Thank you all for supporting my petition to open our roads! Our voice is being heard. The following is some good news for Topanga parents of schoolchildren:
The Topanga Town Council has been very supportive of the petition and they are working with local agencies to find temporary solutions for Topanga parents of schoolchildren who attend schools in Malibu, Santa Monica, or the West Side. The Transportation Survey is due by Sunday 3/16 at 8pm.
Below is an email sent out this evening by the Topanga Town Council:
Dear Topanga parents,
The Topanga Town Council, with support from the County, is working with Caltrans and LAUSD to identify and find solutions promptly for students and parents of school-aged children needing to transport children to schools in Santa Monica, Malibu and the West Side on a regular basis. Essentially, Caltrans is looking to include school buses/vans and potentially carpools/cars in its list of "priority vehicles" allowed to travel along TCB and/or other impaired roads during peak school commuting times.
Because the school community in Topanga is broad and diverse, with many children in different types of schools, e.g. public, charter, private, parochial, a one-size solution (i.e. buses) will not work for everyone here. But, if we put our heads together, we should be able to come up with some ideas that could help all our parents and students with different needs. That may involve a combination of buses, vans, car pools or even individual passes for parents or students. Please share this email far and wide across the school community so that we get input from as many parents as possible. Responses are requested by 8pm, Sunday, March 16th
PAUL REVERE PLAN - already in the works
We have already reached out to Paul Revere and put them in touch with Caltrans. They are now collaborating to put together a bus route/schedule imminently to better serve the Topanga community with a morning and afternoon route that would be allowed access to TCB - or another road that ultimately connects with the PCH. (The TCB plan is contingent on clearance from the civil engineers that TCB can support such traffic).
If you have a child in Paul Revere, please complete this brief online survey so that we can be sure you are included
PALI HIGH - needs assessment
Because Pali High is an independent charter school that LAUSD does not normally supply with bus transportation, we have asked if LAUSD or LA Metro might be able to provide such transportation on an "emergency" basis (potentially using federal disaster funds). That is being actively explored. If not, we would seek to obtain passes for parents/students using car pools or even individual cars.
To that end, we are asking you to please complete this brief online survey so that we can quickly gather the interest in such a program and what your preferences are. This will enable all the key decision makers to move promptly
PRIVATE and PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS - needs assessment
We are trying to determine if there is a critical mass of students attending certain schools to see if it makes sense to invest in mass transit for these students or if it makes more sense to rely on car pools or individual drivers.
Please complete this brief online survey so that we can rapidly assess what the needs and interests are within the Topanga private and parochial school community
Thank you, and let us know if there's anything you would like us to add or look into so that we can help deliver meaningful solutions quickly.
Kind regards,
Carrie Carrier & Alisa Land
Transportation Survey Link: https://forms.gle/NK5L8ZpM2QHi7n7w8