Safe Routes Matters, January/February 2008

Federal SRTS Program Overview*

Amount of SRTS funding committed: $183.7 million

Number of school participating in federal SRTS programs: 1833

Number of states who have announced funding for state and/or local programs: 43

*as of December 31, 2007

In this Issue:

Tips for Creating Walking and Bicycling Route Maps

One of the best ways to encourage more children to walk and bicycle to school is to provide families with the information they need to determine the best routes taking into account both safety and convenience. Once basic safety issues in the area around the school have been addressed, the following tips can help families and schools create maps for walking or bicycling to school.

Walking Route Map for Orangewood Elementary School
Sample SNAP Route Map - From Utah Department of Transportation's award winning Student Neighborhood Access Program (SNAP) Operations Guide.

Mapping basic information about the neighborhoods surrounding the school can be a great tool for selecting a route and also may be useful in identifying and prioritizing needed pedestrian and bicycling improvements. These maps may be low-tech or high-tech. Sometimes the best maps have simple hand drawn symbols over a commonly used and commercially available map. Maps can also be computer generated which allows for creating more tailored maps that can be easily updated.

Whatever technology used, route maps should include the following at a minimum:

  • School location (you may also want to consider an inset that shows entrances),
  • Surrounding streets and location of sidewalks and pathways within a reasonable walking or bicycling distance from school,
  • Street names,
  • Landmarks,
  • Traffic control devices (such as traffic signals, stop signs and yield signs) that may affect the routes,
  • Crosswalk locations,
  • Crossing guard locations,
  • Posted speed limits,
  • Designated walking or bicycling routes (if they exist).

Whenever possible, the maps should also show:

  • The schools designated student walk zone,
  • Streets with high volumes of vehicles and/or heavy truck traffic, and
  • Specific areas to avoid or where extra caution is needed such as railroad tracks, four lane roads, drainage ditches, poorly maintained roads or sidewalks, driveways with heavy truck traffic, etc.

Sometimes this information is available from the school district or local planning or traffic engineering department. In some cases it may be necessary to gather more information through a walkabout, bikeabout, audit or other assessment method. For more information on conducting walking and bicycling audits, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/engineering/
walking_and_bicycling_audits.cfm

Make sure to keep the map simple and easy to read. The idea is to provide enough information for parents to help their child choose a route to school. Keep the information as objective and informative as possible, (e.g. indicate "heavy truck volumes" versus "dangerous road"). Make sure to include the date the map was created (or updated) on the map itself as well as instructions for parents to select a route with their child. For easy distribution the map will likely be photo-copied on 8 ½ x 11 paper in black and white, so the graphics should be simple and easy to read.

Once the map is finished, send it home with students and post it on the school's Web site. A letter from the school should also be included with information about the school's walking and bicycling program, instructions for using the map to determine the best route, and basic safety guidelines.

Encourage parents to determine the best route for their child. Even if a school designates a specific walking or bicycling route, strongly encourage parents to walk or bicycle with their children to determine the best way to school or where they can join the designated route. Parents should help their children select a walking or bicycling route with the least amount of traffic and intersections. Parents should also reevaluate the route several times throughout the school year to ensure the selected route is still the best route.

For more information on creating walking and bicycling route maps, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/
engineering_tip-sheets.cfm

Creating route maps can be a great way to start a dialogue about Safe Routes to School. Assessing the walking and bicycling conditions around the school to create route maps provides the added benefit of helping each school identify and prioritize improvements. Make sure maps and assessment feed back into a process for making such improvements.

National Center for Safe Routes to School launches research program

The National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS) has launched a comprehensive national research program to determine the impact of Safe Routes to School programs. The research program will result in the collection of nationwide SRTS-related data and the identification of effective SRTS strategies.

Elements of the research program include:

  • Standardized Data Collection Forms: In 2007, NCSRTS developed two data collection forms for SRTS programs to use to identify frequency of various transportation modes for travel to school and parent attitudes that may influence whether children are allowed to walk or bicycle to school
  • National SRTS Tracking Database: The Center has developed a Web-based data entry system (www.saferoutesinfo.org/tracking) to collect the Safe Routes to School-related data being collected by programs. Programs can either enter their own data using the Web interface or send completed data collection forms to NCSRTS for processing. Using this information, the Center will be able to establish baseline information from which program elements will be evaluated.
  • NCSRTS Tracking Reports: The National Center releases quarterly SRTS Program Tracking Briefs to provide information about State SRTS programs. Each report presents, a different snapshot and brief analysis of one key trend across all State programs. These reports have tracked the increase in announced state SRTS spending from $17.6 million to $183.7 million and the growth of participating schools from 285 to 1833. To access the reports, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/tracking-reports.cfm.
  • SRTS Strategy Evaluation: To support responsible use of resources and strategies that will improve walking and bicycling conditions or encourage use of existing facilities, NCSRTS will select specific SRTS strategies for evaluation. The Center will identify specific strategies for evaluation using both an expert panel and information from the Tracking Database. The expert panel may also decide to identify effective strategies for reaching specific populations such as those served by tribal schools or low income communities.
  • Safety Index Development: Engineers and other local transportation professionals have requested a tool to assist with the identification and prioritization of infrastructure improvement needs along school routes. NCSRTS will oversee a technical expert group in the review of existing instruments, testing and final development of a safety index to meet this need.

NCSRTS sponsors Webinars to assist outreach efforts

America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School have developed the Safe Routes Coaching Action Network, which will offer Safe Routes to School Webinars. The free, hour-long Webinars are designed to educate individuals and organizations on topics that will assist with successful outreach efforts.

The first Webinar titled "Getting Your Story Out", was presented by David Levinger, President, Mobility Education Foundation on January 29, 2008. To access Webinar materials, please visit www.americawalks.org/Content/10088/Webinar__January_29_2008.html.

The next Safe Routes Coaching Action Network Webinar will be:

"Collaborating with Low Income Communities of Color"
Presented by Tina Zenzola, Safe & Healthy Communities Consulting, Walk San Diego
February 26, 2008
2PM EST

To register for the Webinar, please visit www.americawalks.org/Content/10082/Safe_Routes_CAN_Presentation_Schedule.html.

Zenzola will share the story of Walk San Diego's work with the Latino community in Chula Vista, California. The Webinar will also cover several concepts that may be useful to SRTS program leaders, volunteers, and civic leaders.

Future topics within the Safe Routes Coaching Action Network Webinar Series include:

  • Starting a Safe Routes to School Program with Zero Funds
  • SRTS Education in Schools
  • "Walk-A-Block" How a PTA Parent Changed a School Environment

The Safe Routes Coaching Action Network will also offer Webinar participants the option to receive a coaching session from America Walks for assistance with their local outreach efforts. By offering follow-up coaching and education, the Network aims to increase the priority of and resources dedicated towards improving Safe Routes to School efforts.

Share your Safe Routes Story

Share your Safe Routes to School story with others by submitting it to the National Center for Safe Routes to School. Selected case studies will be compiled and posted onto the Center's Web site. For more information, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/case_studies/

In November, the National Center for Safe Routes to School released a collection of case studies on SRTS programs and activities from across the United States. Each case study tells a story and includes a short description of the town or area in which the program takes place as well as the unique issue that each area faces in regards to safe routes, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and other aspects of getting to and from school safely. Details are provided about each program or activity — when they began, who is involved in the organization, what elements are included in the program or activity. Finally, the results section describes the successes and lessons learned from the planning or implementation of the program or activity.

"We hope these case studies will help promote the SRTS efforts happening across the country, and assist persons interested in starting an SRTS program of their own," said Lauren Marchetti, NCSRTS director.

To access the case studies document, please visit drusilla.hsrc.unc.edu/cms/downloads/srts_case_studies.pdf.

Safe Routes Snapshots: Greenbelt Trail System, Green River, Wyoming

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.

Background
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the City of Green River, Wyoming, began construction on the Greenbelt Pathways and Trail System. The goal of the system is to encourage citizens to be physically active while providing an easy and environmentally-friendly way to move about the city with minimal to no contact with vehicular traffic. The trail has been extended each year since its construction, thereby connecting more schools, businesses and neighborhoods. With the use of vacant land that sits atop an underground pipeline, the city is constructing a new pathway that will improve both the functionality and the aesthetics of the land by increasing pedestrian accessibility to several schools and other community destinations.

Construction of the Conoco Pipeline Pathway

Details
Because a gas pipeline runs underneath a vacant land area in the city, no buildings can be constructed on top of it. With the approval of $200,000 in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funds from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and through private donations, the Parks and Recreation Department has begun constructing the Conoco Pipeline Pathway on the once unused land.

To accommodate all users, the path is designed to meet the standards set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The path's 10-foot width allows for its easy and safe usage by both pedestrians and bicyclists. Additionally, park benches, garbage receptacles and directional signage will be stationed along the pathway. When complete, the Pathway will extend eight-tenths of a mile along the route of the underground gas pipeline and connect neighborhoods, several schools and a recreational center to the already existing Greenbelt Trails System.

Results
Once complete, the pathway will be a fun and safe way for children to get to and from school, as well as a location for promoting physical activity among the city's residents. Of the $200,000 in federal SRTS funds received to construct the Pathway, $25,000 went to engineering and design costs and $175,000 to pathway construction. The Greenbelt Trail System, of which the Pathway will be a part, was featured in the Best Practices for Trail Systems in the September 2007 issue of P&R magazine, which is the National Recreation and Park Association's monthly publication.

For more information on this case study, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/case_studies/pdfs/WY.greenriver.pdf.

Walking School Bus Guide

Featured Resource: Starting a Walking School Bus Tip Sheet

To access the Tip Sheet, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/online_library/details.cfm?id=4010.

For more detailed information on Walking School Buses, please visit the Center's SRTS Guide at www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/walking_school_bus/index.cfm.

News Brief

FHWA releases report on school travel

The Federal Highway Administration's Office of Policy has published Travel to School: The Distance Factor. According to independent research using data from the National Household Travel Survey, distance is one of the major factors in the shift in mode to private vehicle by schoolchildren. The analysis also found that safety and security concerns are significant factors in parents' decision to let their children walk to school, especially girls.

To access the full report, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/online_library/details.cfm?id=4095

Conducted since 1969 by FHWA, the National Household Travel Survey is the nation's inventory of daily and long-distance travel. The NHTS is has been the nation's flagship survey to quantify the travel behavior of the American public. The survey has provided the nation with authoritative data on travel by all modes of transportation, for all travel purposes, and all travel distances.

NCSRTS pilots SRTS Media Training course

In December, the National Center for Safe Routes to School pilot tested the NCSRTS Media Training course at the Center's headquarters in Chapel Hill, NC. Montana Safe Routes to School State Coordinator Virginia Summey received the one-on-one training.

The NCSRTS Media Training is meant to give SRTS State Coordinators an opportunity to build their media relations skills and ultimately increase publicity for their state program. The one-day training includes an overview presentation of successful media relations, a message development workshop and a taped mock interview that gives the trainee a chance to hone their interviewing skills. The trainee also receives a Media Manual, which includes a list of media contacts in their state, training slides and other media relations resources.

The NCSRTS Media Training is offered to SRTS State Coordinators as a part of the Center's efforts to support capacity-building efforts for SRTS programs.

Connecticut Safe Routes to School Program Awards $1 million for SRTS Projects

The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced in December the award of nearly $1 million in funds from the Federal Highway Administration's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program for infrastructure projects.

The SRTS program objective is to encourage more students in elementary and middle schools (Grades K-8) to walk and bike to school, as opposed to other transportation alternatives; thereby encouraging a more healthy lifestyle.

Local communities walking and biking to nine schools will be supported by the construction of the following infrastructure projects:

  • Town of Bethel: F.A. Berry, Anna Rockwell, RMT Johnson, and Bethel Middle Schools
    Sidewalk, sight distance and crosswalk improvements in education park and along Plumtrees Road and Maple Avenue
  • Town of Columbia: Horace W. Porter School
    Multiuse trail installation on Route 87 from local neighborhoods to school
  • City of New Britain: Northend Elementary School
    Sidewalk construction, curb ramp installation, crosswalks and signage on Glen Street, just west of Rockwell Avenue
  • Town of Fairfield: Ludlowe Middle School, Tomlinson Middle School, and Riverfield Elementary School
    Traffic calming measures, sidewalk construction; installation of handicap accessible ramps, school zone signs and crosswalks

In March 2007, the Connecticut DOT solicited applications statewide for SRTS infrastructure projects. As part of the application process, eligible schools were required to have a documented SRTS Master Plan. Selected projects will participate in a 100% federally funded cost reimbursement program managed through the Connecticut DOT.

For more program information, please visit the Connecticut SRTS Web site: www.ctsaferoutes.org

SRTS in the News

The following is a brief compilation of Safe Routes to School-related news stories from across the country. Web links to the following news stories are time sensitive, so some stories may not be accessible after the initial publication date or may require registration.

Looking for a safe route to school
Times Bulletin
1/26/2008
ODOT funding will promote walking, biking to school
Chillicothe Gazette
1/23/2008
Area schools look at Safe Routes
Rutland Herald
1/19/2008
Rosewood Elementary Looks to Improve Routes to School
WLTX-TV
1/15/2008
Desert Hot Springs police target school zones
The Desert Sun
1/3/2008
Michigan Receives Safe Routes Award
Michigan Contractor and Builder
12/31/2007
Help's here if you want to walk to school
Greensboro News & Record
12/24/2007
Creating Safe Routes for Children and Healthy Communities
Evidence of Humanity
12/3/2007
West Side sidewalks targeted
The Republican
11/29/2007
Protecting kids as they walk to, from school
Modesto Bee
11/24/2007
Safe Routes to School
WLTX-TV
11/20/2007

For more news stories relating to Safe Routes to School, please visit the NCSRTS News Room at www.saferoutesinfo.org/news_room/

Safe Routes Matters is a free, online publication of the National Center for Safe Routes to School. No permission is needed to reprint from articles, but attribution is requested. To submit article ideas to Safe Routes Matters, please email news@saferoutesinfo.org.