Safe Routes to Schools Archives

Walking School Buses Provide More Than a Safe Route to School

March 14, 2025/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Emilio Elenes

The policies of the new administration in D.C. have created ripples in the communities Transform works with as part of the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program. We serve many mixed-status families. At times like these, fear can run high, leading parents to keep students home from school, impeding their education.

The Transform Site Coordinator Team, through the Safe Routes Program, has tools like the walking school buses, which can do more than help children walk safely to school. By providing safety in numbers and sharing the work of shepherding students to school safely, walking school buses can also help protect parents and youth who might be targeted by ICE.

Here are some things you can do to help keep your school community safe for all students to learn.

Start a walking school bus

A walking school bus is a simple concept: a group of students walks to school together with adult supervision. The “bus” follows a route that takes it through the neighborhood, stopping at designated meeting points and picking up more young people on the way.

The adults who chaperone the bus can be an informal rotation of parents or trained volunteers. Our team can help connect you to resources like toolkits in English and Spanish, as well as other resources developed by the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program to get started.

What to do if ICE approaches your walking school bus

The adults leading your walking school bus should educate themselves about what to do if approached by ICE agents and make a plan. Your plan should include:

If you see immigration agents, move the group to a safe indoor space nearby. This could be the home of a family with students taking the bus, a recreation center, or, if you’re close enough, a school building.
If you can’t move indoors, stay calm and try to keep the students calm. Try to keep everyone together.
Adults and youth have the right to refuse to answer questions. You have the right to refuse to be searched.
Immigrants who are legal residents should carry their papers. They may wish to show them to ICE.
An adult who is a U.S. citizen may wish to film the interaction. However, no one should interfere with or try to impede ICE.
Prepare ahead of time by creating a contact list, including emergency contacts, for everyone in your walking school bus, and make sure route leaders carry copies with them.

For more information, see the ACLU or the National Immigration Justice Center.

How to be an ally

If you see a walking school bus or other people approached by ICE agents, you can be an ally. Here are some possible actions to take to support the safety of our immigrant neighbors.

Do not impede or obstruct ICE agents.
Print red cards that detail immigrants’ rights and carry them with you. Hand them out. Use the instructions on the card if you see someone stopped by ICE.
Stand in solidarity: join the group being questioned by ICE and refuse to answer questions until a lawyer is present.
Use your camera to take photos or videos.
Report raids you witness. Call the 24-hour hotline in Alameda County at 510-241-4011.

For more information, see Indivisible or United We Dream.

Lean into community

One of the things that makes us strong is our community ties. Walking to school together is a fantastic way to build community strength by getting to know each other better. Safe Routes encouragement programs help build resilient networks that can be leveraged for mutual aid, while we’re teaching youth about sustainable transportation.

Youth Task Force Graduate Provides Inspiration for a New Generation

March 11, 2025/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Michele Walker

The Youth Task Force (YTF) is one of the exciting Safe Routes to Schools programs Transform brings to life. Students from high schools across Alameda County join the YTF to take on the role of leading the Safe Routes program at their individual high schools. Members take part in quarterly meetings where they build community across the county, share ideas, and learn about active transportation and climate advocacy. And, sometimes, our fabulous YTF members go on to do great things and come back to inspire the current cohort. Recently, we were thrilled to have a visit from Liana Tran, a YTF member in the 2021/2022 school year who is now a junior at UC Berkeley.

High school leadership

Liana joined the YTF while she was a student at Livermore High School. As an avid bike rider, she quickly began to discover the need for safer streets. She saw the group as a way to further her interest in bicycle and pedestrian advocacy and environmental issues. She was particularly inspired by the Tactical East Avenue process.

While on the Youth Task Force, Liana hosted encouragement events through the Nature Club, where she advocated for her peers to use active and shared transportation and think about local transportation issues. She originally was interested in environmental science, but during her senior year, she realized she wanted to study civil engineering as a way to advocate for better transportation systems. Through this major, she could create systems that would also benefit our environment. She is now a junior majoring in civil engineering with a minor in city planning and data science at Cal.

Paving the way for the next wave of young leaders

Liana has distinguished herself in college. She’s the president of the Cal Institute of Transportation Engineers, an organization dedicated to students interested in becoming transportation professionals. And she’s still a big transportation advocate.

Earlier this year, Liana reached out to us to see how she could get the Cal ITE organization involved with the Safe Routes to Schools program. One of the ways she has been involved so far is by joining the February meeting of the Youth Task Force, along with her classmate, Jason Tan. At the meeting, the college students spoke about their experiences transitioning from high school to college, the Cal Transportation Competition Team they are part of, and potential careers in the field of transportation.

Liana and Jason described potential college majors in the field:

Civil Engineering
- Main study for students interested in transportation engineering
Urban Studies/City Planning
- Main study for students interested in transportation planning
Data Science
- Transportation is extremely data-heavy! Data analysis, population studies
Industrial Engineering
- Traffic and signal optimization, including transit signal priority
Linguistics/English
- Grant writing, proposal writing!

They also outlined potential career paths like traffic and transportation engineering, transportation planning, and rail engineering and planning.

The presentation showed YTF members how they could continue to be involved in the transportation field beyond high school and even make it a career choice. The students were excited and energized by Liana and Jason’s stories and the information they presented. And it was a proud moment for the staff who support the YTF program to see one of our graduates so engaged in the work and becoming a leader in the transportation field. We are looking forward to seeing even more leaders develop through the years.

It’s Time to Get Ready for the Golden Sneaker Contest!

February 24, 2025/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Sheila Islam

Schools across Alameda County are getting ready for the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools (ACSR2S) Golden Sneaker Contest. When we talk with champions and youth about their favorite Safe Routes event, the Golden Sneaker Contest often tops the list. From March 3 to 14, classrooms and schools will track how many students walk, roll, bike, carpool, or take transit to school each day.

The classroom from each participating school with the highest rate of active and shared transportation usage will win the contest and the coveted Golden Sneaker award. This year, over 80 schools will be competing for the Golden Sneaker. When students get excited about active and shared mobility, everyone wins. Here’s what parents, teachers, administrators, and students can do to get ready for the Golden Sneaker competition.

Make a walking or rolling plan

What’s the best route to walk or roll to school? Consider creating a walking school bus or a bike train to ride or walk together to school during the competition. Or go for a practice run on the weekend to discover the safest path from home to school. It could be habit-forming!

Take a test ride on the bus

Taking the bus doesn’t have to be intimidating. There are apps — including Transit — that can help you figure out the best route to school and when the next bus will arrive. Take a test ride to get comfortable with the bus. Consider reading or playing a game, like I Spy, to make the ride go faster.

Have daily or weekly prizes and incentives

Teachers and champions can run their own mini competitions during Golden Sneaker to get students excited about the competition. Small prizes for the most miles traveled, the biggest CO2 reduction, encouraging others to join in, starting a walking school bus, or other positive steps will help students celebrate the changes they’re making in their commutes.

Beyond the Gold: The Platinum Sneaker Award

Each year, the AC SR2S program tallies the totals sent to them and identifies one school in the county as the Platinum Sneaker winner for being the school with the highest rate of active and shared transportation usage during the Golden Sneaker Contest. Representative(s) from the winning school receive a commemorative sneaker-shaped plaque and are celebrated during the April commission meeting, held April 24 this year. During this meeting, we celebrate the school’s efforts to promote healthy modes of transportation, curb pollution, and foster community on their campus.

Ready, Set, Roll!

Although only one class can win the Golden Sneaker and one school can win the Platinum Sneaker, everyone who participates wins. You might even get a visit from Goldie, the Golden Sneaker’s mascot.

Youth Task Force Engage with Alameda Youth Climate Ambassadors

February 5, 2025/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Michele Walker

This January, Transform’s Program Managers, Michele Walker and Sheila Islam, and Alameda Transportation Engineer Rochelle Wheeler were invited to speak with the newly formed Alameda Youth Climate Ambassadors, a group of students representing environmental clubs on Alameda high school and middle school campuses, about transportation and Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S). Youth Task Force members Samuel Phu and Ryan Chen, from Encinal Jr. Sr. High School, and Logan Mevoli and Keenan Chan, from Alameda High School, joined the presentation to talk specifically about Safe Routes efforts on their own campuses.

Youth share climate concerns

The Youth Task Force is part of Transform’s SR2S program. High school students help run Safe Routes events and programs and learn leadership skills, bringing the joy and freedom of getting around by walking, rolling, and shared transportation to other students.

The students at Alameda High shared that they created the Safe Routes to Schools Club this year to encourage more students on campus to utilize active and shared transportation to get to school. So far, they have hosted International Walk and Roll to School Day and are looking forward to Reboot Your Commute in February and, hopefully, a BikeMobile this spring.

During the meeting, they met another Alameda High student in the environmental committee in the Leadership Class. With that connection, they can reach more students and connect their work to the other climate initiatives at Alameda High.

Peer education sends a strong message

Encinal students, who run Safe Routes activities through the leadership class, shared their experiences with Safe Routes events and their campaign to educate peers about upcoming construction projects that will impact students along their commutes to school. One of their main goals for Safe Routes is to educate students about the environmental impact of transportation and how to safely use active and shared transportation to get to school.

During the meeting, the Encinal students connected with a student who takes part in the YouthPower club on their campus. This club seeks to fight climate change, and the Youth Task Force members can team up with their new connection to reach more students since the mission of Safe Routes and the mission of YouthPower are closely aligned.

Making the impact of transportation choices real

In addition to presenting about Safe Routes to Schools and transportation updates throughout Alameda, the group participated in a “Travel Race” activity, which encourages participants to look at the different impacts of walking, biking, taking public transit, and driving to school. They compared how much time it takes, the exercise you get, the cost, and the carbon emissions for each mode of transportation.

Students were surprised to learn just how much their transportation choices can impact other facets of their lives. These dedicated Alameda youth are ready to tackle a variety of transportation issues and are excited to share the joy of walking, biking, and taking transit with their peers.

Alameda County Students Reboot Their Commutes

January 28, 2025/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Michele Walker

Starting next week, Reboot Your Commute (RYC), a project of the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Program, will raise awareness and spur high school students across the county to try green transportation options. The event will wrap up at the end of March.

RYC aims to start a conversation about student transportation options and why they choose them to help students rethink how they get to school. Students can earn prizes for using shared or active transportation to get to school and for answering a question about their commute. Each site will have a board where students share why they bike, walk, take transit, or carpool to school. At the end of each school’s event, there’s a $50 Clipper Card or a scooter for one lucky student.

Why reboot your commute?

The habits we set in our youth affect us for the rest of our lives, so introducing young people to the joy and freedom of walking, biking, or taking transit to school can be the start of healthy habits. The CDC recommends an hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily for people under 18, but only about a quarter of high school students get that much exercise. Adding a bike ride or even walking to catch a bus has critical health benefits for young people.

Plus, young people will bear the brunt of climate change, growing up to live in a world struggling with greater weather extremes. Youth can be vital leaders in the movement away from transportation modes that fill our atmosphere with greenhouse gases.

Reboot Your Commute invites students to celebrate and share the reasons why we use active and shared transportation and inspire their peers to try out new forms of transportation. We hope RYC will help students build new habits that last long beyond the event.

Participating schools

Reboot Your Commute is a popular event, giving youth the chance to lead as well as participate. Students will staff tables, run the event, and encourage their peers to add messages to the Reboot boards.

This year, 12 Alameda County high schools are participating:

Castro Valley High School, Castro Valley: 2/6
Berkeley High School, Berkeley: 2/7
Alameda Community Learning Center, Alameda: 2/12
Alameda High School, Alameda: 2/12
Encinal Jr Sr High School, Alameda: 2/14
Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton: 2/19
Granada High School, Livermore: 2/26
Irvington High School, Fremont: 3/6
American High School, Fremont: 3/7
Washington High School, Fremont: 3/7
Tennyson High School, Hayward: 3/20
Albany High School, Albany: 3/26

This is one of our favorite times of the year. The Transform SR2S team looks forward to connecting with students and hearing their stories, ideas, and excitement. Every year, we learn as much as we teach from inspiring young people who are starting to change the world, one commute at a time.

Youth Task Force Members on Street Safety and Climate Dangers

November 13, 2024/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Michele Walker

The high school students who volunteer for the Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Youth Task Force care a lot about safety and the environment. We recently asked them about why they joined the Youth Task Force and how their attitudes about active transportation have changed since they were in elementary school. The two most common reasons they cited for getting involved were safety concerns or wanting to do something positive about climate change. They shared their inspiration through artwork and text.

This is part two of a two-part series. Read part one here.

Safety first

For some students, safety, including concerns about crime and about traffic violence, was a reason to get involved with the Youth Task Force (YTF).

Ryan, from Encinal Jr. Sr. High School in Alameda, told us: “I’m motivated to do SR2S work because of the crime and danger that is prevalent in Alameda and the cities around Alameda, like Oakland. When I go to places like Oakland Chinatown with my family or even when I’m taking a walk by myself, it’s really sad to see so many harmful things around me — especially when children walk on those same sidewalks. Being able to create change for the people and students around me is something that’s motivating to me. When I was still in elementary school, the only thing that likely would have motivated me was money and YouTube screen time — which is a stark difference compared to now.”

Sammy, who also goes to Encinal Jr. Sr. High School, said: “I’m motivated to do SR2S because I constantly see how dangerous biking can be and that some bikers don’t know road rules. I’d like to educate students on road rules to keep them more safe on the streets. This differs from my elementary mindset because I was all about ‘save the world!’ and ‘don’t use a car to limit pollution.’ While I’m still very much for the delay of further global warming, I realize that I should focus on things that I can do to impact my community.”

Safety concerns span Alameda County. Claudia, a student at Tennyson High School in Hayward, joined YTF to “Make the environment for students safer. I hear students are concerned about walking to school, and I want to help students feel safe and secure in the environment they live in! I became more aware of this stuff in the beginning of high school.”

The Safe Routes to Schools programs run by Transform in Alameda County make students safer by teaching them how to safely walk, roll, and take transit to school. And the larger Safe Routes movement augments that safety with grants to cities to build biking and walking infrastructure that helps students get to school safely.

Saving the planet

Not surprisingly, environmental concerns motivate many students to join the YTF. For example, Soundharya, a Fremont student who goes to Irvington High School, participates because “a big part of student government is service, and I’ve been wanting a way to focus on environmental service, and this is a good way to do that!”

Youth are clear-eyed about the role that biking and walking play in combating climate change. Logan from Alameda High School in Alameda said, “What motivates me to do SR2S work is just trying to make biking better, and making public transportation better, and create a bigger community. I’d like them to be more acknowledged and utilized so we can help the planet!” And Marley-Marie, who goes to the Alameda Community Learning Center, told us, “The environment needs to be more healthy! I feel like for future generations, it’s not going to be great if we keep on going down the same road we are.”

Today’s high school students have been environmentalists from an early age. Jasmine, a student at Washington High School in Fremont, said, “I’ve always had an interest in the environment. In elementary school, I was in the organization that organized the bins (trash/compost/recycling). In high school, that morphed into more adaptive versions of how I can help the environment (like Safe Routes).” Another Washington High student, Ruhi, told us, “When I was in elementary school, I had a teacher who loved talking about the environment and about cars and the impact on the environment. I’ve always told my parents I want an electric car! In the morning, there is so much traffic that cars can’t even complete turns, which is why I joined Safe Routes.”

Amalia from Oakland Technical High School in Oakland recalled, “In elementary school, I used to bike to school every day. I think climate change and the environment were motivating factors back then. Now I have more experience with different types of transportation, and seeing the lack of quality in public transportation and biking, I want to make it better and easier for students in high school.” And another Oakland Tech student, Harper, noted, “In elementary school, I would have been more motivated by clean, non-carbon emissions transportation. I scootered to school as a kid. Now I have more experience with lots of different transportation options.”

The Youth Task Force members of today are the climate and transportation leaders of tomorrow. They inspire us every day with their creativity, dedication, and thoughtfulness.

Transform Staff present at Safe Routes National Conference

November 11, 2024/in Blog, Mobility Hubs, Safe Routes to Schools/by Sheila Islam

Stephanie Jim also contributed to this post.

Two Transform staff members, Program Director Stephanie Jim and Program Manager Sheila Islam, were among the over 400 Safe Routes to School practitioners, transportation professionals, safety advocates, and community development leaders who attended the 2024 Safe Routes National Conference in Fort Collins, Colorado, from October 22 to 24.

This year was the first in-person Safe Routes Conference since 2019, and there was a lot to celebrate. The conference organizers made sure to infuse joy throughout the time attendees spent together. There was a palpable sense of positivity, from the conference theme of Safe, Healthy, and JOYful: The Possibilities of our Movement, to the reception held at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, to the invitation to partake in whimsical activities, such as the challenge to find tiny plastic ducks hidden all over the conference building.

Celebrating Transform’s work

Jim and Islam represented Transform on three different panels. They shared Transform’s expertise on Mobility Hubs and different ways we engage with school champions to help inform Safe Routes programming.

On Day 1, Jim presented alongside Juan Castillo and Leann Leon from Ecology Action and Deirdre Conroy from Minnesota Safe Routes to Schools on equity-driven program design and implementation. She talked about ways in which we support Champion efforts in Oakland and Hayward.

On Day 2, Jim sat on a panel alongside other partners on the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program and focused the conversation on how this program was able to scale up from two to 300 schools. She brought up the critical role that site coordination plays in relationship building and ensuring buy-in from school communities.

Islam, along with Daisy Ramos-Garcia and Victoria Partida from Santa Clara Public Health Department, ended the three-day conference on a high note by sharing community engagement strategies to deliver transportation options that are responsive to community needs. She highlighted best practices and lessons learned from the Mobility Hubs program, including how Transform was able to develop what has now become a recognized best practice in conducting community assessments.

Time for reflection and inspiration

The conference allowed for a pause in the daily work of bringing green transportation options to communities in the Bay Area. Being immersed in nationwide Safe Routes efforts and stepping aside from the day-to-day work was a way to reground and gain new perspectives.

Being immersed among like-minded professionals who share Transform’s goals of building healthier communities through active and shared transportation provided valuable insights. It also offered inspiration, with exciting speakers bringing innovative ideas to attendees.

Wes Marshall, PhD, PE, shared what his experience as a civil engineer has taught him and findings from his book Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies Our Transportation System. He presented what civil servants can do to increase community safety and how they are failing the communities they serve.

On the second day, Dr. Gail C. Christopher shared her approach to racial healing. By using the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation framework, she described ways to confront the systemic racism that persists in communities and find healing through relationship building and fortifying the collective power that exists within each community.

On the third and final day, Anna Zivarts, author of When Driving Is Not an Option, spoke about what we can do to make our communities more welcoming and comfortable for the many people who must choose alternatives to driving, either because of age, immigration status, or disability.

In addition to the great speakers who shared their expertise on various issues that affect how we get around, conference attendees also got inspiration from Fort Collins’s overall dedication to promoting active and shared transportation.

Fort Collins has free public transit, including a Rapid Transit bus line that, in portions of its route, runs on a separate, closed-off lane like a train. There are robust shared trails where bicyclists can get around town and rarely have to interact with cars.

While on the bus to old town Fort Collins, our intrepid Transformers came across city council members joining conference attendees to paint street murals the city council had approved ahead of the conference. The murals beautify their community and improve safety by highlighting intersections commonly used by students going to and from school. The city collaborated in planning for the conference and greenlit the street mural projects

These experiences and the many wonderful speakers reminded us of what we do well every day and gave us new ideas to enhance our work going forward. The conference showed the power of community and collaboration to drive change, and we forged new relationships that will enrich our efforts.

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Youth Task Force Members Speak About Safe Routes

October 30, 2024/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools, Transportation/by Michele Walker

Header graphic by Alex from NEA Community Learning Center.

The Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Youth Task Force is made up of high school students who help coordinate SR2S events at their schools and take an active role in encouraging active and shared transportation among their peers. We recently asked them about why they joined the Youth Task Force and how their attitudes about active transportation have changed since they were in elementary school.

Students touched on themes of equity, access to public transit, independence, finding community, being of service, and fun. They shared their inspiration through artwork and text.

This is part one of a two-part series spotlighting Youth Task Force voices.

Building community

The glue that holds active transportation groups together is the strong bonds of community formed when people walk or bike together. Working to bring the joy of walking and rolling to their fellow students is also a bonding experience for Youth Task Force members.

Alameda Community Learning Center student Natalie shared multiple community connections, including memories of happy bus rides with family: “I’m motivated by Michele [Walker — Transform’s YTF liaison]! Maya (another learner at ACLC) invited me to join, and I thought it would be interesting. The project (social media) was really fun. It was great to do with people who are on the same page as you. In elementary school, I was motivated by being able to spend time with my grandparents. I always took the bus from the Oakland library with my grandma, and we’d walk up a hill to our house. I also always took the BART with my grandparents to San Francisco, and we’d walk around and eat food!

Katie, who goes to Irvington High School in Fremont, shared how community has inspired her to stay involved: “First year, I just joined because I wanted a thing to do! But then, I really liked the interaction with people. BikeMobile events, like getting free bike repair to help the community. Direct impact! When I was younger, I remember Golden Sneaker and was simply motivated by pride in shiny things!”

Giving youth the freedom to move — and have fun!

For many high school students who are old enough to go places on their own but too young to drive (or don’t want a driver’s license), feeling confident to ride a bike or take the bus means independence. The Youth Task Force gives students a chance to share the fun and independence with others.

Keenan from Alameda High School said, “One thing that motivates me to do SR2S work is my mom, who emphasized how important it is to be able to get to school independently. Also important to be eco-friendly. Now I realize this myself and think it’s important to help others do this too.”

Berkeley High School student Alex said, “I think what motivates me to work with SR2S is that I personally have been biking to school since kindergarten almost every single day and it gives me independence and is a really great tool for people to have. I also care about the environment and think that prompting environmentally friendly ways to get to school is beneficial. Also noticed that cars around BHS are really dangerous! Mostly, I want to encourage biking! I think in elementary school, I would have said pretty similarly that I want to support people biking to school. I remember doing Bike to School Day & Bike blenders from elementary school, and that was super fun!”

A desire to make public transit a better transportation option motivates Oakland Technical High School student Reba, who said, “My motivation would be different from elementary school. Now I’m seeing how people get to school and learning more laws about transportation in general, and noticing there is not much bike infrastructure and AC Transit is not always reliable. Doing SR2S is a way to make public transportation more accessible.”

Showing the next generation how to get around

Youth Task Force members are a force for change. They’re inspired to share their love of walking and rolling with younger students in a ripple effect that spreads change throughout Alameda County schools.

Dylan, who goes to Granada High School in Livermore, said, “At first, prior to joining — I am new to the Green Team club — I thought it would be a fun thing to do with my friend, who is an officer. I volunteered to join, not knowing what I was getting into, but after getting into it I saw it as a new opportunity to teach younger students what I wish I would have learned about. I had no idea about transportation’s effect on climate change or our environment because I hadn’t learned about it. I saw this as an opportunity to do so, and I thought that was cool. Now, I get to coordinate things for my current school and for the elementary school I went to. I get to give something back that I didn’t have that I wish I did!”

Jyoshika, an American High School student in Fremont, wants to help her fellow students gain environmental consciousness: “What motivates me now is to spread awareness about clean energy. In elementary school, I didn’t really care about the environment, and I’m really proud I’ve grown past that and am looking into environmental issues. I was a city girl and very into things that cause pollution, and didn’t care, but now I do! More environmental education and events in middle school and high school — I realized it was important!”

International Walk and Roll Day Brings out Youth in Alameda County

October 29, 2024/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Emilio Elenes

International Walk and Roll to School Day is the first big event of the school year for the Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) program. This year, it was held on October 9, and it was a huge success.

Kicking off a year of walking and rolling

International Walk and Roll to School Day encourages students, families, and school staff to be more physically active while reducing pollution from transportation emissions. It promotes mode shift to active transportation and shared modes, such as carpooling or taking public transit.

International Walk and Roll to School Day 2024

Transform SR2S staff and the many school champions who make this day happen celebrated students who walked, rolled, carpooled, or took the bus to school. We raised awareness about the Safe Routes program and the support available for people who want to bring more movement into their school commutes.

Moving toward mode shift

This year, 143 schools participated in the event, and 101 sent in counts. Over 10,000 students walked to school, more than 4,300 rolled in on bikes or scooters, and almost 3,400 carpooled. Close to 1,100 students got to school on school buses or public transit, for a total of close to 19,000 students participating in the day. That’s more than twice as many as the 8,400 students who came to school in a solo car.

International Walk and Roll to School Dayl takes a large number of cars off the road, reducing congestion and making the trip to school easier, safer, and more pleasant. It was a day of mode shift in action, with more students walking than driving, and a great start to a year of active and shared transportation activities.

Alameda County Schools Gear Up for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, November 14

October 28, 2024/in Blog, Safe Routes to Schools/by Sheila Islam

The Walk and Roll theme for the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Program in November is Ruby Bridges Day. Students will walk or roll on November 14 to honor Ruby Bridges’ bravery in being a pioneer for equal educational opportunities for all children.

Who is Ruby Bridges?

On November 14, 1960, Bridges walked into William Frantz Elementary School, a few blocks from where she lived in New Orleans. At age 6, Bridges was the first Black child to enroll in the formerly all-white school, advancing the movement for school integration.

The path Bridges walked wasn’t easy. U.S. Marshals walked her into school every day that year as angry protesters shouted at her and her mother. Louisiana was forced to desegregate its schools by court order, but the other students and most of the teachers shunned the school’s first Black student.

Yet Bridges persevered, attending integrated schools through high school graduation and becoming an advocate for equal rights for all students. Her story shows what even the youngest among us can accomplish when we stand up for justice.

Ruby Bridges Visits Ruby Bridges Elementary

Bridges continues to provide inspiration for students and educators, breaking down barriers to educational opportunities. On November 14, 2022, she visited Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Alameda. Students greeted her, holding signs with slogans like, “I walk with Ruby for love.”

*Ruby Bridges talks to Ruby Bridges Elementary students in 2022.*

After speeches by student council members and guests, including Alameda’s mayor, Alameda CTC Program Manager Denise Turner, and the Superintendent of Schools, the MusicNotes performed their song, “Walk to School Like Ruby Did.” Students walked around the school, passing a statue of Bridges, as family and staff cheered them on.

Transform site coordinators and Alameda County SR2S arranged an assembly with more MusicNotes performances and a speech by Bridges, who also made classroom visits. It was a thrilling and inspiring Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day for everyone.

Ruby wasn’t alone in walking to school

In the 1960s, nearly half of all students walked or biked to school. A 2016 study found that, at most schools, fewer than 10% of youth walked or biked each day. The decline in walking and biking leads to poorer physical health and robs students of a vital opportunity to get the wiggles out before school or wind down after a long day.

The most common reason young people don’t walk to school is the distance, but other factors, such as concerns about safety from traffic and crime, also make parents uncomfortable letting their children walk to school. SR2S works with families and schools to overcome barriers and help youth experience the joy and freedom of safely walking and rolling to school.

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day 2024

On November 14, 2024, students from around the Bay Area and across the country will walk to school in honor of Ruby Bridges’ historic walk into the classroom on that day in 1960. AAA sponsors the event in partnership with the Ruby Bridges Foundation. Many schools in Alameda County will participate in what we expect will be a fun day and a chance to acknowledge the historic achievements of one six-year-old girl.

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