Samohi Aims for Car Free Campus
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000229 EndHTML:0000007790 StartFragment:0000002644 EndFragment:0000007754 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/peggyclifford/Documents/PressReleaseCarFreeCampu%20Folder/PressReleaseCarFreeCampusfinal.
It’s an American ritual – teenagers and cars, but on Wednesday, October 21,for the first time in years, the Samohi campus may be car free.
Santa Monica. High School staff and students are being urged to double the number of cyclists, walkers, and bus riders on Bike It Day, the 21st, as port of the Samohi Solar Alliance’s goal of a car-free campus.
“Last year, Bike to School day l aid the basis for change with 150 students riding bikes and 300 walking,” Lulu Mickelson, Samohi senior and Solar Alliance President said, adding ”This year we want to directly change campus culture by getting more students and staff out of cars and onto bikes, the Big Blue Bus or their own two feet.”
3050 students attend Samohi, along with 160 teachers and 440 additional staff members on campus every day. The campus entry points for car drop offs on Olympic and Michigan andm Seventh are routinely congested, and 400 cars park on campus daily.
“Bikes are a smart, fun way to get around Santa Monica. We want cyclists and bikes to break records on Bike It Day.” Mickelson added “The real cost of a car is about 2.73 dollars per mile, so our local school drop off is expensive in both dollars, and traffic stress. Today’s Samohi car culture is extremely damaging for the environment.”
The Samohi Solar Alliance’s intense campaign of fact and persuasion embraces every group on campus, highlighting the real cost of driving; the environmental issues; and the benefits of bikes, buses and walking.
Kicked off during Back to School night, the campaign also targets parents and staff.
“It’s a big idea so we want very broad support to make Bike It Day and the Car Free Campus a success” Richard McKinnon, Bike It Day Chair, and Samohi parent, says, adding ”Teachers, administrators, staff and parents are being asked to support the students. PTA, Santa Monica Spoke, the Big Blue Bus, the City, and Police; local bike shops and environmental groups are all being actively coordinated and involved in planning.”
“A major focus will be safety and getting kids to wear a bike helmet. Additionally, Bike Safety education classes are being held on campus every Thursday afternoon until Bike It Day.” McKinnon concluded.
Further Information
Lulu Mickelson Samohi Solar Alliance; 310 266 9884 samohisolar@yahoo.com
Richard McKinnon Chair Bike It Day 310 403 1505 mckinnon100@hotmail.com
2 Responses to “Samohi Aims for Car Free Campus”
A car-free campus is a wonderful idea, but it’s no good having a campaign that takes aim at its own foot. The promotion of cycle helmets is just one more way in which a fear of cycling is constructed, see Dave Horton at http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/09/fear-of-cycling-03-helmet-promotion.html.
Helmet propaganda relies on overemphasizing the very small dangers of cycling and seldom seems to emphasize its large benefits. At my moderately advanced age it’s far too dangerous not to cycle – regular cycling, Danish style, not too far, not too fast, nearly halves the death rate, see http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/160/11/1621. Helmet laws have stopped a lot of people cycling and have done nothing for head injury rates, see Robinson DL. No clear evidence from countries that have enforced the wearing of helmets. BMJ. 2006 March 25; 332(7543): 722–725. doi: 10.1136/bmj.332.7543.722-a. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=16565131 (Robinson’s work uses the best scientific methods, all available control groups and so on.) Cycling is good for health, but bike helmets don’t seem to be. On your bike, and don’t sweat the helmet!
By Richard Keatinge on Oct 4, 2009
I read the study cited, which includes reputable studies showing over 65 percent reduction in severity of head injury with helmet use. I therefore believe any responsible parent or serious cyclist would want to use a helmet whenever possible due to its effectiveness in reducing bicycle accident head injuries. In my experience, young people under 13 will largely wear a helmet, if told that helmet use is the law (in california required by cyclists under 18 years of age). Teen agers are more problematic, as disregarding adult safety advice seems part of growing up. Nonetheless I think the helmet law helps students who want to wear helmets do so without facing peer pressure to not do so. Interestingly, the fact that my son was wearing a helmet and riding a bike properly equipped with lights and reflector helped to convince the insurance company that he was not partly at fault in a recent accident.
By Alison Kendall on Oct 21, 2009