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Walk or Wheel (WoW!) to School: It's Cool

The WoW! program encourages students to walk, bike or carpool to school. This Fall, the school district will be installing solar panels at all elementary and junior high school campuses. While the drop-off zones will be open, traffic will be significantly impacted at all schools. So do your part for the community and the planet by walking or wheeling to school! Just consider at the benefits!

  • Fire up your brain for the school day.
  • Practice safe walking/biking skills
  • Reduce traffic congestion near school at drop-off and pick-up
  • Protect the planet!   

 

Practice Makes Perfect

Parents, if you are ready for your kids to walk or bike to school, plan your path and make sure to walk or ride with them several times to practice the route and get to know the pitfalls of the path. On the way, review safety tips and the rules of the road.

Traffic complaint? As traffic in our community increases, driving behavior seems to just get worse. If you have a City of Los Altos traffic complaint, please fill out this online traffic report.

  

Safety Tips for Bicyclists

Ride Ready

Know the Rules of the Road! Your safety depends on it

  • Follow the law. You are a vehicle with the same rights and responsibilities as drivers.
  • Obey traffic signals and stop signs. 
  • Ride with traffic; use the rightmost lane headed in the direction you are going.

Be Predictable

  • Make your intentions clear to everyone on the road
  • Ride in a straight line and don't swerve between parked cars.
  • Signal turns and check behind you well before turning or changing lanes.

Be Visible

  • Ride where people can see you and wear bright clothing.
  • Use a front white light, rear red light and reflectors when visibility is poor.
  • Make eye contact with others and, if you can avoid it, don't ride on sidewalks.

Think Ahead

  • Anticipate what drivers, pedestrians and other bicyclists will do next. 
  • Watch for turning vehicles and ride outside the door zone of parked cars. 
  • Look out for debris, potholes and other road hazards. 


Safety Tips for Pedestrians

Be Safe and Be Seen: Make yourself visible to drivers!

  • Wear bright/light colored clothing and reflective materials.
  • Stand clear of buses, hedges, parked cars, or other obstacles before crossing so drivers can see you.

Be Smart and Alert: Avoid dangerous behaviors

  • Always walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic.
  • Don't assume vehicles will stop. Make eye contact with drivers. If a driver is on a cell phone, he or she may not be paying enough attention to drive safely.
  • Don't rely solely on pedestrian signals. Look before you cross the road.
  • Be alert to engine noise or backup lights on cars when in parking lots and near on-street parking spaces.

Be Careful at Crossings: Look before you step

  • Cross streets at marked crosswalks or intersections, if possible.
  • Obey traffic signals such as WALK/DON'T WALK signs.
  • Look left, right, and left again before crossing a street.
  • Watch for turning vehicles. Make sure the driver sees you and will stop for you.
  • Look across ALL lanes you must cross. Even if one car stops, do not presume drivers in other lanes can see you and will stop for you.
  • Don't wear headphones or talk on a cell phone while crossing.
 

Resources


Resources
WoW SafetyBasics v2 ( 146.8 KB )

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