This year, Poly is renewing its commitment to reducing daily car trips through the Drive Less Initiative. The program, first introduced in spring 2025, is designed to ensure the school complies with a City of Pasadena mandate that limits the number of vehicles allowed to drive to campus every day. Recent city audits in 2024 and 2025 revealed a significant increase in car trips to Poly, well exceeding the limits imposed by the city. The audits account for all vehicles (gas-powered and electric) that transport community members to campus. If Poly continues to exceed the count, the school may be forced to reduce enrollment or struggle to obtain approval for other initiatives. To improve safety while walking and biking, Poly is providing new crossing assistance at the Lake/Cornell and California/Wilson intersections. “Families were rightfully concerned about [the Lake and Cornell] crossing, so that’s why Poly is responding to the concerns we heard from families to make it easier and safer for them,” Manager of Environmental Sustainability Laura Fleming shared. Families living within a one to two mile radius of campus are especially encouraged to take advantage of the new measures, which also include community-organized walk and bike pools. For families residing farther from campus, carpooling remains a practical option. To support this, Poly has designed a Carpool Connector map to help families coordinate transportation. Public transportation is another recommended alternative, and students may pair it with folding bikes for faster connections. Poly encourages students to take advantage of these new tools designed to provide a safer and more sustainable commute to school. Fleming encourages the student body to take initiative and discuss the Drive Less Initiative with their families. “Middle and Upper schoolers can certainly influence their families and encourage them to map out the safest route to school,” shared Fleming. In addition, Poly is introducing a new single drop-off policy to help comply with the city’s policy. Families with multiple students must drop off all students at one location, corresponding to the division of their youngest child. Multiple stops at different divisions, or dropping off and then parking in the garage, are counted by city officials as additional trips to campus. Thus far, the Drive Less Initiative has been received positively by the Poly community, with recent mock counts conducted by Poly being under the limit. However, continuous improvement is necessary to keep this initiative moving forward.

Student Contributor Laila Desai contributed to reporting.