What is Safe Routes to School?
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are sustained efforts by parents, schools, community leaders and local, state, and federal governments to improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school.
SRTS programs examine conditions around schools and conduct projects and activities that work to improve safety and accessibility, and reduce traffic and air pollution in the vicinity of schools. As a result, these programs help make bicycling and walking to school safer and more appealing transportation choices thus encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age.
Build a case for SRTS
The following tools are ready to use for presentations and outreach to build support for Safe Routes to School.
- Video
- Use the “Why Safe Routes to School Matters” video to promote safe walking and bicycling to school within your community and to give an overview of the basics of Safe Routes to School.
- Talking Points
- These talking points may be helpful during interviews with local media, meetings with parents or any other communications planned for a Safe Routes to School program.
- Presentation
- The National Center for Safe Routes to School developed this PowerPoint 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.
- Flyer
- This flyer explains why “Children Deserve Safe Routes to School.”
- Getting Started
- This page offers practical tips on how to start a local Safe Routes to School program.
