Safe Routes to School

Schools that have had success with special events often expand them into regular activities that occur on a regular basis. These weekly and monthly events help to institutionalize positive behaviors and multiply the benefits of the activities, enabling walking and biking to become the preferred mode of travel from home to school. Examples of these ongoing encouragement activities are:

• Walk to School Wednesdays
• Walk and Roll (i.e. Bike) Day
• Walking School Bus and Bicycle Train
• Park and Walk

September & October 2025 - Pedestrian Safety Months

There are a lot of people out walking these days! Pedestrian Safety Month is a reminder to practice safe walking techniques and to be a conscientious and alert driver. The San Mateo County Office of Education is celebrated Pedestrian Safety Month.

Click Click here for some pedestrian safety tips for Pedestrian Safety Tips resources from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

October 8, 2025 - International Walk to School Day

International Walk to School Day (IWTSD) is a global event involving children walking to school. 

November 14, 2025 - Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

Ruby Bridges became a symbol of the civil rights movement at age six when she was the youngest of a group of African American students designated to integrate schools in the American South. On November 14, 1960, her first day of school at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Ruby was escorted by four federal marshals and spent the entire day in the principal’s office as irate parents marched into the school to remove their children. 

Districts and schools in San Mateo County are encouraged to recognize Ruby's impact by adopting "Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day" on November 14, or on the following Wednesday of each when November 14 falls on a weekend. SMCOE provides a number of "Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day" resources to support districts and the community in taking part in this initiative. Visit the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day webpage.

January - February 2025 - Golden Sneaker Events

Golden Sneaker events are a fun way to get children and families walking to school! With this event, students track the number of times they bike, walk, carpool or use transit as a means of getting to school. The classroom with the greatest participation rate earns a coveted Golden Sneaker Award. While events may be held at anytime, the formal San Mateo County Golden Sneaker Competition is held during the end of January and beginning of February. Winning classrooms are entered into a raffle to receive a special visit from Rookie the Goldendoodle therapy dog from the San Mateo Police Department. 

March 23 to March 27, 2025 - Crossing Guard Appreciation Week

April 2025 - Earth Month

Join San Mateo County Safe Routes to School and RecycleWorks of San Mateo County in Celebrating Earth Day! Walking School Buses and groups can pick up litter along the way to reduce carbon emissions and keep our home beautiful. San Mateo County Safe Routes to School created an Earth Day toolkit for you to encourage students to walk, bike, and roll to school throughout Earth Month and also plan activities that can build momentum for the rest of the year. 

May 6, 2025 - Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day

Join cyclists from around the nation in celebration of National Bike to School Day on Wednesday, May 7th! The first National Bike to School Day event was held on May 9, 2012 and scheduled to coordinate with the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Month.

May 14, 2025 - Bike to Wherever Day | May 15, 2025 - Bike to Work Day

Visit one of the many energizer stations around the county! Remember...if you can't bike, you can always walk or take transit!

EarthCapades

Through fun, carnival-like performances, EarthCapades provide interactive assemblies that promote ecological diversity and environmentally friendly practices to help preserve, protect and respect the natural resources of planet Earth.

Bike Mobile

The Bay Area BikeMobile hosts bike fix-a-thons at schools, community center, parks, and community events across the San Francisco Bay Area. At these fix-a-thons, they help youths repair their bikes, teach mechanics and safety, and provide accessories when possible. By partnering with Spare The Air Youth and Safe Routes to Schools, they are able to offer this as a free resource to the public, specifically focusing on families from low-income communities that often do not have access to professional bike repair.

Marine Science Institute

Marine Science Institute provides a variety of interactive, educational programs to help cultivate students' natural sense of curiosity and foster a responsibility to protect the environment. 

Music Notes

Founded by two middle school teachers in Los Angeles, Music Notes educates children in many areas of knowledge from STEM education to Safe Routes and much more. Their catchy music and engaging concerts are always a fun experience for children to learn important tips and facts about how to stay safe as a pedestrian and bicyclist in their neighborhood. 

Perfection on Wheels

For over 25 years, Perfection on Wheels have been performing exciting BMX tricks in school assemblies. Their engaging performances teach children about treating each other with respect, kindness, and empathy, in addition to educating them about bicycling safety. 

Safe Moves

Safe Moves specializes in designing and launching educational programs to encourage active transportation to and from school. In many Safe Routes to School events, they put up their "Safe Moves City" to provide children with a simulated traffic environment to practice decision making and problem-solving when moving through a city setting.

Alta Planning + Design

E-Bike Sense

Our Voice

The Parent Venture

Solving Fun

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition

AAA of Northern California provides resources for school safety patrols and Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

Active Transportation Resource Center provides resources, technical assistance, and training to transportation partners across California to increase opportunity for the success of active transportation projects.

Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the public agency entrusted with regulating stationary sources of air pollution in the nine counties that surround San Francisco Bay: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southwestern Solano, and southern Sonoma counties. 

BikeMobile, a free service that can fix flat tires, adjust brakes and gears, and even replace broken or worn out parts like chains, seats, and tires.  Bike or no bike, it can be educational for all who show up.  Their visits can stand-alone or they can link up to an existing event like a health fair.  All you have to do is pick a date and promote it with flyers and announcements that they provide.  A visit typically lasts 2.5 to 4 hours.  Schedule your free visit today!

City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County manages issues that affect the quality of life; transportation, air quality, stormwater runoff, hazardous waste, solid waste and recycling, land use near airports, and abandoned vehicle abatement in San Mateo County.

California Department of Education The Office of the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Integrated Waste Management Board have reviewed and concurred with the Environmental Principles and Concepts. 

California Department of Transportation is a supporter of the Safe Routes to School Program and its efforts.  

Commute.org encourages and supports the use of sustainable alternatives to driving alone. 

Cool the Earth is a free, ready-to-run climate change assembly program that educates K-8 students and their families about climate change and inspires them to take simple actions to reduce their carbon emissions.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides stewardship over the construction, maintenance and preservation of the Nation’s highways, bridges and tunnels. FHWA also conducts research and provides technical assistance to state and local agencies in an effort to improve safety, mobility, and livability, and to encourage innovation.

Flows to Bay: San Mateo Countywide Stormwater Pollution Prevention Clean water. Healthy community. It's a team effort.

Get Healthy San Mateo County works collaboratively with all stakeholders to develop strategies that will reduce and prevent obesity and other health risks of unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity among all children in San Mateo County.

Green Star Schools Certification Program is designed to honor, support, and recognize the important work of teachers and students in the advancement of environmental sustainability. This program is supported by RecycleWorks of San Mateo County, MTC, Stopwaste.org, and Bright Green San Jose.

League of American Bicyclists represents bicyclists in the movement to create? safer roads, stronger communities, and a bicycle-friendly America. Through information, advocacy and promotion, the League works to celebrate and preserve the freedom cycling brings to members everywhere.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) plans, finances and coordinates transportation for the nine Bay Area counties.

National Center for Safe Routes to School has extensive information about funding, special events and programs.

Peninsula Healthcare District works to ensure that all residents of the District enjoy optimal health through education, prevention, and access to needed health care services. 

Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance (The Alliance) works to improve the San Mateo County Commute.

Redwood City Together brings together key public and private organizations in our community in ongoing efforts to ensure the health and success of all children, youth and families served by the Redwood City School District.

Ruby Bridges Foundation promotes Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day as a national day of dialogue. 

Safe Routes Partnership a national nonprofit organization working to advance safe walking and rolling to and from schools and in everyday life, improving the health and well-being of people of all races, income levels, and abilities, and building healthy, thriving communities for everyone.

SamTrans partners with schools to provide school tripper busses and moving into the future with electric busses.

Sequoia Healthcare District works to improve the quality of life for District residents by enhancing access to healthcare services and by supporting and encouraging programs and activities designed to achieve health, wellness, and disease prevention.

Spare the Air Youth is a regional program that aims to educate, inspire and empower youth and families in the San Francisco Bay Area to walk, bicycle, carpool, and take transit.

Transform advocates for making world-class public transportation and wonderful, walkable communities the norm - not the exception - in the Bay Area and California.

The "Every Kid Deserves A Bike" program was created by the City of South San Francisco in broad partnership with the Safe Routes to School Program here at the San Mateo County Office of Education, alongside a number of other organizations and volunteers. It strives to provide children from Title 1 schools with the joyful experience and health benefits of riding their bicycles. 

First launched in May of 2022, the program provided 150 bicycles to fourth and fifth graders from two schools. In the 2023-2024 school year, the thriving program expanded to provide five schools with a total of 350 bicycles, helmets, and locks for children in need. 

The goal of a walk audit is to identify barriers that make walking and biking unsafe for students. By recognizing and prioritizing these issues, the city and the identified school can take action to make active modes of transportation safer for students. The audit brings forth recommendations to alleviate traffic safety concerns that impact how students get to and from school.

Walk Audit Facilitator Training

SMCOE Safe Routes to School hosted a walk audit training with Mark Fenton on February 29, 2025 (Part 1) and March 13, 2025 (Part 2). Attendees included Safe Routes to School champions from San Mateo County and from Hawaii to New York!  Check out the training slides, video and resources HERE.

Walk Audit Analysis

To view the walk audit analysis, please scroll down to the "Safe Routes to School Reporting" section and click on "Walk Audit Analysis" section to see available reports for each school district. 

While the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is intended to provide support to school children and school communities, we do also participate in safety education for our senior communities. SRTS team members organize various events to provide senior citizens with the same vital knowledge on how to stay seen and stay safe while they move about the neighborhood. 

The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE)  Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Team hosted a fun event for farmworkers in the coast side communities and their families in appreciation for their hard work in 2023. Thank you to all of the community partners who attended and gave out resources! Check out a short video about the 2023 event.

As a result of the success of the 2023 event, SRTS program hosted the Farmworker event again in 2024. The 2024 event was themed "Fields of Gratitute: Celebrating Farmworkers" and took place in August 2024. Thank you once again to all of our partners and donors for making this possible. With donations from City of South San Francisco and other community members, we were able to give out over 30 bicycles to the Farmworking community in and around Half Moon Bay. Feel free to check out the video from 2024's event here!

El Camino Real Demonstration

Road safety initiatives bring forth innovation in South San Francisco. The Smart Growth America pilot program, Complete Streets Leadership Academy (CSLA) partners with the City of South San Francisco on a complete streets quick-build. With the support of CalTrans, temporary traffic improvements will take place from Country Club Drive to South Spruce Avenue on El Camino Real which will go live in July 2023. In partnership with the City of South San Francisco, SMCOE Safe Routes to School will ensure students who walk, bike, and take public transit nearby the quick-build will safely travel along El Camino Real.

Learn more about the ECR Quick-Build project here.

ECR Demonstration Project Debut

Watch the video clip to learn more about the project and hear Superintendent Nancy Magee express how Safe Routes to School builds community through active transportation advocacy.

As e-bikes gain popularity and accessibility, Safe Routes to School is actively working to collect information and resources about e-bike safety, laws, policies, and hands-on trainings. Please see this E-Bike Toolkit for Schools for guidance on laws, educational materials for families, and safety tips for students. Resources are available in English and Spanish. Here are additional resources from other organizations:

• "E-Bikes and The Law" is an informative webinar presented by Officer J. Jolivette of San Mateo Police Department (SMPD). It covers electric vehicle definitions and regulations, where to ride safely, training opportunities, and how to register your vehicle. Please click here to find additional e-bike information from SMPD.
• E-bike information for parents and students from Safe Routes to School Marin County
• Pedal Ahead's comprehensive 11 minute video on e-bike safety
• For a quick overview, the League of American Bicyclists has a free video series on ebike safety with quizzes and a completion certificate for those who pass with 75%
• For a more in-depth training, we recommend the Electric Bicycle Training and Safety free online course created by the CHP. We recommend students to spend at least an hour going through this online course with an adult.
• For school districts, Pedal Ace has an e-bike policy template for school districts
• Visit People for Bikes to learn about California's state laws on e-bikes

• "E-Bike for The Holidays - How to Buy Smart and Ride Legal" is a webinar hosted by The Parent Venture, with guest speaker Bob Mittelstaedt from E-Bike Access
• "A Parent's Guide to E-Bike Safety for Youth" is a webinar hosted by The Parent Venture, with guest speakers Megan Lamb and Stephen McCall from E-Bike Sense

Helmets are a life-saving protective gear for those riding their bicycles, so it is crucial to ensure you're wearing a properly fitted helmet on every ride. Use this "Fitting Your Helmet" guide (in English and Spanish) to determine what size helmet you should wear and how to wear it correctly.

Carpooling to school is an effective strategy to improve the environment, neighborhood traffic, and social connections in our communities. The School Carpool Culture Toolkit offers resources for schools and non-profit organizations, including: 

• Template Letter / Webpage: School to Families
• Newsletter & Social Media Visual Posts
• Fact Sheet & References
• Technology Apps to facilitate carpooling
• How-to-Guide for a Transport Social Event
• Info about other climate-friendly transportation: SamTrans, Bicycling, and Walking

A team of Student Safety Patrollers can help students, parents, and neighbors feel comfortable navigating school traffic. If you're interested in starting a Student Safety Patrol team at your school, the below tool kit can help you get started!

• How to Start a Student Safety Patrol Program at Your School

• Student Safety Patrol Advisors

• Adult Supervisors of Student Safety Patrol

• Recruitment Flyer Template

• Permission Form Template

• Student Safety Patrol Training Slides

• New Student Valet Flyer

Our five year strategy (posted below in the reporting section, titled "Safe Routes to School Strategy - Five Year Evaluation") has found that motor vehicle speeds are a primary determining factor in the safety of all roadway users, especially for students walking and bicycling in San Mateo County. This guide book is designed to help the San Mateo County Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program and local jurisdiction meet their SRTS goals to enable and encourage students to walk or bicycle to school by implementing slower speeds in School Zones. 

The decision to introduce your child to walking or biking to and from school is highly personal and can be challenging. Click here to view the guidebook and learn why you should make this transition, as well as how to stay safe once you've decided to do so.

The Safe Routes to School Program strives to make school communities safer, healthier, and more fun. A major part to ensuring the success of this program is the participation of our communities. Click here to view the toolkit and see how you can get started with building a healthier and more self reliant community! 

This guide lays out how school and district staff can benefit from Safe Routes to School programs and how they can do so easily! Click here to see the Travel Kit.

Need a video tutorial that provides instructions on how to properly fit a helmet? Visit the San Mateo County Office of Education's Youtube channel to view the Safe Routes to School video playlist for helmet fitting instructions, and more! To see the entire SMCOE Safe Routes to School playlist, please click here.

• 2023-24 SRTS Annual Report
• 2022-23 SRTS Annual Report
• 2021-22 SRTS Annual Report
• 2020-21 SRTS Annual Report
• 2019-20 SRTS Annual Report
• 2017-18 SRTS Annual Report
• 2016-17 SRTS Annual Report
• 2015-16 SRTS Annual Report
• 2014-15 SRTS Annual Report

San Mateo County Safe Routes to School HIN Report

Completed June 2022

San Mateo County Safe Routes to School Strategy - 2022-23 to 2026-27 School Years

Published June 2022

Each year, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) collects data from every district to tally the modes of transportation students use to commute to and from their schools. The modes of transportation tallied include walking, rolling (i.e. bikes, scooters, etc.), school bus, family vehicle, carpool, and public transit. This gives us an idea of how well our communities are engaging in active transportation, and provides us with clear goals to work towards. SRTS also surveys parents/caregivers on students' travel behaviors to improve SRTS education and decision making. You can see the details of both the Travel Tallies and Parents/Caregivers Surveys by clicking here.