From: Charlessands
Date: October 1, 2010 2:45:12 PM PDT
To: drive@avehicleforchange.org
Cc: BCrawford@co.marin.ca.us, jtejirian@co.marin.ca.us, skinsey@co.marin.ca.us, info@marinhorizon.org
Subject: Fwd: UPDATE: 2010 Walk to School Day -OCTOBER 6th : community cooperation needed
Bcc HVCC, Madrone Park Circle, Evergreen and Hearus groups
READERS BEWARE:
attn. Mari Tamburo.. PERHAPS WELL INTENDED UPDATE BUT YOUR UPDATE IS MISINFORMED, DISEMINATES DISINFORMATION AND SEEMS TO READ AS AN UNADULTERATED MHS PUBLIC RELATIONS ATTEMPT TO PRAISE MHS BUT NOT REVEAL THE KNOWN FACTS THAT MHS' TRAFFIC IS HAVING A SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT ON MHS'S OWN WALKERS / BIKERS / AND VEHICLE USE OF EVERGREEN AVENUE. BUS ALL MHS COMMUTING STUDENTS AND EVERGREEN AVE.'S WALKERS /. BIKERS / VEHICLES WILL BE AGAIN SAFE.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mari Tamburo
To: HEAR US
Cc: Mari Tamburo
Sent: Fri, Oct 1, 2010 12:52 pm
Subject: UPDATE: 2010 Walk to School Day -OCTOBER 6th : community cooperation needed
Please forward to your lists - so all residents of Homestead Valley - especially Evergreen Avenue,
can receive this information about International Walk to School Day - which is October 6th.
Old Mill, Park School, Edna Maquire - are participating in this event
MHS, while not engaging in full promotion or an official event - will also promote the day with a notice to their parents encouraging them to walk to school on that day if they are not already on the bus. Roz has discussed my request to reroute traffic on Laverne with their county planner - and he told her that it would be a violation of their Traffic Management Plan, and they can't reroute the cars, because they must strictly adhere to that as a condition of their CUP. NOT TRUE MHS' TMP HAS BEEN REVISED TO ACCOMMODATE MHS; CHANGE ROM VANS TO BUSES FYI: MHS DOES encourage walking and biking to/from school as part of their Traffic Management Plan. They have done this since Safe Routes To School was established and MHS joined as a founding member. Roz tells me that many of the older children have signed parent permissions to walk or bike to and from school - and as most of us who live on this street have witnessed - it is popular with the older kids. NOT TRUE 9 DAY BIKE SURVEY SHOWS LESS THAN 1 MHS BIKE PER DAY
So, as is the case with EVERY community where a school is located, we all have to endure the increased auto traffic in the mornings on streets in the vicinity of the school. NOT TRUE MHS CAN BE REQUIRED BY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO BUS ALL MHS COMMUTING STUDENTS AS A NECESSARY SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE IMPACT MITIGATING ACTION.If we ALL work together to engage in a little flexible behavior modification - we can make it easier for all pedestrians and bicyclists to use Evergreen during school commute hours - when it is most congested. The additional benefits of our sincere community collaboration will be a safer Evergreen for all - BUS ALL MHS COMMUTER STUDENTS WILL REDUCED TRAFFIC BY 44% PER MHS' 2005 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY reduced traffic speed, reduced traffic volume, reduced noise and pollution - plus better health benefits for those of us who choose to walk and bike regularly in and around Homestead Valley.
Please help us raise awareness by voluntarily cooperating in the following for OCTOBER 6th:
REDUCE TRAFFIC VOLUME - Please ask all of our HV neighbors who do not live on Evergreen - to voluntarily find an alternative commute/travel route on October 6th.
if you travel along Evergreen to drive your kids to school, and your school is too far away to walk or bike, please carpool: http://www.schoolpoolmarin.org/
Roz assures me that MHS encourage all families to enter and exit the valley slowly with all children’s safety in mind.
SLOW EXISTING TRAFFIC - If you feel you must use Evergreen to get where you are going - PLEASE REDUCE YOUR SPEED
As many of us who live on Evergreen will confirm - our number one complaint re: biker and pedestrian safety on Evergreen is speeding cars. TRUE..A 9 DAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON TRAFFIC SURVEY OBSERVED ONLY SUVs AND EXPENSIVE AUTOMOBILES DRIVEN BY WOMEN FREQUENTLY TALKING ON A CELL PHONE WITH CHILDREN DRIVING FAST.
THE MARIN COUNTY SHERIFF WILL MONITOR SPEEDING AND
RECKLESS DRIVING IF REQUESTED.
Safe Routes to School educator, Frances Barbour states, "Traffic actually slows down the more people are walking and riding through neighborhoods." NOT TRUE ON EVERGREEN WHERE MHS VEHICLES ARE THE SPEEDING CULPRITS.
source: http://sanrafael.patch.com/articles/reading-riding-walking-and-arithmetic-2
Therefore - to help slow down traffic - HEAR US volunteers will be on hand to increase biker and pedestrian presence on Evergreen 8 - 8:30 am on Wednesday, WHY NOT ALSO IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN LESS THAN 4 MHS WALKERS AND NO BIKERS USE EVERGREN AVE. October 6th. In addition, on October 6th - several MHS staff will be posted on Evergreen to help the HEAR US group in slowing cars. If you live on Evergreen - and are awake and willing, please feel free to join us - make a "SLOW" sign - or contact me for a poster.
MAKE ROOM for bicyclists and pedestrians : While Evergreen is currently wide enough to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and various forms of motorized and non-motorized vehicles in many areas - and is used by many pedestrians and bicyclists - we want to encourage more walking and biking.
And since MHS is doing the best that they can by engaging that big yellow bus, understand that bus takes up a lot of space on the road -
so please let's make a bit more room on Evergreen, on the morning of October 6th.
On October 6th - before 8 am (or the night before, if you sleep in) please - if you have a driveway or garage, use it - and if you must park on the street, please park on the South side - and leave the North Side of Evergreen clear.
Why the North side? It is mostly gravel, there are already fewer cars parked there, and this will allow children who live in Homestead to walk or bike out of Homestead more easily.
If this is just not possible, and you live on the North side, please please park as close to your fence as possible - so as to allow as much room as possible for pedestrians to walk on the side of the road. Bicyclists will also be able to use the street as they do now.
If you choose to participate in this voluntary show of community collaboration for our walking and biking citizens - I have attached a sign for you to print out and place where you would normally park, so as to discourage someone else from parking in your usual spot. Or place a potted plant there instead. Get creative.
If you have any questions or comments, or would like to volunteer to hand our flyers - please contact me for more information, and thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Let's make this a fun and safe day!
Sincerely,
Mari
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