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November 2020
Update: Corrected VTA Links
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Go Explore Cupertino
The City of Cupertino is committed to embracing innovative solutions to improve the lives of its residents. To this end, the City of Cupertino’s GIS Division has recently developed an interactive web-based map for Cupertino Safe Routes to School (SR2S). This new map includes estimated travel times to schools, VTA bus lines, bicycle infrastructure, school attendance boundaries, and much more. Please utilize this new map to help you and your family identify your own routes to school! To find information about a particular school, follow the example below for Collins Elementary.
Click on the map below. When you open the map, click OK, and you should see a pop-up window called Schools (if you don't, click on the school icon in the top right). Note: Lincoln Elementary and Lawson Middle schools are "turned on" by default when you open the map. Click on the little arrow to the left of "Schools" to expand the school options. Click on the arrow next to Elementary Schools to see all the elementary schools in the district. Click the check box next to Lincoln to turn Lincoln information off. Click the checkbox next to Collins to see Collins info. To turn off information for Lawson Middle School, which overlaps Collins' attendance boundaries, scroll down and click the checkbox next to Middle Schools. Scroll back up and click the arrow next to Collins to see the layers you can turn on and off for the school.
Note: schools outside of Cupertino will only show that school's location and attendance boundaries.
We hope this map will help families better understand the different transportation options that are available to students in Cupertino.
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New School Site Liaisons
Every school year, both CUSD and FUHSD reassign staff to different campuses within their respective school districts. This reshuffling of staff means that Cupertino Safe Routes to School gets to work with new school site liaisons. This school year, we have new liaisons at Cupertino High, Garden Gate Elementary, Homestead High, Hyde Middle, Kennedy Middle, Lawson Middle, and Regnart Elementary. We are currently in the process of meeting with our new school site liaisons. During these meetings, we familiarize our liaisons with the Walk Audit improvement projects we are planning for their school, introduce them to their SR2S parent champions and student representatives, and familiarize them with the Safe Routes program if they are not already familiar with it. It turns out we worked with many of our "new" liaisons while they were at their former schools. That said, we do have three brand new school site liaisons. They are Anthony Nguyen at Homestead High, Stephanie Dong at Hyde Middle, and Erin Leary at Lawson Middle.
We are excited about this unique new school year, and look forward to working closely with all of you!
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Should Enforcement be Part of SR2S?
The national Safe Routes Partnership hosted a Zoom meeting on October 22 to facilitate dialogue about their recommendation to remove Enforcement from the framework of E's for Safe Routes to School programs nationwide. This meeting was recorded and is available to view below.
At our November 18 Working Group meeting, we will be discussing the role of Enforcement in our local Safe Routes program, with the goal of gathering feedback from the community about whether to remove or continue including Enforcement and police engagement as part of our program. We strongly encourage you to either watch the national Safe Routes Partnership's 28-minure webinar below or read their short blog post announcing their recommendation to remove Enforcement. By familiarizing yourself with either of these, you can come to our Working Group meeting informed and prepared for a thoughtful discussion.
Webinar: Removing Enforcement
Blog Post: Dropping Enforcement from the Safe Routes to School 6E's Framework
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Look Left, Right, and Left Again
When crossing any
street. Make sure that
you look left, right,
and then left again. Only proceed when it's safe.
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Remember to Signal
When biking, you are required by law to
signal when turning.
View this video to
learn how to signal.
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Cross at Crosswalks
Jaywalking is illegal and incredibly dangerous. Remember to always cross using a crosswalk or by crossing corner to corner.
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Active Transportation Added
to the County’s School
Reopening Guidelines
The Santa Clara County School Reopening Guidelines published in June focused all transportation guidance on commuting to school by car or bus. There was no mention of walking or biking, which some school districts interpreted to mean that students should only travel to school by car or bus. When Palo Alto Unified School District was forming their own reopening plan, which actively discouraged walking and biking to school, their Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Rosie Mesterhazy, raised a red flag. She formed a task force of regional Safe Routes to School providers from Palo Alto, Cupertino, the County, San Jose, and various other agencies to address this issue. Together, the task force developed active transportation guidance for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department to consider. The Health Department welcomed our input and incorporated many of our recommendations into their updated School Reopening Guidelines, published on September 21.
We're pleased that the Guidelines now include active transportation guidance, sending a clear message to schools and districts that it’s still okay to encourage families to leave the car at home when going to school.
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LOS to VMT Transition
A major change in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) practice is being triggered by the implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 743.
Effective July 1, 2020, SB 743 removes the use of automobile delay or traffic congestion for determining transportation impacts in environmental review. CEQA Guidelines (issued December 2018) specify that Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), is the appropriate metric to evaluate transportation impacts.
To comply with these new rules, the City will need to define policies and practices for conducting VMT analysis in areas under the City’s jurisdiction. This law does not prevent jurisdictions from using LOS as a tool for transportation analysis outside of CEQA.
VMT measures the amount and distance people drive by personal vehicle to a destination. Development projects that are farther from other, complementary land uses (such as a business park far from housing) and in areas without transit or active transportation infrastructure (bike lanes, sidewalks, etc.) generate more driving than development near complementary land uses with more robust transportation options. Learn more by reviewing this white paper.
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Website Update
We have revamped our Cupertino Safe Routes to School homepage! Click here to check it out, explore the site, and learn more about Cupertino Safe Routes to School.
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Important Upcoming Dates
Agendas will be posted 72 hours before each meeting at the links below.
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