By Lookout Staff

March 1, 2013 -- Four Santa Monica public schools will enter into a friendly competition geared to making walking and biking to school a habit, City and School District officials announced Wednesday.

During March and April, Car(e) Free Campaign will encourage students at John Adams Middle School, Lincoln Middle School, Will Rogers Elementary School and Roosevelt Elementary School to walk and bike to school each day, officials said.

“Students will be tracking trips made without a car, and these ‘Car-free’ miles will count towards monthly incentives,” said Peter Dzewaltowski, the City’s transportation planning associate.  “One competition target is to be the first class to walk and bike enough miles to reach San Francisco!”

The event will kick off the week of March 4 and will end in May during National Walk to School Week when students will celebrate Bike It Walk It. 

“The campaign is intended to reward students who seek alternatives to motor vehicle trips when arriving or leaving school with incentives such as stickers and Car(e) Free buttons,” Dzewaltowski said. 

“Students will track their progress by completing Car(e) Free Log Books given to them to record their commuting trips each month. Prizes will be provided to recognize the students who walk and bike the furthest, as well as the class who accumulated the most Car-Free Miles.” 

The Car(e) Free Contest is part of a larger Safe Routes to School pilot project managed by the City of Santa Monica in partnership with the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), and Parent-Teacher-Student Associations. 

Funding for the project has been provided by Metro, Caltrans, and the City of Santa Monica.  The goal of the project is to encourage more children to bicycle and walk to school.

During the school year, “a range of educational workshops, classes, fun events and contests, are teaching children and parents greater confidence in safe walking and bicycling, and raise awareness of the many benefits of arriving at school by foot or by bike,” officials said.

So far, events have included Santa Monica’s first Family Bike Fest, walking school buses, bike skills classes, walk/bike audits, and much more. Participating schools in this grant funded project are Lincoln Middle School, John Adams Middle School, Roosevelt Elementary School, and Will Rogers Learning Community.

Car(e) Free-Kick Off Events:

March 5 -       Roosevelt Elementary School, 801 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica

March 6 -       Lincoln Middle School, 1501 California Ave, Santa Monica

March 7 -      Will Rogers Learning Community, 2401 14th Street, Santa Monica

March 8 -      John Adams Middle School, 2425 16th St., Santa Monica