In Fairhope, AL, regular walk-to-school events are scheduled to help create a sustainable program that will change behaviors and enhance the community’s walkability.
Three schools in Fairhope serve elementary-age children: Fairhope K-1 Center, Fairhope Elementary School for second and third graders and Fairhope Intermediate School for fourth and fifth graders. Each school has approximately 500 students.
Before Congress passed the SAFETEA-LU transportation legislation in 2005, the Las Cruces Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in Las Cruces, NM, adopted Safe Routes to School (SRTS) policies into its transportation plan.
“We actually started on the SRTS project prior to the state’s SRTS program getting started,” said Andy Hume, associate planner for the MPO. “We wrote one of the first action plans in the state.”
The National Center for Safe Routes to School now offers several SRTS-related materials in Spanish on the Center's Web site.
To access Spanish-language pedestrian safety tip sheets, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/program-tools/education-tip-sheets.
To access Spanish-language SRTS talking points, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/program-tools/marketing-tip-sheets.
The National Center for Safe Routes to School has developed a promotional video to highlight the reasons "Why Safe Routes to School Matter." The video highlights why the United States has seen a decrease in walking and bicycling to school, the consequences of this decrease and the ways Safe Routes to School are a part of the solution to this issue.
Safe Routes Snapshots provides a brief profile of a Safe Routes to School state or local program that highlights a particular success or issue the program faced. To submit your program for Safe Routes Snapshots, please email news@saferoutesinfo.org.
Integrating Safe Routes to School within education at the State level
The Delaware Safe Routes to School program will be collaborating with the state's Department of Education to work towards integrating Safe Routes to School within the schools at the state level.
The National Center for Safe Routes to School has developed a new PowerPoint presentation entitled "Safe Routes to School: Improving Health, Safety and Transportation." NCSRTS developed the presentation as a tool to promote safe walking and bicycling to school and to give an overview of the basics of Safe Routes to School. The presentation reviews the reasons why walking and bicycling to school has decreased in the US, the consequences of this decrease and the ways Safe Routes to School are a part of the solution.
Communities around the country continue to organize and enhance their Safe Routes to School programs, but for some, knowing the logistics of how to move forward can be confusing. The National Center for Safe Routes to School has a number of training programs and courses designed to bring success to every element of a Safe Routes to School program. Soon, the "Local Skills" training will be launched in a full-scale effort, adding to the host of Safe Routes training options.