Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Drivers wait at Saratoga School to pick up students.

School trip-reduction effort finally gets under way here

Kids may be encouraged to ride a bike

By Sarah Lombardo

Talks began in 1994. The experiment was scheduled to begin in January, but didn't. Finally, after almost three years, Saratoga schools will soon start participating in a trip-reduction program aimed at cutting down on the gridlock plaguing most schools and surrounding streets on school days.

Working with Altrans, an alternative transportation organization, Saratoga's K-12 schools will work on methods of reducing the number of cars that drop off and pick up students each day. The program is a trial run, designed to show Altrans and school officials which programs might work best for their schools. Altrans Executive Director Stephen Blaylock also said the program will help his organization come up with future plans for permanently reducing traffic problems at schools both in and out of Saratoga.

"It's really about setting the base up for long-term programs, such as a bus or shuttle," Blaylock said. "A lot of people's eyes are on this, not only to see if it works, but if it can be duplicated."

The experiment was initially scheduled to begin in January of this year, but funding for the program was held up. It wasn't until last week, when the Saratoga City Council approved an agreement with the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority to receive a $162,000 grant and approved an agreement with Altrans, that the last roadblock was removed.

"I think things just took a little bit longer, and we were patient," Blaylock said. "We had to be patient."

Not wasting any more time, Blaylock said Altrans has already found someone to head up the program. Steven Kirsch, with a two-member staff, will use his seven years of experience working with youth to educate parents and students about the benefits of alternative transportation.

Projects planned for the trip-reduction program include implementing a carpool program, setting up kiosks throughout schools to make information about alternative transportation available and matching up children from the same neighborhoods for bike-to-school buddy programs. Kirsch said they will even look into rollerblading buddy programs.

"But actually the first step," he added, "will be going into the schools and and finding out what [students and parents] would like to do."

Lily Ogden, principal of Saratoga Elementary School on Oak Street, said she didn't know about the latest development in the Altrans program, but that Saratoga Elementary, which has several plans already in place to reduce traffic around its school, could always use more help with traffic.

"I am in support of anything that will help us out with traffic," she said.

Kirsch said he and Altrans would like to begin implementation of the trip-reduction program within the next month.