Photograph by Robert Scheer
Cars create a daily traffic jam at Redwood School.
By Cecily Barnes
Saratoga and Cupertino primary school parents may be making fewer trips to the school yard after Jan. 1, and packing their cars full of kids when they do.
Come the first of the year, 14 schools in Saratoga and Cupertino will test-drive an untried K-12 trip-reduction program sponsored by Altrans, an organization that has been troubleshooting alternative transportation methods at local colleges since 1991.
In response to a gruesome daily gridlock at primary schools, the city of Saratoga began negotiating traffic reduction solutions with Altrans in 1994. Last month, Altrans received the funding necessary to formulate and test-pilot the K-12 trip-reduction program. Cities all around the county are keeping close tabs on how this experiment will work in local schools.
"We're looking forward to working with the schools over the next few years to design and implement this program," said City Manager Harry Peacock. "If it's successful, we expect it to be transported to other schools and contribute to reducing air pollution and traffic congestion."
The city became interested in trip reduction in 1994, when school district administrators repeatedly appealed to the City Council for crossing-guard funds. The council agreed to provide funding on the condition that the schools look into more long-term solutions.
"In 1994, I think the council realized that just funding more traffic guards would not do away with the traffic problem for K-12 schools, and they wanted to improve the situation," said Irene Jacobs, Saratoga's administrative analyst.
"The schools were coming to us more and more for crossing guards, and the council said, 'Well, what are you guys doing at the school to minimize congestion?' " Peacock recalled. "The schools said, 'We understand where you're coming from, but we don't have a clue how to deal with this.' "
To assist the schools, the city began a series of discussions with the Congestion Management Agency, the Clean Air Facility and related organizations. These organizations directed city officials to Altrans.
"We told them the situation that Saratoga faced, and from grouping all the recommendations together, it was pretty much narrowed down to Altrans," Jacobs said.
City officials met with Altrans and agreed to sponsor the grant applications. Last month, the Santa Clara Transportation Authority agreed to fund Altrans K-12 program with money from the Transportation for Clean Air Funds, funds pooled from a surcharge on vehicle registration. The project is set to begin Jan. 1.
"The first step will be to familiarize the schools, PTAs and other parent groups with what's going on," Jacobs explained. "The program will be introduced, and we will try to get their support. After that point, Altrans will take the ball and run with it."
Altrans has been battling for clean air and clear streets for six years. The organization was launched from San Jose State University's Environmental Resource Center in 1991, and kept on growing.
"It was students helping students in terms of planning their commute, public transit, carpooling or bicycling," explained Altrans Director Mike McDowell.
Altrans began expanding its services to include classroom presentations and new student orientations. In late 1992, they tested their wings by opening an office at Mission College. This pilot program was so successful that Caltrans (through the Petroleum Violations Escrow Accounts, a fund set aside from oil companies) and the Office of Traffic Safety gave them the thumbs up to implement their program at West Valley, DeAnza, Foothill and Evergreen colleges.
Altrans is now administered through the West Valley-Mission Community College District's Economic Development Institute, which assists new and struggling small businesses. This past month, Altrans received the 1996 Business Environmental Award in the Commute and Transportation Programs category for its trip reduction program.
But never before has trip reduction been tried at elementary schools. Saratoga and Cupertino school districts will be the first, and officials at the city say people around the county are keeping close tabs to see how this experiment turns out.
"A lot of surrounding cities in Santa Clara County have been showing interest. When this takes off, they're going to want to implement similar projects in their own districts," Jacobs said. "When it comes to K-12 traffic, the problems that plague Saratoga can be found at other schools in other areas."
The program hasn't cost the city or the schools one dime. So far, Altrans has been completely self-funded.
Parents and school administrators are looking forward to the day when trip-reduction results will show. As it stands now, the daily children's commute is an adult's nightmare.
"It's very congested at all four of our schools," said Saratoga Union School District Superintendent Mary Gardner. "They were built basically for kids to arrive in buses, not in cars. I think anything we can do to decrease the number of cars that are needed to drop off students is good."
According to Gardner, the schools have had traffic committee meetings for a number of years. Two of the main suggestions have always been carpooling and some sort of busing, Gardner said. These are two solutions that Altrans will be encouraging.
Kevin Skelly, principal of Saratoga High School, says that any progress to reduce traffic and parking problems at the high school would be welcome.
"Trying to take a left onto Herriman off of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road is a big problem in the morning," he added.
The following schools will have the opportunity to participate in Altrans K-12 trip-reduction program: In Saratoga, Saratoga High School, Redwood Middle School and Argonaut, Foothill, Saratoga, Sacred Heart, Saint Andrew's and Christa McAuliffe elementary schools; in Cupertino, Prospect, Lincoln and Monta Vista high schools, Kennedy Junior High School and Marshall Lane and Blue Hills elementary schools.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 4, 1996.
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