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Happy Holidays to all! We’re excited to announce that Cupertino Safe Routes to School is the recipient of a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to enhance our Bicycle and Pedestrian Education Program for a second year! The grant, which provides funding through September 2026, will promote safe practices and important education for pedestrians and bicyclists in Cupertino schools ages K-8.
Grant funds will continue to support various activities focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety:
- Pedestrian training courses that educate youth on safe walking behaviors
- Bicycle training courses that educate youth on safe riding behaviors
- Helmet fitting inspections and distribution of helmets to children in need
- Community and school education presentations
This grant is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. We are very grateful and excited to work with OTS another year.
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Cupertino Walked with Ruby Bridges!
National Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in Cupertino was a huge success this year!
On November 14 five Cupertino schools participated and held events that encouraged their school communities to walk to school together, while many others hosted walk and bike encouragement events on other days in November. Perhaps our biggest celebration happened at Lincoln Elementary school, where nearly 200 people including students, parents, Lincoln teachers and school staff, and members of CUSD gathered at Blackberry Farm to meet and walk together to school in a big group. Participants arrived early that cold morning sporting big smiles, purple clothing, music, and handmade signs pertaining to Ruby Bridges, Anti-Bullying, and Walking Encouragement. Folks congregated to walk to school and joined other members of their school community for a big celebratory lap around the Lincoln field and a group photo. This is Lincoln’s third year in a row celebrating this event. A big shout out goes to the Lincoln PTSA and Tara Badwal for all her work and passion organizing this event. Other school events included a Walk to School Day at Sedgwick Elementary, and a Walk to Eaton Elementary from three different neighborhood locations, one of which was even attended by Mayor Chao! We hope all schools in Cupertino will celebrate this special day for years to come.
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Faria Safe Crossing Initiative
Faria recently wrapped up its Safe Crossing Initiative, a program that encouraged families to walk or at least walk part way to school, and cross at crosswalks that keep pedestrians safer during morning drop-off traffic. This program was piloted for three consecutive weeks in November as a collaboration between our Safe Routes to School staff, parents and members of Faria F.E.E.F, and the school’s administrators. Faria incentivized kids and families by setting up signs at the targeted crossing areas. On those signs were a description of the program and a QR code connected to a google form where parents could enter their students name and room number. Each student who crossed and scanned the QR code at least 10 times over three weeks was promised a prize! We saw amazing participation in this pilot program and a significant reduction in morning drop-off traffic. On its peak day, 130 families walked in and scanned the code and we even saw high numbers of students walking in the rain! We have really enjoyed this partnership with Faria school and hope to expand the program this Spring.
Interested in setting up something like this at your kid’s school? Reach out to us!
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The Rise of E-Bikes; Emerging Trends and Parent Resources
It’s no secret that E-bikes and E-scooters are gaining massive popularity - especially among youth- as more and more high school, middle school, and even elementary school students are riding them to and from school. While more people riding is mostly a good thing, the rise in E-bikes and E-scooters also brings many concerns- namely safety and legality. With kids riding bikes with greater power and higher speeds comes a need for targeted education and resources to support this shift in behavior. Unfortunately, we’re seeing a rise in dangerous riding behavior, accidents, and injuries related to e-bikes and e-scooters across the country and we recognize the emergent need for education NOW. Additionally, it can be tricky to know what kind of e-bike is best for you or your student, and many E-bikes being sold in stores and online are actually E-motorcycles, and therefore not legal for use by youth.
Our team is closing following the national trend of rising e-bike and e-scooter usage and the complex landscape of factors that make it hard for parents and kids to know how to do 'what’s right'. We’re working with neighboring cities, counties, and states to develop the right kind of education to fit the needs of our community and will be sharing more information and sending out more resources as they’re developed. For now, we can point you towards some awesome, existing resources developed by us and neighboring communities.
There is also a great FREE online webinar happening tomorrow geared towards parents about how to buy a safe and legal E-bike just in time for the Holidays!
Resources:
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SJ Mineta- Still Time to Enter!
The Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University offers several opportunities for students to explore the benefits and challenges of electric bicycles (e-bikes) and to promote safe riding and travel practices. They are running two exciting contests still open with time to enter!
2025-2026 Poster Contest (Grades 1-6)
Elementary students across the U.S. are invited to create an original poster illustrating how to stay safe while walking, biking, or rolling to school. This year’s theme, “Be a Safety Designer!”, challenges young artists to design a traffic garden—a miniature city with crosswalks, stop signs, and bike lanes—where kids can learn the rules of the road in a fun, hands-on way. Winning posters will be recognized nationally, and each student will receive a certificate of achievement. We highly encourage our students to enter.
2025-2026 MTI Essay Contest (Grades 6-12)
Ride On, Ride Safe—E-Bike Style! Students enrolled in U.S. public, private, or home schools are invited to submit an essay responding to one of four prompts on e-bike safety, licensing, age requirements, school education, or rules for micromobility. Each winner will also receive a certificate of achievement.
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December Safety Tip- Light Up Your Bike!
For this month’s safety tip, we re-emphasize the fact that the days are getting shorter as we retreat into winter, and the likelihood of biking in dark or near-dark is increasing. So, light up your bike, scooter, and self this Holiday season!
As a refresher, while riding in the dark legally all bicycles MUST have a functional white front light and a red reflector on the rear. This amount of lighting is mere baseline, and we highly encourage all riders to decorate their bikes with as many lights as is functional AND wear reflective, bright clothing. Be SEEN. Take inspiration from Santa this season and light up your bike!
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Infrastructure Improvements
Construction on Orange Avenue
Starting in Mid-December and extending into the Holiday break, City of Cupertino and AT&T will be starting work to remove the existing utility poles in the street on Orange and install new ones on the sidewalks. This will be significant safety enhancement for Orange Ave. The construction is set to start on Monday, December 15 and will continue through early summer 2026. Work will be scheduled to minimize disruptions to the adjacent property owners and the general public. Residents in this area impacted by the construction will be notified.
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Join us for SR2S Working Group Meetings
Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Working Group meetings are Hybrid held on the second Wednesday of most months in Conference Room C at Cupertino City Hall and on Zoom. If there's a topic you'd like the Working Group to discuss, email us! saferoutes@cupertino.gov
Visit the link below to register, access agendas, and view the complete list of dates for this school year’s Working Group meetings. We hope to see you at our next meeting!
Working Group Meetings
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Important Upcoming Dates
Agendas will be posted 72 hours before each meeting at the links below.
- No December SRTS Working Group Meeting - Happy Holidays!
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