City of Mountain View
2024-2025 Safe Routes to School –
Final Report
December 2025
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View i
Table of Contents
Page
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1-1 2 In-School Activities ...................................................................................................... 2-4 3 Community Based Events ............................................................................................ 3-8 4 Curriculum Development .......................................................................................... 4-14 5 Data Collection and Program Evaluation ................................................................. 5-16 6 Engineering Recommendations ................................................................................ 6-21 7 Lessons Learned .......................................................................................................... 7-22
List of Tables
Table 1: Safe Routes to School Activities Related to Program Goals, 2024-2025 ........................ 1-3 Table 2: List of Metrics to Measure Program Performance ................................................................... 1-1 Table 3: Bike Rodeo Participation by School, 2024-2025 ...................................................................... 2-4 Table 4: Student Participation and Skill Assessment at Bike Rodeos. 2024-2025 ........................ 2-5 Table 5: Safety Assembly Participation by School, 2024-2025 ............................................................ 2-6 Table 6: List of SRTS Community Based Event, 2024-2025 ................................................................... 3-8 Table 7: Student Travel Tally Response Rate by School ...................................................................... 5-17
List of Figures
Figure 1: The Six Es of Safe Routes to School Programs ........................................................................ 1-1 Figure 2: Goals of the Safe Routes to School Program .......................................................................... 1-2 Figure 3: Handout Material in English and Spanish ................................................................................. 3-9 Figure 4: Activities Conducted at Monster Bash, October 2024 ...................................................... 3-11 Figure 5: Student Mode Share by Grade Level, Student Tally Survey, 2024-2025 .................... 5-17 Figure 6: Student Mode Share by Elementary Schools, Student Tally Survey, 2024-2025 .... 5-18 Figure 7: Mode Share Comparison, Student Tally Survey, 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 ............... 5-19
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report
City of Mountain View
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1 INTRODUCTION
Background
In 2011, Mountain View launched a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program to promote walking and bicycling to school for students and families in the city. The program is funded by 2016 VTA Measure B Education/ Encouragement Program and City of Mountain View. The program intends for students in Mountain View to arrive at school safely, happily and ready to learn. Mountain View’s program includes the “Six Es.” Figure 1: The Six Es of Safe Routes to School Programs
Mountain View SRTS Program Goals
Safe Routes to School efforts aim to enhance student safety, increase participation in active transportation, and foster a sense of community. The program focuses on achieving the following goals:
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 1-2
Safe Routes to School activities are designed to support of one or more of the program’s goals. Table 1 summarizes the key activities implemented during the 2024-2025 school year.
The table specifies how each activity relates to the Six Es framework and the program goals.
Information about participation related to the key performance measures, trends compared to the previous year, and key observations help to track progress toward safer, more accessible routes to school for all students.
Figure 2: Goals of the Safe Routes to School Program
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report
City of Mountain View 1-3
Table 1: Safe Routes to School Activities Related to Program Goals, 2024-2025 Six Es Approach and Activity Summary of Activity Outcomes Program Goals
Increase
Student Safety
Increase
Participation
Enable &
Encourage
Build
Community
Deliver
Services
Education and
Encouragement
Bike Rodeos
786 K-8 students received training in bike rodeos and safe walking.
94% of the elementary and middle schools participated in bike rodeos.
Y Y Y Y
Education and
Encouragement
Safety Assembly
3,200 K-12 students participated in safety assemblies, including all Mountain View elementary and middle schools.
Y Y Y Y
Education and
Encouragement
Bike Maintenance Day
Approximately 38 high school students from Mountain View High School and Los Alto High School received free bike repair services and bicycle safety education to practice stopping, hand signals and looking over the shoulder
Y Y Y
Encouragement
Back to School
Staff attended 12 Back to School events to encourage
parents to walk and bike to school, increasing the
program’s visibility.
Y Y Y
Education
Lesson Plans
Locally specific SRTS lesson plans were drafted and for grades 4, 7 and 11.
Y Y Y
Encouragement and
Equity Key Resources
Key materials and resources were available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian including youth and parent safety booklets and flyers on helmet use.
Pick-up and Drop-off Best Practice
Rules for Riding
Y Y Y
Evaluation
Student Travel Tally
6,433 students participated in travel tallies over three days; an increase compared to 2023-2024
Y Y Y Y Y
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 1-4
Six Es Approach and Activity Summary of Activity Outcomes Program Goals
Increase
Student Safety
Increase
Participation
Enable &
Encourage
Build
Community
Deliver
Services
Encouragement
City Staff Workshops
City staff worked closely with the school district to ensure increased program participation from all elementary and middle schools, as well as to review curriculum
development and support progress.
Y Y Y Y Y
Encouragement
SRTS Coordinating
Committee
Four SRTS Coordinating Committee meetings were held to encourage parents’ participation in Safe Routes to School. Resources, such as helmets and bike lights, were provided to parent volunteers as part of the Walk and Roll efforts
Y Y Y Y
Encouragement
Community Citywide
Events
Monster Bash (10/26/2024) had180 bike rodeo participants, 30 participants in the family bike ride, 100 Safety craft table participants, and 35 bike repairs completed
Christmas Tree Lighting (12/9/2024):50 participated in the Vision Zero Safety Game and shared material/information with 100 people at the table
Bike to Boba events: 40 teenagers participated in the Bike to Boba rides organized with The View Teen Center
Earth Day (4/20/2025): 100 bike rodeo participants
Walk and Roll Events (04/21/2025)
1. Gabriella Mistral Elementary School
2. Landels Elementary School
3. Bubb Elementary School
4. Theuerkauf Elementary School
5. Graham Middle School
6. Mountain View High School
Y Y Y Y Y
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report
City of Mountain View
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Measuring Performance
VTA requires agencies receiving Measure B funds to measure the outputs and outcomes of their projects using at least one metric that addresses the project’s goals. The required metrics should fit within one or more of VTA’s main categories of metrics: project reach, behavioral change, mode shift, and equity. The key performance measures for Mountain View’s Safe Routes to School project are:
1. Number of program activities completed per school.
2. Number of students participating in program activities, by school.
3. Number of students participating in activities as part of citywide programs.
4. Rates of participation in student travel tally and current mode share percentage per school and grade level.
Table 2 illustrates the range of metrics used to measure the success of the program across all components (and related activities) during each school year. Findings related to each of the components are described in the remainder of this report and are used to assess and grow the program.
Table 2: List of Metrics to Measure Program Performance Program Component Performance Measures
Curriculum
Development
Completion of school and district staff review
SRTS Coordinating Committee feedback sessions conducted Safety Education Safety Assemblies and Bike Rodeos
Number of schools participating
Number of students trained (by school and grade level) Number of courses offered
Observed improvements in safety knowledge and skills
Resources
Distribution of school route maps
Number and type of safety materials provided (by topic and target audience) Number of languages translation for resources
Engagement and
Encouragement
Events
Community and Citywide events
List of annual event count
Number of participants per event and key lesson learned (if applicable) SRTS Coordinating Committee meeting frequency
Number of Back-to-school events for SRTS promotion
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 1-2
Data Collection and
Program Evaluation
Tracking student involved collision or fatalities
Student Travel Tally
Number of schools participating
Number of students participating per school
Rates of students walking and biking to school
Overall mode share rate and trend (by grade, school, and year comparison) Parent/Caregiver Survey*
Number of parents/caregivers participating
Number of schools and grade level represented
Number/rates of parents/caregivers who would allow their students to actively commute to school, by school
Documenting safety perception, preferred mode of commute and its reasoning *Conducted in alternate years (Not part of 2024-2025 year)
Engineering
Improvements
Identification of potential school access improvements SRTS Program Partners
The Mountain View SRTS program is led by the City’s Public Works Transportation Team with a half FTE Transportation Planner position dedicated to ensuring the program’s success and building strong relationships with Mountain View Police and the school community. Other Public Works staff provide technical support and involvement in the program.
SRTS Coordinating Committee
Committee meetings held quarterly throughout the school year with participation from school and school district staff, Police Student Resource Officers, parents and caregivers, Mountain View City staff, and consulting staff to share program updates and discuss issues.
Topics for 2024-2025 included capital project updates, SRTS program components (education, engineering, and encouragement), and organizing Walk and Roll events.
School Districts and School Staff
All school districts were engaged early in the development and implementation of SRTS activities.
The districts took responsibility for scheduling safety training and Walk and Roll to School Day.
Over the past three years, City staff coordinated with Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD) staff which serves grades preschool through eighth along with the principals of Mountain View and Los Altos High Schools to set expectations, define staff leads, establish communication protocols, and strengthen an adaptable, sustainable, and effective SRTS program.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 1-3
MVWSD communicated and encouraged schools to complete the Travel Tally within the three-day window. Additionally, they provided review and input on the curriculum development and lesson plans.
MV Police Department and Community Service Department (CSD) The Police Department deploys School Resource Officers (SROs) who work with schools, students, and caregivers using community-oriented policing concepts, participate in program activities and model safe roadway behaviors. The Police Department also manages the City’s crossing guard program, which expanded from 9 to 21 between 2019 and 2024.
Collaborate with the Community Services Department to include bicycle and pedestrian safety activities at citywide events, provide safety training for Bike to Boba event with The Teen View Center and promote walking and biking in Mountain View.
Parent/Student Volunteers
Parents and students volunteered their time and skill to host encouragement and engagement events at different schools.
Parents and students host Walk and Roll events at their schools. Parents volunteer citywide and at back-to-school events.
Program Highlights and Enhancement
The program highlights and enhancements from the 2024-2025 school year includes:
Continued collaboration with Mountain View schools ensured SRTS activities were built into the school year without disrupting classroom learning. Early summer outreach helped schools, parents, and students connect with the program during Back-to-School events.
Continued partnership with The View Teen Center, the program offered tailored activities for teens. SRTS program also continued to offer safety assemblies and resources to private schools.
Based on school feedback, SRTS continues more flexible scheduling for greater participation and expansion of in-school safety training and bike rodeos. The SRTS Coordinating Committee’s focus on building partnerships and advancing planning resulted in the successful incorporation of a citywide Walk and Roll Day. To reduce burdens on schools, parent surveys shifted from annual to biennial and student commute tallies from twice a year to once annually. Improved clear instructions on data collection forms and proactive staff support the resulting travel tally data entry was cleaner and more reliable than in previous years.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 2-4
2 IN-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Mountain View SRTS Program staff conducted various in-school activities to increase traffic safety awareness among students in grades K-8 and help them practice their safety skills.
Activities included bike rodeos and safety training covering rules of the road, hazard avoidance, helmet fitting, and bike checks.
Bike Rodeos
A school bike rodeo is an interactive skills event where students learn how to safely ride a bike, including helmet fitting, bike checks, rules of the road, avoiding hazards, and hands on training via the “Safe Moves City” obstacle course.
“Safe Moves City” allows students to experience traffic situations as pedestrians and bicyclists on a child-sized course with signs, pavement markings, and traffic hazards that provide age- appropriate challenges. “Safe Moves City” includes intersection and corridor-based infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike lanes, pavement markings, and traffic control devices as well as a variety of land uses and street users. An obstacle course and ramp installation challenges students to practice bike handling skills such as braking, steering, and balancing.
Students with signed permission forms, but no bike were able to borrow a bike and helmet to participate in this course. Students without a signed permission slip participated as pedestrians.
Table 3: Bike Rodeo Participation by School, 2024-2025
Date Location Quantity Grade Number of Participants
8/12/2024 Springer ES 1 K-5 35
8/24/2024 Graham MS 1 7th – 8th 11
3/25/2025 Bubb ES 1 3rd – 5th 121
3/28/2025 Castro ES 1 3rd – 5th 121
4/29/2025 MVHS 1 10th – 12th 25
4/30/2025 LAHS 1 10th – 12th 25
5/9/2025 Vargas ES 1 3rd – 4th 117
5/15/2025 Stevenson ES 1 5th 87
5/21/2025 Mistral ES 1 4th 44
5/22/2025 Monte Loma ES 1 4th 40
5/23/2025 Landels ES 1 3rd 74
5/27/2025 Theuerkauf ES 1 5th 23
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 2-5
5/29/2025 Imai ES 1 3rd 63
Table 4 summarizes student participation and a few metrics from bike rodeos. The bike rodeos catered to a total of 786 students. There was a significant improvement in braking, balancing, and turning after the rodeo.
Table 4: Student Participation and Skill Assessment at Bike Rodeos. 2024-2025 Grade
Level
Students
Participated
Permission
Slips Signed
Own
Bikes/Scooters
& Helmets
Helmets
Improperly
Adjusted
Students
Without Basic
Bike Handling
Skills
Staff
Intervention
K-5 736 85% 75% 43% 23% Staff adjusted
helmets and
taught
students
Middle &
High
School
61 N/A 70% 54% 44%
Safe Move Lessons Include:
Appropriate places to ride and walk
Explanation of traffic signs and signals
Navigation of intersections, left turns, and right turns Rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and pedestrians Helmet use (proper fit, adjustment)
Recognition and avoidance of common bicycle and pedestrian collisions Explanation and demonstration of the role of crossing guards Explanation/simulation of traffic environment (infrastructure) Understanding of driver, bicyclist, and pedestrian behaviors School transportation/traffic policies (pick-up and drop-off procedures) Explanation of the school route/ neighborhood maps and bike racks Importance of bicycling and walking for physical fitness and sustainable communities.
Rail/train safety (tracks)
Identification and avoidance of hot spots (crime, bullies, hazards, corners, crosswalks, truck traffic)
State, county, and city laws/ ordinances
Personal/property safety
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 2-6
Safety Training
Safety training assemblies for grades K–8 are a key part of the Safe Routes to School program. Tailored to each grade and school, the assemblies addressed local safety issues, making the content more relevant and impactful. Using an interactive, game-show format, students actively engaged in learning, reinforcing important walking and biking safety skills in a fun and memorable way. In the 2024–2025 school year, the assembly program educated approximately 3,200 students through 41 assemblies.
Table 5: Safety Assembly Participation by School, 2024-2025 Date Location Quantity Grade Number of
Participants
10/4/2024 Vargas ES 5 K - 5 365
10/23/2024 Stevenson ES 3 K - 5 302
10/28/2024 Imai ES 3 TK - 5 390
10/28/2024 Mistral ES 3 TK - 5 365
11/12/2024 Theuerkauf ES 4 TK - 5 308
11/13/2024 Bubb ES 3 K - 5 330
11/15/2024 Landel ES 3 K - 5 385
1/29/2025 Monte Loma ES 4 TK - 5 226
2/24/2025 Graham MS 7 6th 340
5/20/2025 Crittenden MS 3 6th 87
5/21/2025 Crittenden MS 3 6th 102
Safe Move Lessons include:
Grade K-3
Appropriate places to ride and walk.
Walking with a grown-up.
Explanation of traffic signs/signals.
Rights and responsibilities of bicyclists and pedestrians. Helmet use.
Explanation of the role of the crossing guard.
Understanding of driver, pedestrian and bicyclist behaviors.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 2-7
Grades 4-8
The lesson covered safety and environmental impacts of traffic congestion and pollution, engaging the students at each grade level in active learning to develop their critical thinking skills.
Bicycle and pedestrian safety.
California Vehicle Code laws and regulations.
Skills necessary to make smart choices in traffic.
Use of bike racks, bike lanes, bike paths, bike trails. Explanation of traffic environment (infrastructure).
Recognition and avoidance of common traffic collisions. Understanding of driver, pedestrian, and bicyclist behaviors. Identification and avoidance of hot spots (crime, bullies, congested intersections, constructions areas)
School transportation/traffic policies
Explanation of school routes maps
Effects of walking and bicycling on a cleaner environment Importance of bicycling and walking for physical fitness and health
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 3-8
3 COMMUNITY BASED EVENTS
In the past five years, SRTS community-based encouragement events have focused on complementing existing Community Services Department (CSD) programming to “meeting people where they are” in order to effectively and progressively boost communitywide awareness of traffic safety issues and skills.
Table 6: List of SRTS Community Based Event, 2024-2025
Date Location Number of Participants
Last Friday of the
Month from April to
August 2024
Bike to Boba Estimate of 20 to 30 students at each of five events
August 2024 Back to School & Ice Cream Social
events at 12 locations
Staff attended 12 back to school events
October 26, 2024 Monster Bash, Rengstorff Park 180 bike rodeo participants 35 free bike repair recipients
100 ped crossing participants
December 9, 2024 Christmas Tree Lighting 50 Vision Zero Safety Game participants 100 Information table people
April 20, 2025 Earth Day: “Learn to Bike” Session 100 Bike Rodeo participants 50 Vision Zero Safety Game participants
April 21, 2025 Walk and Roll Event
Gabriella Mistral Elementary School
Landels Elementary School
Bubb Elementary School
Theuerkauf Elementary School
Graham Middle School
Mountain View High School
50 students participated in MVWSD and
parents led Walk and Roll event
25 helmets and bike lights were provided
for students
Ice Cream Social and Back to School
In July and August 2024, SRTS staff attended ice cream social and back-to-school events at 12 schools. During these events, staff shared information about the SRTS program, discussed parents’ commute patterns, and provided guidance on the safest routes for students to travel to school. They also engaged with parents and school staff to understand transportation safety concerns.
Additionally, pamphlets for “Rules of Riding” and “Best practices of School Drop off & Pick- up” (
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 3-9
Figure 3: Handout Material in English and Spanish) were prepared to share with the families for student safety.
Lessons Learned
1. Parents are more interested in talking to staff about learning how to walk and bike safely to school during the ice cream social than during back to school events.
2. During these events, parents are also interested in learning about where to drop off and pick up students near schools (not directly in the drop-off zone).
3. Parents expressed the need for support in identifying nearby groups to partner with for Walk and Roll events or to find families for carpooling. They also requested help in building connections for their children to find other students to walk and bike with safely.
Monster Bash
SRTS staff hosted bicycle and pedestrian safety outreach activities at the annual Monster Bash event on October 26, 2024, at Rengstorff Park. This marked the fourth consecutive year of SRTS program participation in this popular community event, with attendance and engagement continuing to demonstrate strong growth.
The event attracted an estimated 3,000 – 5,000 attendees, providing an excellent opportunity to reach families with transportation safety education and activities. Many families interacted with the safety activities, including:
Figure 3: Handout Material in English and Spanish
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 3-10
• 180 students participated in the Safe Moves City bike rodeo where a more than fourfold increase from the previous year.
• 100 students participated in traffic safety–themed craft activities. • 80 students participated in pedestrian safety games.
• 35 people received free bike repairs provided by BikeMobile. • 30 participants joined the family bike ride.
The 2024 event showed remarkable growth in bike rodeo participation (180 vs. 80 in 2023), demonstrating the continued success of bilingual advertising and progressive community engagement. Several elements from the 2023 event were retained due to their success, including the family bike ride from Mountain View Public Library, BikeMobile repair services, and craft activities. Staff received positive feedback from parents and bicyclists who appreciated both the safety training and the free bike repairs.
Why Community Rodeos are Vital for SRTS
Community Rodeos are essential to Safe Routes to School programs because they engage parents and caregivers directly in their children's safety education. They play a crucial role in shaping their children's understanding of traffic safety, and these community events allow families to learn together. Community Rodeos provide parents with the opportunity to observe their children's riding abilities and traffic safety knowledge firsthand. These events are designed to motivate parents to take a more active role in their children's ongoing safety education. Staff encourage families to practice together, whether riding bicycles or walking and to reinforce safety skills. By educating both children and parents, Community Rodeos empower families to work together in building lasting safety awareness.
Lessons Learned
4. Plan for additional consultant staffing and detailed planning for bike rodeo activities.
5. Consider implementing a punch card system for giveaways to streamline distribution.
6. Explore and evaluate the need for translator services to enhance accessibility.
7. Streamline event sign-up processes to reduce wait times.
8. Provide small, well-balanced bikes appropriate for ages 4–7, as many participants were preschoolers.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 3-11
9. Plan for future growth if participation doubles. Unique challenges may arise due to limited space (minimum 60' x 100' required), mixed age groups causing course slowdowns, time-intensive helmet fitting, parent expectations for non-independent riders, and lengthy permission form processes.
10. Continue bike light incentive programs that successfully encourage participation in multiple activities.
Figure 4: Activities Conducted at Monster Bash, October 2024 Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 3-12
Walk and Roll Event
The SRTS team partnered with the Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD) to host a district-wide Walk and Roll event for all public elementary and middle schools in Mountain View. This event was a collaborative effort led by MVWSD staff, parents, and students. The SRTS team contributed by providing Walk and Roll flyers and giveaways. This initiative highlighted the value of building partnerships with the district staff and parents who are actively engaged in promoting safe and sustainable transportation options in Mountain View.
Along with the district, several parents initiated and continued monthly Walk and Roll events throughout the school year. Parents participated by biking with students to school and distributing incentives to encourage walking and biking. These parents-led activities reduce school traffic, improve transportation safety and help build a culture of walking and biking to school.
Lessons Learned
1. District scheduling and communication signals official support for Walk and Roll events, ensuring the event is recognized within the school calendar, and providing clear guidance for participation.
2. The Safe Routes to School Coordinating committee advised that volunteer and staff resources are best dedicated to welcoming students at school.
3. If events grow to include walking school buses and bike buses, it is important to acknowledge that it is hard to find and sustain adult volunteers for supervision and leadership.
Christmas Tree Lighting
For the Christmas Tree Lighting, SRTS staff provided transportation information and hosted the Vision Zero pedestrian safety game. The pedestrian safety game provides multimodal information on roadway rules and safety. Around 50 people participated in the game.
Earth Day: “Learn to Bike” Session
At Earth Day, the SRTS team hosted a “Learn to Bike” session. Over 100 students learned and practiced essential skills such as balancing, stopping, and navigating corners and ramps within Safe Moves City. Additionally, the team hosted a Vision Zero pedestrian safety game Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 3-13
and students and parents participated in this engaging activity, answering questions about walking, biking, and driving rules.
Bike to Boba
The View Teen Center hosts “Bike to Boba,” a staff-led bike ride where teens visit a different boba shop each month. This free program is open to students in 6th through 12th grade. The SRTS team partnered with The View Teen Center to provide bike safety education and accompany participants during the ride. Before the ride, the SRTS staff delivers a bike safety presentation, and throughout the event, they offer safety tips and reinforce the rules of the road.
Lessons Learned
1. Coordinate with internal staff in advance to discuss event logistics and expectations.
2. Conduct a post-event debrief to evaluate pre-event advertising, staffing, and roles and responsibilities.
3. Increase event promotions (through email broadcast, posting on social media and website) to enhance program awareness and encourage bike rodeo and teen participation.
4. Increase staffing (from The View Teen Center, volunteers, and consultants) during the ride or event to ensure all students follow the rules of the road.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 4-14
4 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
In 2023-2024:
The instructional modules were developed for the purpose of adding transportation safety instruction at the school level. The modules are targeted at grades 4, 7, and 11. They were informed by the input from the SRTS Coordinating Committee and school representatives about the gaps in available safety instruction in Mountain View in comparison to the unsafe behaviors and types of crashes that happen in Mountain View. Additionally, five peer reviews (including four North American and one Australian) were conducted to shape the modules.
Refer to 2023-2024 Safe Routes to School Program Final Report for more information.
Each module includes a curriculum outline, lesson plans, and supplemental materials to support instructors and learners. Across all grades, the lessons range in length from 45 to 60 minutes. Lessons include presentations, worksheets, activities, and discussion.
The 4th grade lessons are:
Lesson 1: Walking or Riding Safely near Traffic and Parking Lesson 2: Common Mistakes Vehicle Drivers Make
Lesson 3: Basic and Advanced Signs & Traffic Control Devices.
The 7th grade lessons are:
Lesson 1: Walking or Riding Safely near Traffic and Parking Lesson 2: Common Mistakes Vehicle Drivers Make
Lesson 3: Basic and Advanced Signs & Traffic Control Devices Lesson 4: Using Innovative Bicycle Facilities
Lesson 5: Route Planning and Map Reading
The 11th grade lessons are described below.
Lesson 1: Active Transportation as a Way of Life
Lesson 2: Navigating the Urban Environment
Lesson 3: Imagined Safety and Personal Responsibility Lesson 4: Mapping a Safe City
Lesson 5: Community Advocacy and Creating Change
In 2024-2025
Materials were revised after review by instructional coaches at the Mountain View Whisman School District. The key takeaway after meetings with various school district stakeholders Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 4-15
from elementary, middle and high schools across the city was that classroom teachers do not have the time and capacity to pilot the materials during instructional time.
As a result, the SRTS team is exploring alternative venues and media for sharing the lessons in Year 3 through clubs, committees, and videos.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 5-16
5 DATA COLLECTION AND
PROGRAM EVALUATION
Data for the SRTS Program Evaluation was collected using a standardized survey tool provided by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. For 2024-2025, the Student Commute Tally forms were used to collect student journey data to and from school.
SRTS Student Travel Tallies
High Level Process
SRTS Staff provided instructions to each school district about how teachers conduct in-classroom hand tally data collection and data entry. The announcement for the survey emphasized the role of teachers in supporting the City’s plan to enhance safety and promote responsible travel behavior for both adults and children on city streets.
For data collection, schools were instructed to select two days between the three-day window from April 1, 2025 (Tuesday) to April 3, 2025(Thursday). Data collection consisted of teachers asking students to raise their hand when the mode of travel they used to get and from school was called out. Mode share percentages were calculated by summing the responses for each mode and dividing by the sum of hand raised.
First year collecting data on high school students driving to school alone.
Note: Results in this section represent the data analysis and results from Thursday only. Data from Tuesday was excluded due to inclement weather, and Wednesday’s data was not considered because few schools had low or no participation.
Student Tally Results
• 2,485 students responded on Thursday, representing 38% of participation rate across nine elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. • Average participation rates were 32% in elementary, 69% in middle, and 34% in high school.
• Isaac Newton Graham Middle School had the highest participation (86%), while the lowest was at Amy Imai Elementary (12%) and Benjamin Bubb Elementary (11%).
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 5-17
Table 7: Student Travel Tally Response Rate by School
School Response Rate
Amy Imai ES 12%
Benjamin Bubb ES 11%
Crittenden MS 52%
Edith Landels ES 39%
Gabriela Mistral ES 44%
Isaac Newton Graham MS 86%
Jose Antonio Vargas ES 24%
Mariano Castro ES 30%
Monta Loma ES 50%
Mountain View HS 34%
Stevenson ES 17%
Theuerkauf ES 66%
Grand Total 38%
• Figure 5 shows the student mode share by Grade level for 2024-2025. All grade levels report driving to/from school as most common travel mode, but dependency reduces after Elementary School.
• The share of students biking, carpooling or taking transit increased with age, while share of walking decreases in high school.
7%
23%
21%
18%
10%
4%
2%
1% 1%
2%
3%
1%
10%
4%
7%
5%
5%
37%
53%
66%
19%High School
Middle School
Elementary School
Walk Bike
E-Bike Scooter, Skateboard, or Hoverboard
School Bus Public Transit (VTA bus, MV Go or Community Shuttle) Carpool (Riding with a friend or friends in the car) Family Vehicles (Parent driving to school) Students who drive alone
Figure 5: Student Mode Share by Grade Level, Student Tally Survey, 2024-2025 Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report
City of Mountain View 5-18
• Figure 6 shows the student mode share distribution for different Elementary Schools. A high reliance on family vehicles is seen, with all schools exceeding or at 50% in mode share.
• Gabriela Mistral ES is particularly notable with 78% of respondents using family vehicles to get to/from school.
13%
15%
17%
17%
21%
25%
27%
30%
31%
14%
2%
1%
3%
5%
6%
5%
7%
2%
1%
3%
5%
4%
1%
3%
10%
2%
1%
7%
3%
3%
10%
5%
3%
2%
12%
6%
64%
72%
78%
69%
71%
60%
60%
50%
54%
Amy Imai Elementary School
Monta Loma Elementary School
Gabriela Mistral Elementary School
Theuerkauf Elementary School
Stevenson Elementary School
Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary
School
Edith Landels Elementary School
Mariano Castro Elementary School
Benjamin Bubb Elementary School
Walk Bike
E-Bike Scooter, Skateboard, or Hoverboard
School Bus Public Transit (VTA bus, MV Go or Community Shuttle) Carpool (Riding with a friend or friends in the car) Family Vehicles (Parent driving to school) Figure 6: Student Mode Share by Elementary Schools, Student Tally Survey, 2024-2025 Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report
City of Mountain View
5-19
Student Hand Tally Mode Share
Mode share comparisons between the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 school years are shown in Figure 7.
• Car dependency decreased slightly considering the drop in parent driving, partially offset by the newly tracked student driving. However, parent driving remains the dominant mode.
• Biking decreased slightly while walking increased, keeping overall active transportation (walking, biking, scooters, skateboards, hoverboards, and E-bikes) steady.
• Alternative transportation modes remained largely unchanged, with carpooling showing a small increase and public transit staying the same.
Figure 7: Mode Share Comparison, Student Tally Survey, 2023-2024 & 2024-2025
Lesson Learned
• Proactive communication of MVWSD with schools emphasizes that consistent, early engagement is essential for successful data collection. • Missing data from Los Altos High School demonstrates that gaps in key participants can skew results and limit validity.
61%
15%
12%
5%
4%
1%
2%
54%
17%
10%
6%
6%
4%
1%
1%
1%
Parents Drive
Walk
Bike
Carpool
Students - Drive Alone
Public Transit
School Bus
Scooter, Skateboard, or Hoverboard
E-Bike
2023-2024
2024-2025
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 5-20
• External factors like weather can affect data collection and participation. • Climate change makes weather disruptions more unpredictable and frequent. For synchronized hand tally surveys, traditional contingency planning is limited. Weather- related data impacts may become a recurring reality rather than occasional gaps. • Continuing to schedule future surveys in late March/early April ensures year-over- year consistency and potentially eliminates seasonal variables for better analysis.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 6-21
6 ENGINEERING
RECOMMENDATIONS
During 2024-2025, the SRTS program reviewed and revised countermeasure recommendations developed in an earlier program year. This work resulted in draft concept designs for the eleven schools. City staff reviewed the concepts and discussed a variety of potential delivery opportunities including through ongoing maintenance, the active transportation program, or other operations and capital avenues.
The initial design concepts include a variety of striping changes and operations changes.
These include painted bike lanes, high visibility crosswalks, traffic signal modifications, and simple lane reconfigurations for traffic calming. City staff anticipate conducting further reviews to finalize the initial concepts and delivering them through ongoing maintenance, sign installations, or repaving.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 7-22
7 LESSONS LEARNED
The Safe Routes to School program have made significant strides in promoting safer and more sustainable transportation options for students. It also continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of students, parents, and schools. There are five key areas for improvement:
Program Coordination, In-School Training and Community Engagement, Curriculum Development and Program Resource, Program Evaluation, and Equity Program Delivery. The section below highlights potential steps to further strengthen the program’s impact.
Program Coordination
• Sustain strong partnerships between school administrators, teachers, parents, and MVWSD. Aligning district support with community engagement and citywide safety efforts increases permission form returns and student participation with their own equipment. When awareness, infrastructure improvements, and school commitment converge, the program becomes embedded in school culture and fosters lasting safety and active transportation habits.
• Continue to coordinate with Los Altos School District. The program currently provides assemblies and bike maintenance days as a result of this strong partnership. • Continue to host regular meetings among the City and school district liaisons to facilitate school-based scheduling of education and encouragement activities. • Strengthen collaboration with student-led groups and initiatives for more engagement and involvement, fostering peer-to-peer influence to drive lasting behavior change.
• Explore strategies to expand program offerings to private schools. No private school accepted SRTS services in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
• Review the Safe Routes to School website and make simple revisions. These might include adding audience-specific categories for navigation (parents, schools, students, community members) and establishing clear sections, call outs as well as calls-to-action that guide users toward specific events and goals (finding routes, joining events, volunteering).
In-School Training and Community Engagement
Continue annual events (Monster Bash, Bike to Boba, Walk and Roll, Earth Day) while involving student bodies and parent volunteers to build momentum, raise awareness, and promote shared ownership of safe and active transportation. Continued scheduling and communication from the District is essential. This leadership provides official support, promotional backing, and calendar recognition for events like Walk and Roll.
Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 7-23
School based volunteers are regularly recruited from student parents, and by definition this results in turnover as students advance. Expanding the volunteer base to institutionalized school-named roles in administration, clubs or parent associations can create a more diverse and sustainable base.
Large-scale events like Monster Bash would benefit from operations improvements such as implementing a passport punch card to increase family participation, a bike rodeo streamlined sign-up process that reduces wait times, and a wider range of bike sizes to support smaller riders; evaluate translator service needs. Implement a "Park and Walk" initiative and/or a school street to reduce multimodal conflicts at the school entry.
Support a parent or school staff Safe Routes to School Coordinator position at each school to support program activities and ease the administrative burden on principals.
Curriculum Development and Program Resources
Assess the impact and need for webinar-style lesson plans, which can be made accessible through the city's program website, giving schools (especially high schools) flexibility in curriculum implementation. Include reporting mechanisms to track usage and measure educational impact.
Prepare and circulate e-bike safety training materials as usage increases. Provide safety handouts during orientation, explore e-bike parking permit systems to track usage, and offer dedicated safety webinars for riders.
Coordinate with high schools to explore tailored driver education workshops or targeted safety training for students seeking parking permits, potentially making participation a requirement of the permit process.
Develop Drop-off and Pick-up Safety materials for parents and caregivers to address unsafe driving during drop-off and pick-up (Example: https://f.io/qZYSDors ).
Complement this with MVPD involvement during peak times to manage traffic flow and provide direct education to parents and students on safe practices.
Program Evaluation
Conduct student tallies at the same time annually and emphasize to schools that surveys are essential monitoring tools to maintain program support. Include private schools in hand tallies and parent/caregiver surveys for comprehensive mode share and safety evaluation.
Establish a consistent and accessible mode share dashboard with a benchmark goal for each school on the program website to provide insights into transportation Mountain View – Safe Routes to School 2024-2025 SRTS Report City of Mountain View 7-24
trends, assist in comparing data across schools, and measure the impacts of interventions.
Consider an annual recognition event for schools with the lowest car mode share and/or greatest improvement.
Equitable Program Delivery
Continue collecting student travel tally data and expand demographic insights through parent/caregiver surveys to identify underserved populations, participation gaps, and related program or safety feedback.
Assess program reach by documenting participation rates and evaluating whether current materials, messaging, and outreach methods are accessible and effective for diverse communities.
Leverage community partners and neighborhood networks to distribute surveys and reach diverse and vulnerable families. Continue providing translated materials and adjust outreach methods based on the engagement findings. Use research findings and survey feedback to develop data-informed, equitable SRTS strategies tailored to the needs and challenges of specific neighborhoods (as identified).
Strengthening partnerships with community organizations by providing SRTS-specific materials and support for tailored activities informed by observed trends and survey feedback.
Explore safety concerns beyond traffic safety through the parent/caregiver survey to understand whether personal safety issues (such as gender-based harassment, poorly lit routes, or isolated areas) affect route choices for certain student populations.