National Course

Safe Routes to School National Course

Communities across the country want to make walking and bicycling safe and appealing ways for children to get to school. Safe Routes to School Programs (SRTS) identify barriers and implement plans that use a combination of strategies such as teaching pedestrian and bicycle safety, building sidewalks, working with law enforcement to slow traffic and initiating walking clubs and contests.

While there is great interest in creating safe routes, identifying the most appropriate strategies can be a challenge. Communities start with different conditions, so the problems, issues and solutions vary.

The National Course is designed to help communities establish a common understanding of the comprehensive nature of SRTS that will enable them to create sound programs that are based on community conditions, best practices and responsible use of resources.

The one-day course, developed by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center and maintained by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, combines safety, health and transportation issues. It was developed through a partnership of funding from the Federal Highway Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Course highlights:

  • Designed for community and state-level audiences
  • Audience includes planners, parents, law enforcement officers, school administrators, transportation engineers, local advocates, community leaders and state decision makers
  • Core content is blended with group discussion, field observation and identification of local problems and solutions
  • Participants gain experience in identifying problems and solutions in their communities
  • Taught by two instructors with technical expertise and experience

Course agenda includes:

  • Why SRTS matters: Safety, health and transportation
  • Engineering strategies
  • Perspectives from local stakeholders
  • Encouragement and education strategies
  • Enforcement strategies
  • Guided observation of school campus, surrounding area and behavior
  • Identification of problems and solutions
  • How communities are making it happen
  • Next steps

For more information, see details on how to request the course and a list of Instructor Training Participants.