Getting to School

Introduction

Although AUSD does not provide transportation for its general education students,

Alameda is a relatively small town geographically, and our district is primarily made up of neighborhood schools. Although many families drive their students to school, many students are able to walk or bike to school. Still, others are able to use public transportation.

Biking and Walking to School

Benefits of Walking and Biking to School
Safe Routes for Biking and Walking to School

Benefits of Walking and Biking to School

According to the National Center for Safe Routes to School, biking or walking to school offers numerous benefits, including:

Helping children build independence
Contributing to the recommended one hour of physical activity per day children need
Helping children build life-long healthy habits
Reducing emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases
Alleviating traffic congestion near schools and on city streets
Building community
Contributing to safer streets as motorists get used to seeing more pedestrians and cyclists
Cutting transportation costs for families and infrastructure costs for cities

Go Safely California: "Pedestrian and Bike Safety"
Safe Routes to Schools: "Let's Get to School Safely! (PDF)"

Safe Routes for Biking and Walking to School

“Healthy Kids, Safer Streets, Strong Communities” is the mission of Alameda County’s Safe Routes to Schools program (SR2S), which organizes activities to encourage families to walk, bike, carpool, and take transit to school. Their Resource Center is a hub of information and materials for parents, teachers, school administrators, and program champions to build and sustain SR2S programs in their schools and communities. For more information, please visit the SR2S website or contact info@alamedacountysr2s.org.

The organization's designated safe routes to AUSD schools are listed below.

Earhart Elementary School

Bay Farm School

Edison Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School

Lincoln Middle School

Love Elementary School

Maya Lin School

Otis Elementary School

Paden Elementary School

Ruby Bridges Elementary School

Wood Middle School

Public Transit

AC Transit

AC Transit

Introduction

Students can use AC Transit to get to many of our school sites. AC Transit's Supplementary Service to Schools web page lists the bus routes that serve AUSD schools.

Starting in the 2021-22 school year, AC Transit began offering contactless payment options via either a smartphone or Clipper Card.

For real-time bus information, download the "Transit" app or use Google Maps' real-time bus information.

City Resources

City of Alameda's "Street Safety Near AUSD's Schools" Plan

As part of its Vision Zero plan, the City of Alameda released a 50-page "Street Safety Near AUSD Schools" plan in October 2021. The plan documents work that has been completed, planned, or proposed near AUSD school sites, including school street safety assessments, plans for drop-off and pick-up, pedestrian and bicyclist safety education, and traffic enforcement near schools. The full document is here.

City of Alameda's Safe Routes to Schools Infrastructure Project

To date, the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Program has conducted school safety assessments (SSAs) at eight school locations in Alameda, and more are now underway. The purpose of an SSA is to identify and evaluate the transportation safety issues around a school with the help of the school community, and to make recommendations to address these issues. All of Alameda’s completed SSAs can be viewed here. This capital project will implement the more complex SSA recommendations for the eight schools listed below. Some examples of improvement types are rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) systems, curb extensions, and new crosswalks. The City’s long-term goal is to conduct and implement SSAs at all of our public, charter, and private schools.

More information is available here.

In This Section

Getting to School

Introduction

Biking and Walking to School

Benefits of Walking and Biking to School

Safe Routes for Biking and Walking to School

Public Transit

AC Transit

Introduction

City Resources

City of Alameda's "Street Safety Near AUSD's Schools" Plan

City of Alameda's Safe Routes to Schools Infrastructure Project

Guide to Getting Around Alameda

Draft Active Transportation Plan

Driving Tips

How to Drive Safely in School Zones During Arrival and Dismissal

Cómo conducir de una manera segura en zonas escolares durante la hora de entrada y salida

上學和放學時如何在學校區域內安全駕駛