Sharing the Road
Oak Knoll School

September 17, 2015
  
Dear Parents,

When I first came to Oak Knoll, one of the aspects that I was most struck by was how embedded the school is within the local neighborhood. I love seeing the smiling faces of all of our students and parents arriving by foot, bicycle, bus and car each morning. The number of students arriving to school each day by bicycle and on foot is a unique strength of our school.  It is important that we all do our part in keeping all of our students and families safe, regardless of which mode of transportation we choose.

Years ago, in an effort to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety, the City of Menlo Park researched existing conditions and transportation issues and developed a Safe Routes to School Plan to address safety concerns raised by parents, neighbors, the school district and members of the Oak Knoll and Menlo Park community. This plan includes walking and bicycle routes to Oak Knoll based on proximity to school, crosswalks and stop signs.

If you walk or bike to/from school, please review these plans with your students and talk about the safest route to school from your home. In addition to reviewing the information on the Safe Routes, please note these important updates and reminders:
  • New this year, we have green sharrows painted on Oak Avenue to more clearly communicate that cars and bikes share the road, and bikes can behave like a car and take the center of the road when there are fewer than 3 feet for passing room.
  • Our parking restrictions at the start and end of the school day are also tied to these safe routes, so we encourage students to bike home along routes where there is no parking. For example, when leaving school, please do not bike on Oak Knoll Lane past White Oak Drive. Parked cars can be dangerous to our bikers, both in terms of opening car doors and cars pulling out, so we suggest students ride home on routes that avoid these parked cars.
  • The only carline at Oak Knoll is the one in our driveway! It is important that cars not stop and wait, or drop off children, in these no parking zones because it obstructs our safe routes.
  • If you are parked in the parking lot, please use the crosswalk by the flagpole. If you are not parked in the lot,  use the crosswalk by the entrance to the school. This helps to keep our students and families safe, and cars moving during drop off and pick up times.
  • It is important that students get off and walk their bicycles from the corner of White Oak Drive and Oak Knoll Lane to the crosswalk along Oak Knoll Lane that enters the school grounds. This enable walkers and bikers to share the sidewalk on Oak Knoll Lane.
  • Encourage students to bike in groups when they are sharing the road with cars.
In addition to promoting our school's safe routes, we are also providing bike safety tips via our morning broadcast, KNOL, and in our upcoming Safe Moves Assembly. Dr. Pat Hines, a former pediatrician, will be back to Oak Knoll on September 28th to review bike and pedestrian safety tips with all of our students. For more information on her recommendations, you may also review her Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Tips .

Oak Knoll is truly a remarkable place, teaching students from a young age about different forms of transportation and healthy habits. We appreciate everyone's efforts in supporting all of our students in feeling safe. We know the frustrations surrounding parking and car lines, and we truly appreciate your patience with both of them to support our larger goal of student safety. If you are interested in options that help you to avoid pickup time altogether, the SamTrans bus picks up students every afternoon. Thank you again for all of your ongoing support and modeling of how multiple forms of transportation can converge effectively and safely for our students.

Sincerely,

Leah Kessler
Oak Knoll Assistant Principal