Commute Options

🚶‍♀️🚲 International Walk+Roll to School Day is this Wednesday, an event that encourages students to walk, bike, or roll to school.

This day helps promote healthy students, safer streets, and cleaner air. Walking or biking can help students feel more energized and focused, while having fewer cars around schools can reduce traffic and pollution. 💚

We cant wait for Wednesday! Check out our website to learn how you can participate at your school.

Drumroll, please… 🥁

We’re continuing our expansion into Southern Oregon—and we’re hiring a Safe Routes to School Coordinator! 🚲

In this role, you’ll help lead safety education and programming in schools throughout Southern Oregon, empowering more students to get to school safely and confidently by bike and other active modes of transportation.

Passionate about getting students on bikes and creating safer, more active communities? Learn more and apply today!

📍 This position is a great fit for someone based in Medford, Ashland, Grants Pass, or neighboring communities throughout the Rogue Valley.

The Get There Challenge is back Oct. 1–14 and you’re invited to join the fun! Log your walk, bike, transit, carpool, vanpool, or remote work trips to compete for the chance to win prizes. Go to GetThereOregon.org/Challenge to join and see what you could win!

Last week, Ensworth Elementary kicked off the school year with a Back-to-School Bash! The Commute Options team was there to promote walking and rolling, giving students the opportunity to learn and practice new skills in our pop-up Traffic Garden.

We had about 20 students participate, building confidence and having fun while learning how to navigate streets safely. Thanks to everyone who joined us!

We are looking forward to teaming up with Jack Johnson and All At Once this Sunday at Hayden Homes Amphitheater! We will be providing a free bike valet for all concertgoers.

Stop by Village Green, say hi, leave your bike, and get some swag. We will also be accepting donations to support our efforts to purchase personal bikes for students in Central Oregon.

Your dollar goes far because Jack Johnson will match any donations made during the concert!

We hope to see you there! 🎶🚲

A huge thank you to OSU-Cascades for the opportunity to participate in their inaugural Beaver Block Party! We had a great time connecting with the community, students, and local partners, and sharing info about the Oregon Friendly Driver Program and the upcoming Get There Challenge! Kudos to OSU-Cascades for organizing this awesome community celebration. We look forward to next year! 🎶🦫

🎶 🚲 Want to see Jack Johnson live AND help get more bikes to local students?

Our raffle is still open! Thanks to our partnership with All At Once, Jack Johnson’s social action network, we’re giving away 2 tickets to see Jack Johnson at Hayden Homes Amphitheater on September 27!

Jack Johnson and All At Once will match donations up to $2,500, helping us grow our fleet of bikes for students who participate in our Learn to Ride events.

🎟️ $10 donation = 1 raffle entry
🎟️ $100 donation = 20 raffle entries

Donate by September 21 at 6:00 a.m. PST. The winner will be announced that day!

🚲💙 Learn more and enter here:
https://www.commuteoptions.org/want-a-chance-to-see-jack.../

Want a chance to see Jack Johnson live and help put more bikes in the hands of local students? We are stoked to be partnering with All At Once, Jack Johnson’s social action network. Their team has generously offered two tickets to the Jack Johnson show at Hayden Homes Amphitheater on September 27! 🎶

We will be holding a raffle for this pair of tickets while simultaneously raising funds to grow a fleet of bikes that we can gift to students who participate in our Learn to Ride events this year. 🚲 Jack Johnson and All At Once will be matching all donations we receive, up to $2,500, to help your dollar go even further!

A $10 donation through our donation page will give you one entry into our raffle. A $100 donation will get you 20 entries into the raffle.

All donations must be made before September 21 at 6:00 a.m. PST, and the winner will be announced that day.

💙🚲 For more information about the raffle, donations, and All At Once, visit:
https://www.commuteoptions.org/want-a-chance-to-see-jack-johnson-live/

New school year, same need to drive safe! Across Oregon, kids have been heading back to school, which means traffic around neighborhoods, school zones and transit routes are increasing. Let's make it a great and safe year at school by reviewing these tips for yourself and with your student.

When driving: Slow down and stay alert.
• Drop the distractions and focus on driving.
• Drive 20 mph or below in designated school zones. Expect and look out for children in the area.
• Stop for school buses. When you see a school bus slowing down or stopping, it’s not just the bus that you need to have your eyes on – but the surrounding area too. Kids are most at risk when approaching or leaving a school bus.
• Come to a complete stop at crosswalks.

In addition to your travel, it's important to teach students how to be visible and predictable when walking:
• Cross at corners or marked crosswalks where people driving can expect to see you.
• Make eye contact to ensure people driving see you before stepping off the curb. Never assume a vehicle will stop automatically.
• Use sidewalks whenever available.
• Wear or carry something bright or reflective to be seen by other people traveling.

If they bike, scoot or skateboard, you'll also want to cover the rules of the road:
• Wear a helmet that fits correctly.
• Ride in the direction of traffic on the right side of the road and follow all stop signs and traffic signals.
• Use hand signals and lights so they are predictable to drivers. Ensure bikes have active front white lights and rear red lights/reflectors when riding during early morning or evening dusk, at night and darker road conditions.

Back-to-school season changes everything on the road: earlier mornings, new routines, busier commutes, and more students and families walking, biking, rolling, and driving near schools. A little planning now can make your daily trip safer, smoother, and less stressful.

Give yourself extra time, stay alert in school zones, and consider whether this is the year to rethink your commute. From transit and carpooling to vanpooling, biking, and walking, GetThereOregon.org can help you find an option that works for your schedule—so you can spend less time in traffic and more time getting where you need to go.