Safe Routes to School programs are sustained efforts to assess and take measures to make walking and biking conditions on the route to school safe, comfortable, thus encouraging children to walk and bike these routes.
Why Is a Safe Route To School Program Beneficial?
There are plenty of great reasons to walk to school – less traffic, safer streets, cleaner air – but one of the best is that children and parents will be healthier. Obesity rates among children have more than doubled in the past twenty years, according to the National Longitudinal Study of Youth. Even worse, rates of obesity are much higher among minority children than among white youth, suggesting a grave social inequity in the availability of safe, healthy recreational opportunities.
Who Should I Contact to Organize a Safe Route To School Program?
Walktoschool.org is one of the premier websites dedicated to the Safe Route To School concept and can be accessed at http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/index.cfm. Other organizations such as the National Center for Bicycling and Walking have extensive information on the Safe Routes to School Concept. Their website is located at: http://www.bikewalk.org/safe_routes_to_school/SR2S_getting_started.htm.
Where Are Safe Route To School Programs Offered?
The Safe Route to School concept is international. Programs are offered in Europe, England, Australia and other locations globally. In the United States, programs are pervasive throughout all States. Transact, a transportation advocacy group has published a summary of Walk to School Programs Nationwide. It can be accessed at http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=49.
How Do I Conduct the Review?
Use the sample review form on page 93. This one is adapted from the Kalamazoo Non-Motorized Transportation Plan. This form can be customized for a particular site or area.
Resources
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Safe Routes To School Handbook
http://www.walktoschool-usa.org/downloads/SR2S-NHTSAtoolkit.pdf
