In Cupertino, biking and riding a scooter to school are among the most common forms of transportation. For the past several years, Walk Bike Cupertino and Rotary Club of Cupertino volunteers have visited schools across the Fremont Union High School District to count the number of people who rode a bike or scooter to school. This data illustrates some interesting trends.
During this school year, the FUHSD High Schools saw a record-breaking 1283 bikers/scooters (14% ridership rate), the highest we’ve seen since the bike counts started.
This growth in riders demonstrates a mindset shift in transportation and a success in improving public safety. The helpful data also allows us to compare and explain reasons for a lack of growth. High schools such as Homestead, Cupertino, Lynbrook, and Monta Vista have experienced staggering increases in ridership, while schools such as Fremont struggle to grow their rider base.
Cupertino continues to move up…
Looking at Cupertino High School’s data, it is clear that they are one of the most successful biking and scootering schools in the district. Just this year, they recorded an astounding count of 350 bikers, or a 19.4% ridership rate, the highest seen from any school since the data collection began. In fact, these numbers seem to keep increasing year after year for Cupertino. This success can be attributed to increased safety around the school, including new protected bike lanes, crossing guards, and more bike safety/maintenance workshops.
…but Fremont still struggles
However, while Cupertino High has thrived, some other schools have not faced such success. Fremont High School has shown low bike and scooter ridership overall, with only around a 4% participation rate. Unlike other schools, Freemont has struggled to build sustained momentum in student ridership, possibly due to a negative community perception of safety or longer commute distances. By identifying the possible issues, it allows the school to address them and build a stronger biking community.
Biking drops as the weather worsens
One of the most noticeable trends in the data is the dropoff as the year progresses. Looking at data from schools like Monta Vista, Cupertino High School, and Lynbrook High School, a drop of around 3-5% in ridership is seen from the start to the end of the year, resulting in a staggering drop of 50-100 bikers. Furthermore, looking at the bike and scooter ridership percentages across the district over the last couple of years, it is clear that as the year progresses, the numbers increase by around 200 to 300. This can be possibly attributed to a decrease in biking as the winter season begins with the rain, and with a lack of motivation for kids to begin riding once the rains and cold weather end.
Overall, the data indicates that biking and scootering within our city is growing as an important form of transportation, especially within the youth. Record-breaking numbers for multiple schools and an increase in ridership rates both reflect that progress has been made in safety improvements and shifting the communities mindset on the dangers of biking. It also serves as a positive note for the community, showing the growth of alternate transportation. However the differences between schools and throughout the year ridership declines both showcase areas that still need attention. By taking examples from successful schools such as Cupertino High, encouraging more parents to send their kids biking, and continuing to invest in public safety, the district can work towards increasing ridership and active transportation not only in the schools, but throughout our city.
