Proposal for Matilija Junior High Biking to School Program, by  Kelly Pasco and Suza Francina

Junior High is a great time for empowering kids by getting them into the routine of riding their bicycles everyday. When high school comes, many will make the choice of commuting by bicycle and will leave their cars at home.

Bicycle commuting addresses many problems facing our society, including childhood obesity, health and fitness, Ojai traffic congestion (especially morning and afternoon congestion around every school in the valley), air pollution and getting kids out from behind Video games. Teaching kids to ride safely to school will enable them to ride to a friend’s house, the recreation center, the grocery store, etc., and will open up many possibilities to them. It is a liberating experience for both parent and child, as parents no longer have to chauffeur their kids everywhere. (For example, Kelly Pasco’s Jr. high age son actually rode to Ventura recently, saw a movie and rode home.)

Problems preventing kids from riding that are seen on a daily basis.
Broken bikes and lack of money to fix them.
Kids not having the proper way to carry books and gear they need for their day
Lights and Helmets.
Warm clothes on cold morning. Proper jacket and gloves.
Parental fear, which in many cases is justified.
People on cell phones, speeding and distracted drivers. During previous Safe Routes to School Programs students obeying the Rules of the Road have experienced hostility from drivers who feel bikers should not be on the road.

Lack of bicycle safety education. We recommend that before a teenager receives a drivers license that he or she learns to safely commute by bicycle. Bicycle education helps to make drivers more aware and safety conscious.

The Plan. Safety in Numbers. Kelly Pasco and Greg Prinz, both experienced teachers/directors with an extensive bicycle education background, (details available upon request) are setting up and training two riding groups from two different ends of town. The first group will be coming down Grand Ave through the Arbolada and the second group will be starting in Meiners Oaks and coming through the Arbolada.

Kelly and Greg will train students prior to school starting and equip them with proper gear as mentioned above. They will also repair bikes to function safely and get kids bikes who can not afford them.

Greg and Kelly will ride the first five days of school with students and after that they are on their own. The first school day of every month Kelly and Geg will ride with students (more often if needed) and this would be a time for new kids to join and be trained properly.

Bike parking will have to be addressed at the school. We need enough racks that are covered and are visible.

We want to make this part of Matilija Junior High School education that happens every year.

Update: For information on participating in the first Matilija Junior High bike safety training on Monday, August 23, please e-mail kelly@project-ride.com, or Sfrancina@aol.com.  Junior high or high school age students attending other schools on or beyond the planned route are welcome to attend.  

Note: To effectively operate this program long-term, we will need a budget. Details for the budget coming soon. The long-term goal is to offer similar bicycle safety education in all the schools.

Contact information:
Kelly Pasco, Director, Project-Ride, Safe Routes to School
kelly@project-ride.com 805-798-0544, 445 W. El Roblar, Ojai, CA 93023

Suza Francina, Chair, Ojai Valley Green Coalition Transportation Committee
sfrancina@aol.com

This proposal has been sent to the Planning Commission Complete Streets Committee, City Staff, Ojai City Council Members, Ojai Valley Green Coalition Members, Transition Ojai and others interested in promoting alternative transportation in the Ojai Valley. We also met with the principal and vice principal of Matilija Junior High.

 Kelly Pasco is director of  Project-Ride, Safe Routes to School Program and Suza Francina is Chair of the Ojai Valley Green Coalition Transportation Committee and representative to the Planning Commission Complete Streets Committee.

This editorial published in the Ojai Valley News, “Training key to bike safety,” (8/18/2o10).

Tagged as: bicycles, green coalition