It all started on 5 December 2007, a regular Wednesday. The Bicycle Coalition (Owen Gorman) and Samohi Solar Alliance (Lulu Mickelson) decided to call it Bike to School Day and more than 80 students obliged. Some physical education teachers offered extra credit as an added incentive to ride. The local press wrote nice piece, interviewed some of the riders, and a new tradition was born.
Just three weeks earlier, on 13 Nov 2007, many cyclists had made their way to city hall to attend a council meeting. 33 cyclists spoke to the city council to complain bitterly how the Santa Monica Police had unreasonably harassed participants at a Critical Mass ride. It is an open question for future historians if the police action has led to the new bicycle organisation at the High School.
Today it is called Bike It! Day. Over the last 4 years the movement has spread to the other schools in the district and has become a true catalyst for all those teachers, parents and students who no longer take the car for granted, and who remind us that our streets are for all users, not only for cars.
The high school students reached out to the middle schools and the enthusiasm was spreading fast. Parents supported the student led program and have established a program of bicycle education which can effectively address the common concerns about safety on the street. With the help of Sustainable Streets, the PTSA has offered bike skills classes. No less important, the school district has adopted a resolution in 2009 which promises much needed improvements in bike parking for all the schools in the district.
Yesterday we had news that President Barack Obama has awarded a Presidential Commendation to Samohi Juniors Jenna Perelman and Charlotte Biren for their leadership of the Bike It! Day movement. The US Environmental Protection Agency described their work as " inspiring" and "motivating others through their example". Jenna and Charlotte are co-presidents of the Samohi Solar Alliance, the largest student club at Samohi. Bike It! Day has spread to every school in Santa Monica and is now California's leading environmental bicycle event.
Congratulations Charlotte and Jenna! This is a stunning achievement. Thanks also to all those who helped to grow Bike It! Day into a local movement which now inspires the way Santa Monica is thinking about transportation. A Presidential Commendation is a rare honor indeed, and it is very appropriate that the Environmental Protection Agency made this possible. But the good old bicycle is not only helping the environment, it is also a great tool for healthy communities, and effectively reduces car traffic.
We are hopeful that the city and the school district will appreciate this great honor. The next goal is to make every day a Bike It! Day in Santa Monica. The city is now developing a new Bicycle Action Plan. The School District has long promised to update the bike parking facilities. It may also want to think about how to reduce its transportation impacts through TDM programs, how to educate and support parents about non-motorized options, and to implement a bike share program for its staff.
The students have lead the way. The highest office in the land has honored the effort. The job is clear: Let's make the bike an easy and safe option for all students and residents, for visitors and seniors, for mothers and children. Let's make it easy and safe to park their bike at school, and let us spread the word how people on bikes can safely interact with car traffic. Let's work towards a bicycle network that is attractive to cyclists of all ages and experience levels. Let's create a safe, comfortable cycling environment through facility design and public education.
Charlotte and Jenna, you are awesome!
Posts
