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Uploaded: Monday, March 4, 2013, 7:16 AM
Updated: Wednesday, March 6, 2013, 7:16 AM
Hundreds of Tri-Valley students joining county-wide program to walk or bike-ride to schools
Some schools in Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore participating in 'Golden Sneaker' contest
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by Jeb Bing
Pleasanton Weekly Staff
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 | Students in some schools in Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore are joining this week in an Alameda County-wide two-week program to walk, ride their bikes or carpool to their schools.
More than 60 schools are competing in the "Pollution Solution Golden Sneaker Contest" as part of the county's Safe Routes to Schools Program. The two-week contest kicks off today and encourages families to get active while reducing pollution. Families that live too far away to walk or bike to school can still join in the contest by parking several blocks away and walking to school together, taking the bus, or carpooling.
"This contest motivates families to start walking or biking to school in a fun, community-building way," said Supervisor Scott Haggerty, chairman of the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
"It supports our efforts to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, while promoting safe access to schools," Haggerty said.
At the end of the two-week contest, the winning classroom in each school will receive the program's Golden Sneaker trophy. In addition, the school with the greatest increase in green transportation modes during the contest will be honored by the Transportation Commission at its March 28 meeting.
The contest is sponsored by the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools program, which is funded by both the county's and the Metropolitan Transportation commissions.
For more information, contact Nora Cody, director of Safe Routes to Schools at (510) 213-4496 or nora@transformca.org.
Participating schools in Dublin are Dublin High School and Dougherty, Green, Kolb and Murray elementary schools.
Participating schools in Livermore are Junction K-8 and East Avenue Middle schools and Jackson Avenue, Rancho Las Positas and Emma C. Smith elementary schools.
Participating schools in Pleasanton include Foothill High School, and Lydiksen and Mohr elementary schools.
The Tri-Valley school program is under the direction of task force liaison Rosie Mesterhazy.Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Kevin Du Bois, a member of the Pleasanton Middle School community, on Mar 4, 2013 at 3:42 pm Fantastic idea! Just don't let any of esteemed or elected officials get wind of this though...
Web Link
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Posted by Liberty First, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 4, 2013 at 3:54 pm I suspect the UN is behind this. Just another effort to indoctinate our children. I'll be the parent driving the Humvee.
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Posted by John, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 5, 2013 at 11:56 am I sincerely hope "Liberty First" is being a bit sarcastic.
It is a horror to move around Pleasanton at the time of day people are dropping off or picking up their children at the schools. All those cars, sitting around idling, burning up fuel and polluting the air. Anything that can be done to reduce such waste is a good idea.
I hesitate to say "back in my day, I walked or biked to school starting in fourth grade"... I know it is a different world, but something must be done to make our environment cleaner and safer for our kids. Making it easier for them to walk or bike to school safely is definitely a step in the right direction.
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Posted by Wendy, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Mar 5, 2013 at 3:45 pm This is a good opportunity for Pleasanton parents to make the roads safer for children by:
1. getting off the phone
2. stopping at red lights
3. not aiming your truck at crossing children when you want to make a turn through a crosswalk. You don't start turning until you can make a complete turn. Pointing your car at kids means you hit them when you're rear-ended by the parent driver on the phone behind you. It's also narcissistic, inconsiderate and thoughtless.
4. Stay out of the crosswalk when kids are in it, stop driving directly in front of and behind children.
5. When your truck is stopped at a crosswalk, don't hug the crosswalk. Your truck blocks the view of crossing children. Keep back a little so we can see.
The crossing guard at Santa Rita and West Las Positas, who used to be at Santa Rita and Black Ave., consistently puts his sign down and walks back to his curb before the children have finished crossing. If you have children crossing there, you may want to make some calls.
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Posted by Jim van Dyke, a resident of the Vineyard Hills neighborhood, on Mar 5, 2013 at 10:12 pm Has anyone noticed? bike lanes are going in everywhere in Pleasanton! Our excellent traffic team have done a fantastic job of literally paving the way for new transportation methods that are you fiscally sound, great for individual health, and great at buildings a wonderful community to live in. The only thing missing is more bicyclists! I ride my bike to work and errands as often as I can, and most of the bike lanes are empty! Our community has ample sunshine and now it has ample safe and convenient bike lanes. We just need more programs like this that are great for the budget and great for the community, and if you're reading this I hope you will dust your bike off and ride it to your next destination. be careful though, bicycle riding can be addictive!
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