Nationally celebrated Bike to School Day will kick off locally with the installation of significantly improved bike racks at C.L. Smith Elementary School, at no cost to the school or San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
The new Peak Racks, bicycle racks will be dedicated during a special ceremony on May 7 at 2 p.m.
The new racks are the result of the collaborative support of a local group of parents and citizens, Foothill Cyclery, and San Luis Obispo Regional Rideshare. Parents at the school first brought up their concerns about the current racks after recognizing how impacted and outdated they are.
“Every day we ride to school and the bike racks are so jammed with bikes that it’s hard to get my son’s in, if we can at all,” Ken Kienow, parent of a CL Smith Elementary School student. “Often times we have to lock his bike to a handrail or pole, and I began to worry that the overcrowding would discourage students from riding to school. Biking to school has so many benefits, from reducing congestion to getting kids active to saving families money, and we wanted to do as much as possible to encourage it.”
CL Smith will pay nothing for the $1,800 cost of the racks. Instead, the amount will be covered through a significant donation from local bicycle store Foothill Cyclery, a Safe Routes to School grant obtained through SLO Regional Rideshare Program Coordinator Angela Nelson, and donations from CL Smith parents and a SLO resident. Delivery and installation costs are being waived by Peak Racks, also a local company.
May 7th is the date recognized across the country as National Walk/Bike to School Day, which will also be the day the new racks are installed. An official dedication ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. The entire month of May is National Bike Month.
For more information, please contact Ken Kienow at (805) 441-4660 or CL Smith Elementary School Principal Joyce Hansen at (805) 596-4094.