Community problems & solutions

Introduction

The New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is the culmination of a series of planning and developmental activities resulting in a comprehensive program to assist New Jersey communities in developing and implementing projects that encourage safe walking and bicycling to school. This series of planning and development occurred in three stages with major accomplishments along the way.

Introduction

Rundlett Middle School and Conant Elementary School are one-quarter mile from each other in Concord, NH. A joint Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was necessary because the schools are in a suburban area where nearby residents can walk to school. Rundlett is the only middle school in the district, and as a result, many of its 1,700 students have to ride the bus because they live too far to walk or bicycle.

Introduction

Introduction

Partnerships throughout the community enabled McCook Elementary School to develop a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program that led to a 15 percent increase in students who walk or bicycle to school. Cooperation also provided students with a comprehensive message of nutrition, health and exercise that can be sustained over time.

Introduction

Introduction

In spring 2007, Holdrege Public Schools in Holdrege, NE, applied for and received two federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grants through the Nebraska Department of Roads’ Safe Routes Nebraska program — one $167,883 infrastructure grant and one $19,603 non-infrastructure grant. With these funds, four elementary schools and the city’s middle school will benefit from a variety of infrastructure and non-infrastructure improvements.

Introduction

Introduction

For the past 20 years Safe Kids, a group focused on injury prevention in children, has worked with the Grand Forks school district, in Grand Forks, N.D., to encourage its students to walk and bicycle safely to school. Currently, there are 11 public schools and two private schools in Grand Forks with which Safe Kids Grand Forks works to implement Safe Routes to School (SRTS) activities. And with the recent award for two infrastructure projects and one noninfrastructure grant, pedestrian and bicycle safety will continue to improve for Grand Forks students.

Introduction

Introduction

Sherwood Forest Elementary School in Winston-Salem, NC, is making strides in its efforts to encourage safe walking to school thanks to strong parent involvement, collaboration with the City of Winston-Salem and donations from local businesses. In 2006, parent volunteer Sharon Sturkie attended a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) workshop with the school principal after he learned about the program at a principal’s meeting.