It is 100 degrees outside, BBQs and ice cream trucks are working overtime, and kids are at the pool instead of at school. That means it is officially summer, which is a great opportunity for WALKSacramento to look back on our 2013-2014 Safe Routes to School year.
This year, WALKSacramento worked on projects in the Sacramento region from Yuba to Amador County, from Placerville to West Sacramento. We traveled a lot to help urban and rural schools make walking and biking to school safer, easier, and more fun. Here are some highlights:
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Students execute safety drills at the Auburn Bike Rodeo
May 27, 2014
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- In Linda, near Marysville, Cedar Lane Elementary School kicked off their Weekly Walking School Bus this spring with 150 participants. One lucky student won the raffle to get a bicycle, bike light, and helmet provided by the school principal! At a school where 20% of the students walk every day, 30% of the student population walked together on that first Thursday. Since the kickoff, approximately 70 students, or 14%, have walked together each Thursday morning.
- In West Sacramento, WALKSacramento continued working with 7 schools to implement walk and bike to school programs. The schools used frequent walk/bike incentive tools such as Active4.Me, punch cards, or Fitness Finder charms. WALKSacramento continued conducting walk and bike audits in order to help the City of West Sacramento identify infrastructure changesto make walking and biking safer in their community.
- WALKSacramento worked with six schools to hold bike rodeos: Bannon Creek Elementary in Natomas, Camellia Basic Elementary in Sacramento, Sierra Elementary in Placerville, Southport Elementary and Bridgeway Island Elementary in West Sacramento, and Auburn Elementary. WALKSacramento staff, school volunteers, and professional bicycle safety educators taught bicycle skills drills to students on bikes. Students without bikes or who had already completed the bicycle drills were able to participate in pedestrian safety games and education. Approximately 1150 students learned about bike safety at these bike rodeos.