City’s SchoolPool program hopes to address congestion and safety issues in school zones

Published 4:33 pm Wednesday, September 10, 2014

At the beginning of every school year, City of Redmond officials are asked what they can do to help with the traffic on Education Hill.

This year, to address the neighborhood’s congestion issues, the city is launching a pilot program called SchoolPool. Some of the goals of the program are to address traffic congestion and access around schools and to educate young students on the benefits and safety of alternative transportation.

“We’re just trying to plant that seed that there are different ways to get to school,” said Jill Smith, transportation demand management manager for the city.

Smith said SchoolPool is similar to the city’s Redmond Trip Resource and Incentive Program (R-TRIP), in that it encourages people to choose alternatives to driving alone. Some of those alternatives include carpooling, walking or biking and taking a bus. And like R-TRIP, SchoolPool will offer incentives for schools, families and students. Participating schools’ PTSAs will earn $20 for each family that signs up for the program; participating families will be entered into prize drawings for gas gift cards and students will earn a party or assembly of their choice for their school if they see a 10 percent reduction in cars on the road.

Smith said part of SchoolPool will also be reminding drivers to be more careful while driving in a school zone and near parking lots as well as the dangers of driving while talking or texting on a cell phone when there are a lot of pedestrians and bikers — mostly children — around.

Although it is only the second week of school, Horace Mann Elementary School at 17001 N.E. 104th St. has already signed up to participate in SchoolPool.

Principal Megan Spaulding said her school is participating because they have worked in the past to reduce the cars on the roads.

Currently, cars can be seen lined up along Northeast 104th Street almost all the way to 166th Avenue Northeast before and after school as parents wait to enter the school to drop off or pick up their children.

“We are hoping that participating in the SchoolPool will increase healthy travel habits, reduce the number of cars on the road and create a closer-knit community,” Spaulding said. “Plus, students, their families and the school can earn great prizes for participating.”

She said they have offered “Walk to School” days in the past — some of which have been in conjunction with the city.

“We like to encourage students to ride bikes and walk to school because it increases punctual arrival to school and the light exercise increases students’ readiness to learn,” Spaulding said. “Furthermore, most of our students live within walking distance to the school and it’s always great to find safe and fun ways to help students get to school.”

Gretchen Connors, who has two children at Horace Mann, said she probably won’t be able to participate in the SchoolPool because they live in the Albert Einstein Elementary School area and have taken an in-district variance to transfer to Horace Mann. But if there are any families who live nearby, she would like to participate.

Smith said when people sign up for SchoolPool online, the program can match them with neighbors who live nearby and are on similar schedules, making it easier to organize carpools.

Connors said SchoolPool has the potential to be very beneficial for Horace Mann — if people sign up for it.

“It looked kind of cool, I would like to participate,” she said. “Hopefully it will help with the congestion.”

To encourage participation in SchoolPool, Caroline Chapman, program coordinator with the City of Redmond, said they have put up posters around the school. In addition, students will be receiving a calendar for October — Walk/Bike to School Month — to mark the days they participate. At the end of the month, they can mail it to the city to receive a prize.

“It’s a fun way to encourage kids and do a little cheerleading,” she said.

In addition to trying to reduce traffic congestion, Spaulding said Horace Mann has also worked to improve the environment and their school’s Green Team was one of the first in the district to implement a “no idle zone” in their parking lot. Fewer cars on the road would help further the school’s goals in improving the environment.

Smith said this year, they will focus SchoolPool on the schools on Education Hill and hope to extend it to all schools in Redmond as the program becomes more established.

SchoolPool is funded by a combination of dollars from the City of Redmond, R-TRIP, King County Metro Transit and grant money.