Safe routes to school vital to a modern transportation system in south Placer County

With more than 100 schools in south Placer alone, it is imperative we make meaningful investments in our infrastructure to provide safe routes for our students getting to and from school. An efficient transportation system is a vital component to the success of our region. Growing traffic congestion in the south Placer region not only impacts our highways and arterial streets, it also impacts our schools. Placer County's streets, roads, bike lanes, crosswalks and sidewalks must be maintained and improved to maximize safety, including making dangerous intersections near schools safer, ensuring all students are safe as they near their school. As the Placer County Superintendent of Schools, I see a critical need for our local jurisdictions to improve, and in some instances, build sidewalks, renew pavement markings, add lighting and other features that will enable students to safely walk or bike to school. There are a great number of benefits to investing in Safe Routes to School, such as increased physical activity from walking or biking to school, easing the stress of crowded school drop-offs and pick-ups, and lowering the number of cars on the road, aiding in the reduction of air pollution. In October, legislation known as AB 1413 authored by Senator Todd Gloria was signed by Governor Newsom. It enables south Placer to form its own special district to generate local funding for our transportation projects. These are funds that cannot be used by the state or federal government and can only be used for identified transportation projects, such as major freeway and road projects, alternative transportation investments in our region and Safe Routes to School. Placer County continues to be one of the most desirable places to live and raise a family. With our nationally-recognized schools and superior quality of life, we are growing at a rapid rate. We must make the necessary investments in our local infrastructure to ease congestion and provide a safe transportation network for our families, and this includes access to our schools. Gayle Garbolino-Mojica is the Placer County Office of Education superintendent. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Economic Council, an organization recruiting new business investment to Placer County and the Sacramento region.