Dear Dr. Flesher and Members of the Orono School Board,
 
My name is Ferenc Toth, I am the father of two children, going to 4th grade and kindergarten in 2021 autumn. I am contacting you to follow up on our previous email correspondence regarding biking access to The Orono Schools. Several parents of school aged children in our neighborhood -including me- have long been wondering why the Orono Schools do not allow, and for that matter, encourage students to bike to and from school. Over the past year, COVID-19 imposed restriction on school bus usage, and associated traffic jams occurring at pick up and drop off times, further underscored the need to update this policy.
It is my understanding that since the enactment of the “No Biking Policy” at the Orono Schools multiple changes were implemented in the traffic flow around the Orono campus that made bike access safer including:
·       Construction of the highway 12 bypass that routed the traffic around Orono, markedly reducing the traffic on Wayzata Blvd.
·       A regional trail, restricted to use by bikers and pedestrians, was built along Old Crystal Bay Road from Baker Park to the Luce Line.
·       A county trail was built along Wayzata Blvd connecting Watertown Road east to the Luce Line (to be extended to Old Crystal Bay Road in 2022).
·       Ongoing development of new neighborhoods south of Wayzata Blvd and North of County Road 6.
I believe there are multiple factors that support allowing and even promoting biking access to the Orono Campus including:
·       Among the surrounding school districts (Orono, Mound/Westonka, Minnetonka), Orono is the only one that does not allow biking to school.
·       With the construction of new neighborhoods south of Wayzata Blvd. and North of County Road 6 the number of families with direct biking trail access to the Orono Campus increased substantially over the recent years.
·       Bike access would decrease traffic congestion during peak drop off and pick up times.
·       Biking would allow students of summer programs and athletes of Orono sport teams to independently attend to classes and practices.
·       Finally, biking promotes health and wellness as a lifestyle, a critical benefit in our ever more sedentary world.
Based on the above reasoning I would like to request the Orono School Board to consider changing the “No biking policy” at the Orono school districts. I understand that implementing this change will require some investment from the school district including the provision of bike racks for multiple buildings and construction of a pedestrian crossing on Old Crystal Bay Road in front of the Intermediate school. However, I do think the benefits of these changes will far outweigh their cost on the long term.
Thank you for considering this petition, yours sincerely,
 

Ferenc Toth
20 Wear Ln. S
Orono, MN, 55356