MONTEREY COUNTY – The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC), in partnership with the Monterey County Health Department, Ecology Action and Blue Zones will be kicking-off walking school buses in the cities of Gonzales, Soledad and Greenfield on October 5, 6, and 7th respectively at 7:30 a.m. utilizing the colorful sidewalks painted by volunteers this summer.

Led by the Health Department and “Skye” & “Chase” from Paw Patrol, the walking school buses (an adult supervised walking group to and from school) will travel along the colorful sidewalks painted for students to use for their safe walking routes to school.  Maps of the walking routes are available in English and Spanish on the Safe Routes to School Website at: https://saferoutesmonterey.org

Walking School Bus participants will meet at 7:30 am at the designated starting points listed below for the following schools:  

• October 5th – Central Park to walk to La Gloria School, Gonzales
• October 6th – Liberty Chapel Church on Kidder Street to walk to Gabilan School, Soledad
• October 7th – Tyler Park Townhouse on Heidi Drive to walk to Oak Avenue School, Greenfield

Upon arriving at school with their adult supervisors and Paw Patrol escorts, students will receive a healthy & delicious snack and have a chance to get safety prizes.

The Health Department will be leading walking school buses in these communities every week in October and will hold a volunteer training in early November for community members to learn to lead the walking school buses for the remainder of the school year.  For more information about the Walking School Bus program or to sign-up for the volunteer training, contact Jessica Perez at 5perezj7@co.monterey.ca.us  or 831-755-8975.

The Walking School Bus project is funded by the “Every Child “Active Transportation Program grant from SB-1 monies. It is designed to create a safe, healthy, and fun experience for young children and reduce traffic near the schools. The project is part of the Transportation Agency’s “Safe Routes to School” program which offers tools, programming, and resources to schools, guardians, and communities who want to improve safety and traffic around schools across Monterey County.

To learn more about the Safe Routes to School Program, contact Ariana Green, Principal Transportation Planner, TAMC at ariana@tamcmonterey.org or 831-775-4403 or visit the Safe Routes to School website at https://saferoutesmonterey.org/; Like us on Facebook and/or Follow us on Instagram.

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 The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is responsible for investing in regional transportation projects for Monterey County residents, businesses and visitors.  The mission of TAMC is to develop and maintain a multimodal transportation system that enhances mobility, safety, access, environment quality and economic activities in Monterey County. For more information visit www.tamcmonterey.org or call 831.775.0903.

 The” Safe Route to School” is a TAMC program which offers tools, programming, and resources to schools, guardians, and communities aimed at improving safety and traffic around schools. The program’s goal is to keep every child safe and healthy by reducing the number of students involved in collisions to zero. For more information visit https://saferoutesmonterey.org