blog, "Safe Routes to School Moving Forward in Fairfax County Public Schools!":

FCPS will add SRTS specific language to their “Golden Wellness Award” scorecard, which is used to determine how closely the individual schools are implementing the FCPS Health and Wellness Policy. This sought after award will now include specific recommended activities, like Walking Wednesdays, Bike Trains, Walking School Buses, participation in International Walk to School Day (IWTSD) as well as Bike to School Day.

In addition, delivery of bicycle and pedestrian safety education at the individual school will be a required element in order to win the award. The schools system’s 95210 A Day (9 hours of sleep, 5 fruits and vegetables, less than 2 hours of screen time, at least 1 hour of exercise and 0 sugary drinks) will be updated to include walking or bicycling to school as a suggested activity to get to the 1 hour daily activity goal.

FCPS has also agreed to create and host a SRTS focused webpage with resources for school administrators, parents, community champions and children who would like to see more SRTS activities at their school. This site will include policy, curriculum standards and sample lesson plans, state and local contacts, grant application resources, sample newsletter articles and resources for planning walking and bicycling events.

FCPS will also prepare scripts and create videos specifically geared to youth bicycling and safe pedestrian practices for the Fairfax County public access television channels as well as the internal FCPS channels.

FCPS officials also committed to working in tandem with Fairfax County transportation planners to submit an application for a SRTS non-infrastructure grant in the spring and also agreed to begin the process of determining which school locations would most benefit from an infrastructure grant, when the application is revised and those grant opportunities announced.

Thanks to Gina and other members of our team for all the hard work that is making a difference in the county.

Graham Road Elementary School Bike Day

Kids receiving new helmets.

Several FABB members were present yesterday for the first Graham Road Elementary School Bike Day in Falls Church. This event was organized by a group of local parents including Phillip Troutman and Betsy Scoto-Lavino after they successfully won a $2000 mini-grant from Prevention Connections. They used the grant proceeds to purchase equipment including bike repair stands, tools, pumps, as well as 100 helmets to support an ongoing bike to school program.

On Sunday, over 40 students brought along their bikes and participated in various biking stations and activities at the school including:

• A bike safety check and adjustment where they learned about the ABC-Spin Check and how to pump air and clean and lube their chain.
• A helmet check and fitting with many receiving a new or replacement helmet.
• An skills obstacle course complete with cones, hoops and slow biking challenge
• A two-mile group ride through the neighborhood with instruction about safe on-street riding
• Children were very engaged and many whole families attended and enjoyed the fun. 

Lining up for the bike ride.

The kids had fun and learned bike safety and handling skills. Currently, 90 percent of all the students walk to the school daily, the highest rating for any school in Fairfax. The school is set to relocate to a new building in the new school year which will increase the rate of busing for students.

 Graham Road ES parents plan to organize to make a Safe Routes to School application for the school in the next round of grant funding to improve walking and biking access to the new school building. Congratulations to the parents of Graham Road ES on their successful work acquiring funds and providing education and safety equipment to the students of this neighborhood.

Posted by FABB member Fionnuala Quinn.

Walk and Bike to School Day coverage

Walk and Bike to School Day in Fairfax was a great success. This is the first year the event was held and over 20 schools participated. Vienna Patch has an extensive article about the event: Video and Photos: Walk To School Day In Vienna; Hundreds of students turn out for international awareness day.

"In 1969, 60 percent of children bike or walked to school. Today, only 13 percent," said Anderson, who began Wolfie's Bike Train and continues to lead it. "It's another tree in the forest of things we're trying to reinstill in our children ... namely a healthy lifestyle, eating well, getting out and walking." 

At Kilmer Middle School — which received a new set of bike racks for its growing population of student bike commuters last June — school staff ran out of the "tickets" they gave to each child that walked or biked to school. The students wrote their name on the ticket and hung it on a banner, in exchange for a granola bar and a bottle of water. "We have a lot of students that just get dropped off by their parents and they live close enough to walk or ride," said Kilmer Middle School employee Brian Herberger. "It seemed like we should encourage them to get some fresh air and get some exercise."

 For Vienna Elementary School, this year's International Walk To School Day kicked off a new program called "Walking Wednesdays," a day that will encourage students to walk to class every week. Caffe Amouri donated coffee to parents who dropped their kids off on foot.

GGW post on walking and biking to school

GGW published an article we wrote on walking and biking to school, Reducing school traffic would help rush hour congestion. International Walk and Bike to School Day is tomorrow and it's worth pondering what rush hour traffic would be like if most kids used the form of transportation recommended by the schools instead of having parents drive them.

 Not only would it relieve rush hour traffic, kids would get more exercise and learn they don't always need to use a car to get around. The article generated a number of thoughtful comments.

FCPS embraces International Walk and Bike to School system wide in 2011

The following article was recently sent out by the Fairfax County Council of PTAs to help promote International Walk and Bike to School Day on October 5:

Over the past year, interested parents, citizens and representatives of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB), Washington Area Bicycling Association (WABA) and Trails for Youth have been meeting with leaders from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the FCPS School Board, the FCCPTA and the Fairfax County Education Coalition (FEC) to encourage FCPS to address the decline in children walking and biking to school.

As a result of these meetings FCPS is embracing a system wide promotion of International Walk to School Day on October 5, 2011. Students in Fairfax County public schools will participate in International Walk to School Day in an effort to promote physical activity and reduce traffic congestion and pollution near schools.

Superintendent Jack D. Dale and Fairfax County Executive Tony Griffin are joining forces to encourage county residents to participate in International Walk to School Day. “Walking is a simple way to incorporate physical activity into your day,” said Dale. “We encourage all FCPS students and families to participate in this day and to use walking or biking as a means of getting to school whenever possible.”

All students at all school levels are encouraged to walk or bike to school or walk to their bus stop on October 5. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school and to work with their school and PTA or PTO to assemble walking groups for the event. Schools that want to participate can register online at the Walk to School website.

We need your assistance in getting the word out so that local schools can join with the 6 that have already signed up and started their planning for International Walk to School Day. In addition, the FCCPTA passed a resolution earlier this year in support of Safe Routes to School.

In 1969, approximately 50% of children walked or bicycled to school and 87% of children living within one mile of school did. Today, fewer than 15% of school children walk or bicycle to school. As a result, kids today are less active, less independent, and less healthy. So as to better understand how to find solutions to this 35% decrease, FCPS has created a Safe Routes to School working group made up of FCPS and County employees, members of the community from the groups mentioned and the Fairfax County Police Department.

Wolftrap Elementary School and Vienna Elementary School are two of several Fairfax County public schools to establish a Safe Routes to School program and participate in bike and walk to school initiatives. Wolftrap began its program with general bike and walking education for all students, moved its Kiss and Ride drop off and pick up spots in order to separate automobile traffic from pedestrian traffic and established a monthly run Wolfie's bike train where students bike to school together when weather permits. Vienna is embarking on a plan to create Walking Wednesdays and has applied for a grant to install missing sidewalks along many of its walking routes.

Both combined efforts with Cunningham Park Elementary School in May 2011 to have a Bike and Walk to School Challenge between the three schools. Over the course of the week 400 children biked and 2100 walked to school and each school saw KissNRide drop off near 50%. Several public officials joined in during the week and some shared their perspective on walking to school. In addition, you can read about how the installation of a bridge near Kilmer Middle School ultimately led to more bikers and their PTA installing a rack.

For more information, read up on Safe Routes on the FABB site or see the FCPS Walk to School site and Fairfax SRTS Facebook page or contact srts@fabb-bikes.org.

See the Walk and Bike to School Day flier that can be printed out and posted or handed out at your school.