The Loma Prietan - November/December 2009

The Almond School bike racks in Los Altos are more crowded since the "Freikometer" program started counting trips and awarding prizes for frequent riding. Photo: John Gibson, GOT Imaging

When a new bike-to-school program launched in Los Altos, organizers figured incentives such as ice cream would generate interest. The response was so overwhelming, they had to turn to pizza for back-up.

"We were surprised by the number of students who did it and just kept riding," said Kacey Fitzpatrick, a Chapter member and Executive Director of GreenTown Los Altos.

The bike-to-school program, launched in March at Almond Elementary School, has become a model for schools that are looking for ways to get kids healthy and active through bicycling. GreenTown Los Altos -- which spearheads the program -- is a nonprofit begun in 2007 by five people who were involved with Sierra Club Cool Cities. With its focus on educating the public, it tackles issues such as energy and waste reduction.

But it's the bike-to-school program that has produced remarkable numbers. Of the school's 525 students, nearly 200 enrolled in the program from the outset. The number has grown by 100 kids since the beginning of this school year, to more than 50% of the school. An average of about 80 kids pedal every day. So far, the high-water mark for the year was 154 trips in one day.

Results have translated into just under three tons of CO2 that would have otherwise entered the atmosphere. The calculation is based on the estimate that kids travel about three-quarters of a mile to school. Bicycling round-trip to school equates to four one-way car trips: "one to school, one home in the morning, and the same number for the afternoon pick-up," according to program organizer Suzanne Ambiel. "The number of miles saved is small if you look at the one-way trip, but multiplied by four, times the number of students, times five days a week, and the accumulated savings get big fast."

The monitoring is possible thanks to the Freikometer, a solar-powered Wi-Fi computer that sits on a pole and tallies registered bikes as they pass. At Almond, the Freikometer "wakes up" at 8:05 as kids ride into school and "sleeps" at 8:35. After each school day, results dynamically update on the Freiker website. (The word "Freiker" is an amalgam of FREquent and bIKER.)

Organizers are zeroing in on five more schools and hope to get the program started at Santa Rita and Springer Schools very soon. But one of the challenges of expanding the program is the number of layers involved. The process requires the collaboration of the principal, the PTA, and parent volunteers, plus some funds for a Freikometer.

Some reluctant parents point to safety issues. To allay concerns, GreenTown Los Altos actively works with parents, offering helmet-fitting advice, and providing school assemblies. Like many suburban cities on the Peninsula, Los Altos is a relatively flat town with some bike lanes — but usually not along side streets, which tend to be narrower than arterial roads. However, most kids live relatively near their schools, which have hired crossing guards, and offer multiple entrances and pathways.

While the kids have learned some intangible lessons from bicycling, organizers have learned lessons of their own. They are re-thinking the rewards after ice cream scoops and pizza slices were eagerly devoured by kids during the last school year. These treats were initially given to kids for every five rides. Organizers are "raising the bar this year" and making rewards more "experience oriented," such as homework passes and extra recess, Fitzpatrick said.

One reason participation grew sharply this school year was last year's grand prize: a pedicab ride to school and a dozen doughnuts, enjoyed by three boys who pedaled to school every single day from the program's kick-off — a thrill that no doubt drew the envy of their peers.

Brian Foley is a Chapter member and is on the online communications staff at the national office.