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Getting to School Safely

GETTING TO/FROM SCHOOL SAFELY

For the safety of our children, parking and traffic procedures were established in 2013 in conjunction with the Safe Routes to school plan for the following streets that neighbor the Oak Knoll School campus: White Oak Drive, Oak Avenue, Oakfield Lane, and Oak Knoll Lane.

The School Administration and the PTO have been active in communicating these policies to parents and children. We encourage all families to walk or bike to school. In 2015, the City of Menlo Park painted “sharrows” (shared lane bicycle markings) and installed additional traffic signage on Oak Avenue to increase traffic safety and awareness around school for bikers.

Below are the rules for all forms of transportation.  Please take the time to read about your desired method of transportation in order to increase the safety of all students on and around our campus. The Menlo Park Police Department will enforce these rules.

Please remember that these rules are in place for the safety of all families, including your own. 

Driving

Everyone agrees that encouraging more kids to bike and walk to school is a good thing, and one of the best ways to do this is to make sure that the streets around Oak Knoll School feel safe for bikers and walkers.  Whenever you drive (whether to Oak Knoll School or anywhere else, for that matter) please OBEY ALL TRAFFIC LAWS.
 

  • Don’t speed – most of the streets in Menlo Park have a 25 mph speed limit.  Don’t just assume that you’re driving within the speed limit—look at your speedometer.
  • Put away your electronic devices – studies have shown that talking on a cell phone while driving—whether the phone is hand-held or hands-free—is equivalent to driving while legally drunk.
  • Please be extra cautious at crosswalks and let all pedestrians cross before you drive through.
  • All drivers are asked to obey the crossing guards at the school crosswalk.

  • There is a strict NO PARKING and NO STOPPING policy in the following areas on school days during both DROP-OFF and PICK-UP:
     

    • On both sides of Oak Knoll Lane between Oak Avenue and White Oak Drive 
    • On both sides of White Oak Drive between Oak Knoll Lane and Oakfield Lane
    • On both sides of Oakfield Lane
    • On both sides of Oak Avenue between Lemon Street and Sandhill Road
    • There will be no parking from 7:45-8:15am AND 2:30-3:15pm and 1:00-1:45pm on Thursdays
       
  • Don’t park on the sidewalks and leave at least three feet between your car and the landscaping – parents and kids walking to Oak Knoll shouldn’t have to walk in the street just to get around your vehicle.
  • Treat bicyclists like other drivers – bicycles have the same rights on the road, and are also required to follow most of the same laws, as car drivers.  Don’t squeeze past a bicycle on a narrow roadway if there isn’t room to pass safely—slow down and wait behind the cyclist until there is a safe opportunity to pass.  Give children on bikes extra room—they are not as predictable as adults and may swerve out into the road unexpectedly.

Car Line

For information on the Car Line procedures, please click here.

Parking

For more information on Parking during school hours, please click here.

Bicycles, Skateboards, and Scooters

  • Please review some safety guidelines on our Bicycle Safety Page
  • Please review the Recommended Biking Route to School
  • Parents decide when to allow their children to bike to school independently; however, it's recommended that children wait until they are in 3rd grade to bike. Children should obey all street traffic regulations and follow the Bike Safety Route to school.
  • We ask that students begin walking their bicycles with the pedestrians from the corner of White Oak Drive and Oak Knoll Lane. Bike riding is not permitted in the school hallways at any time. All bicycles must be licensed and locked while at school.
  • Always pass other bikers, pedestrians, and parked cars on the LEFT. 
  • Children who violate the school rules for approaching and leaving the school grounds may have their bike privileges revoked. Bike safety rules also apply to scooters and rollerblades.  Students must be familiar with and follow these rules:
     
    • Always wear a helmet.
    • Always give hand signals to make a turn.
    • Always stop at stop signs.
    • Always walk your bike in crosswalks and on sidewalks.

Arriving to School ...

Approaching from Oakdell Ave or White Oak Dr (Designated Bike Safety Route)

  • Ride on the right side of the road until reaching the corner of Oak Knoll Lane and White Oak Drive. Never ride across the school driveway during drop-off time in the morning!
  • At the corner, get off your bike/scooter, walk across the crosswalks and walk with other pedestrians on the sidewalk going towards the school.
  • Walk across Oak Knoll Lane at the school crosswalk with the crossing guards.
  • Walk your bike/scooter to the bike racks.


Approaching from Oak Avenue

  • We recommend using the bicycle safety route to avoid morning traffic congestion.
  • At the intersection of Oak Avenue and Oak Knoll Lane, ride on the right side of the road up to the school crosswalk, being cautious of drivers illegally stopping or parking; or walk your bike/scooter on the left sidewalk from the intersection up to the bike racks.
  •  Cross ONLY at the crosswalk, not in the middle of the block.

Departing from School ...

Going towards White Oak Dr. or Oakdell Ave

  • Walk your bike/scooter from the bike racks to the school crosswalk; cross with crossing guards.
  • Walk your bike/scooter to the corner of White Oak Ave and Oak Knoll Lane.
  • Ride down Oak Knoll Lane or White Oak Drive on the right side of the road, being cautious of car doors swinging open and cars pulling out from the right.
     

Going towards Oak Avenue

  • Walk your bike/scooter from the bike racks to the end of the raised concrete sidewalk on Oak Knoll.
  • Ride on the right side of the road.
     

 Walking

  • Please review the Recommended Walking Routes to School
  • Everyone must use the crosswalk in front of the school to cross Oak Knoll Lane. There is no pedestrian access to the school through the parking lot.
  • It is very unsafe to cross in front of the school driveway on foot during drop-off and pick-up times.
  • Parents should thoroughly instruct their children which routes to follow. Careful attention should be given to crosswalk safety.

Transportation Overview 

For more information on safe routes, carpooling, groups for walking, etc., please click here. 

Please note that unfortunately SamTrans has discontinued their route from Oak Knoll in the afternoons for the 2022-23 school year.