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Bike to School: In Monterey County and elsewhere

Biking to school with the dog in tow can make it a little tricky to follow the kids’ good lead, staying in the proper lane.

The mom above has found it’s more than worthwhile to bike her kids to school. And lucky them–their route includes this awesome Class I bike path, part of the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.

Why bike?

If you’re thinking, “Biking is great, but I want my kids to focus on their studies first and foremost,” consider that “Active Kids = Smarter Kids.”  More links about that below.  “What’s lost when kids don’t bike to school?”  David Darlington responded to that question on National Public Radio, May 2, 2012. Hear the 16-minute audio or read the transcript at NPR.org.

Safe Routes to School:  Activity in Monterey County

Ride America for Safe Routes visitors were in Monterey County April 26, 2012.  They made a presentation at Jack Franscioni Elementary School in Soledad, then did the bike-and-ride to Monterey, where they camped at Veterans Park.  Click here for photos from their visit on this site.

Jack Franscioni Elementary School, Soledad

Students greet the Ride for Safe Routes visitors

See “Safe Routes to School” contacts for Monterey County in Section 19 of the Bicycle Shops, Services, Clubs, and Resources page.  Be aware that these leaders–working for the Monterey County Health Department and the City of Monterey–are working hard to accomplish a variety of job responsibilities during times of austere budgets.  Ask if there is something you can do to help!

What kids are biking to school in Monterey County?

Pacific Grove Middle School teacher Dessa Murphy is happy that many PG middle schoolers are biking to school.  This physical education teacher knows the many benefits of biking, and she’s an avid cyclist herself!

Pacific Grove Middle School

Many schools around the country have a “bike cage” that is locked by personnel at beginning and end of the day.  Although PG Middle’s handbook encourages personal bike locks inside the cage anyway, schools nationwide recognize that making a locked “bike cage” available has the advantage of accommodating kids whose families cannot afford bicycle locks. 

La Paz Middle School, Salinas

In Monterey County, you can see another “bike cage” at La Paz Middle School in Salinas.  Even on a winter morning (the photo below was taken on January 10, 2012), La Paz  had students who biked to school and made use of the school’s helpful bike security measure. 

La Paz and other schools providing such bike-friendly resources are doing a lot to build students’ health–including preventing obesity and diabetes (as North Monterey County and South Santa Cruz County teen advocates for physical activity know), and much more. There’s even evidence that girls who bike had higher test scores! For more benefits, see “Why bike.”

Want to enjoy the views of those beautiful Gabilan mountains, as the children biking to school do?  See tips for bicycling in Salinas.  Want to help get more youth on bikes?  See “Salinas youth and others for bikes:  Bikes make life better!”

Salinas High School

Salinas High School has the only high school mountain biking team in the county!  It is a co-ed team, the Salinas High School Cowboy Racing Mountain Bike Team.  Read about them on this site.

Salinas High Cowboy Racing 2012 team  photo courtesy of Jeff Lindenthal

2012 Team Photo – Salinas High Cowboys

Stevenson School

Stevenson School (formerly Robert Louis Stevenson School/RLS) points out to their high school students that biking is a great way to experience the natural beauty of the Monterey Peninsula.  Stevenson highlights local biking resources in their website’s Student Life section for the Pebble Beach campus (grades 9-12), under suggested Weekend Activities.  Clearly Stevenson School leaders recognize how biking benefits youth, and they want their students to experience the many benefits of bicycling.

Highlight other bike-friendly Monterey County schools

Add a comment to this post about other Monterey County schools with bike activities or events, good bike parking, or other support for student bicyclists–or a need for it.  Share a photo of bicycles, bike racks, or students or staff biking at local schools.  (Contact me and arrange to email a photo.)

Got teacher?

League of American Bicyclists local instructor Frank Henderson is available to come to Monterey County and Monterey Bay region schools and events.

For related info on this site, see:

Consider that many kids in our county can’t afford bikes; maybe you can help!

Elsewhere in the Monterey Bay region

Support the Green Ways to School program of our Santa Cruz neighbors by attending the fundraiser film showing of Bicycle Dreams, 12/8/11.

Additional Safe Routes to School support

Having participated in two recent Safe Routes to School webinars (Webinars 3 and 6 below), I know these resources are typically full of helpful info.  Please refer to the bottom of this post for links.

Monterey County mom who bikes her kids to school
Del Rey Oaks resident Susan Ragsdale-Cronin bikes her daughters to school  regularly. 

The information below is excerpted
from Safe Routes to School’s Dec 2011 E-News:

Resources from Six-Part SRAM Bicycling Webinar Series Available Online
Access them at www.saferoutespartnership.org/SRAM-Bicycling-Webinars

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership hosted a six-part webinar series in 2011 that focused on bicycling and Safe Routes to School. A special thanks to the SRAM Cycling Fund for making this series possible. Hundreds of people attended each of the webinars.

A complete list of the webinars is below. Click the links below to watch a recording of the webinar and download the webinar’s tip sheet, PowerPoint slides and Q&A sheet.

  • Webinar 1: Getting Bike Shops and Advocates to Collaborate on Safe Routes to School
  • Webinar 2: Organizing Successful Bike Trains
  • Webinar 3: Bicycle Parking, Storage, and Security at Schools
  • Webinar 4: Funding, Organizing and Maintaining Bicycle Fleets
  • Webinar 5: Nonprofit Advocacy Organizations and Safe Routes to School
  • Webinar 6: Strategies for Increasing Bicycling in Low-Income Communities

A note to philanthropists

Here’s an idea for a $15,000 gift that could be made to a local school or perhaps to the Monterey County Health Department’s SRTS program.  It would not only be a healthy way for 11 children and their adult “driver” to get to school, it would also be an eye-catcher that can help bring attention to local Safe Routes to School and other efforts to get more kids enjoying active, environmentally sound transportation.  See Dutch kids pedal their own bus to school.

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Archived Spring 2012 notes re Bike to School Day

Bike to School Day in Monterey County means kids at participating Monterey, Salinas, Seaside, and Soledad schools will be celebrating their joy rides over free breakfasts.

Since its inception in 1995, Bike to School Day has been observed in the Monterey Bay region.

The U.S. Department of Transportation proclaimed May 9, 2012 the First National Bike to School Day!  Congratulations to @Bike2School in Bloomington, IL and other leaders in this grassroots movement. It’s terrific to work in partnership with others around the nation to support more kids biking to school!

Not sure your child’s bike is in safe working condition?  Take advantage of $10 safety checks and minor tune-ups at many Monterey County bike shops in celebration of Bike Week.

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Previously published 12/3/11.

Posted by: marilynch on May 9, 2012.
Last revised by: marilynch on May 17, 2012.

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