Like many Cupertino residents, my kids attended and thrived at our local CUSD and FUHSD schools. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t face challenges–and one of them was a safe commute to school each day.
Some of the issues that students face have been addressed through the “Walk Audit” updates, a school-by-school review of commute issues back in 2017 and through the city’s Transportation Plans. Some have been noted in the school-specific “Safe Drop off Instructions” for parents published by the City of Cupertino Safe Routes to School Program. Those Instructions help parents get their children to school safely whether by car, bike, scooter, or walking. Despite all these efforts, safety issues remain at all schools which could be resolved with minor infrastructure changes.
As someone that has been a part of Safe Routes to School since its inception in 2015/2016, worked on creating the Walk Audit updates for several schools, and creates the Safe Drop off Instructions for many individual schools in CUSD and FUSHD, I’ve seen first hand and worked on these issues for many years. Below are three of the most pressing and continuing problems of safety at schools all across Cupertino. The fixes for each are inexpensive, easy to install, and would make a big safety improvement in our children’s daily commute.
Issue 1: Cars blocking the bike lanes
One of the biggest safety issues for students commuting to school are cars blocking the bike lanes. Usually this occurs because the drivers are waiting to pickup or drop off their students.
Parking in the bike lane causes students who bike to either ride on the sidewalk (which causes conflicts with walking students), or ride in the drive lane (which causes conflicts with cars). Many parents refuse to have their children bike to school because of such safety issues, adding to the constant traffic jams around our schools.
Watch this video of an adult cyclist trying to ride in the bike lane near Collins Elementary. It would be impossible for students to try to attempt the same ride safely.
Kennedy Middle School protected bike lane. These bollards are simple and inexpensive to install and keep the bike lane free for cycling students.
Fix: Keep cars out of the bike lanes with bollards
Safe Routes to School has already held a successful pilot at Kennedy MS by adding bollards to prevent cars from entering the bike lanes.
This is an ideal solution to ensure the lanes are kept open so cycling students can commute safely. Bollards are inexpensive and easy to install. There is already no parking allowed along several schools such as on McClellan adjacent to Lincoln and Monta Vista and on Blaney south of Collins Elementary, which makes the implementation even easier.
Cars blocking the bike lanes are particularly an issue at Collins Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Monta Vista High School.
Garden Gate’s around-the-block path.
A common question is what should parents do who are driving their child to school and now get stuck in a backup in the main drive lane? Of course, they can simply wait and block the road, but this is unwise and illegal.
There are two good options. Parents can circle an adjacent block and come back to the campus drop off or they can park a block away and have their child walk in (with or without the parent, depending on the age of the child). Most local schools have a nearby block that makes a convenient loop.
Issue 2: Cars that U-turn near schools during pickup and drop off
A common complaint of school principals is that parents like to make U-turns near schools after they pick up or drop off their children. U-turns are enticing. With the large amounts of school traffic going in one direction, drivers feel they can “avoid” the traffic jam by turning around before or in the middle of it. However, these U-turns present safety issues for students biking or walking to school, reduce consistent and planned traffic flow around a school, are generally illegal, and cause vehicle accidents.
California vehicle code says that U-turns are only legal if no “other vehicle is approaching from either direction within 200 feet” (Cal. Veh. Code § 22103). During pickup and drop off times at schools, it is overwhelmingly likely that there is another vehicle within 200 feet of where the U-turn is being contemplated. It can be assumed that U-turns would in general be illegal then at school sites during these times.
Above is a box from the Homestead High drop off instructions for parents. For a list of all the places U-turns are illegal in California, click here.
Fix: Add signage near schools and educate parents
Many parents don’t realize that U-turns are generally illegal at schools, nor that they can be dangerous for other road users. Adding signs saying “no U-turns” near schools will remind parents that this is illegal and unsafe. Individual schools and Safe Routes to School can also educate parents not to make U-turns. And, of course, our local sheriff can enforce the law when they see an infraction.
Issue 3: Fast-moving vehicles on residential roads
The neighborhood streets surrounding the schools are largely residential, and are used by walking and biking students as commute paths each day.
Despite this, many of the speed limits on these residential roads are 30mph or even higher. This makes it much less safe for students, and dramatically increases the chances of an injury in a collision.
Roads on commute paths with speed limits higher than safe for students include McClellan (Lincoln, Monta Vista and Kennedy students), Blaney (Eaton and Lawson students), and Bubb (Kennedy students).
Blaney (here shown almost to the intersection of Suisun, where Eaton Elementary is located) is one example of a school commute path that’s on a residential road with a 30mph speed limit, higher than it should be.
Fix: Reduce speed limits near schools and add traffic-calming measures
AB 43 has made it possible for cities to reduce speed limits, especially in areas near schools. Getting our local speed limits down to 25 in fully residential areas is a good start.
Just adding signs doesn’t always mean that drivers slow down. Adding traffic calming measures such as speed tables, raised crosswalks, or chicanes also helps encourage drivers to slow down. A great side benefit for our neighborhoods is they then become quieter, more enjoyable, and more welcoming for outdoor activities.
Our city staff is performing traffic studies on our local streets to determine what streets could have lower speed limits (see chart). If speed limits are lowered to 25 mph, then it is possible to add traffic calming measures to encourage drivers to maintain their speed at no higher than that limit.
Implementing these three inexpensive and easy-to-do fixes around our schools will make a real difference in safety for our community’s children. I’ve been a longtime advocate for this, and would love you to join me! If you are interested in helping, contact Birgit Werner, Cupertino Safe Routes to School Coordinator, here. Education, encouragement, and support can make a real difference.
The information in this article is solely the opinion of the author and Walk-Bike Cupertino and does not reflect the opinions of any other organization or entity. For more information, contact WBC at info@walkbikecupertino.org.
I have seen your graphic at https://walkbikecupertino.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Where-u-turns-are-prohibited-in-CA.jpg , titled “Where U-turns are prohibited in California”. It has one item that says, “At intersections without a traffic light (and legal only at the traffic light if it specifically says it is legal)”. Do you have a source for either of these claims ((1) that U-turns are prohibited at intersections without a traffic light, and (2) that U-turns are only legal at a traffic light if it specifically says it is legal)? I cannot find support for either of these claims in the laws cited as sources. And in fact, regarding the second claim, “legal only at the traffic light if it specifically says it is legal”, it seems to be contradicted by CVC 21451(a) and (b), which say that a driver at a circular green signal or green arrow signal may make a U-turn unless a sign prohibits a U-turn.
Hi Bob, Thanks for your comment! Here’s the relevent section.
California vehicle code 22100.5 says “No driver shall make a U-turn at an intersection controlled by official traffic signals except as provided in Section 21451, and then only from the far lefthand lane that is lawfully available to traffic moving in the direction of travel from which the turn is commenced.” Yes, in Section 21451 it says that it’s ok unless specifically marked that it’s not ok. I think the double except (except the section, and the except in the section) was what tripped me up. Thanks for your input and correction. I’ve updated the article with a new graphic.