Safe Routes To School - Activities, Projects, and Programs

Introduction | History | Activities | Planning | Safe School Zones | Walking School Buses | Funding | Resources | City-SRTS Pilot Program
Garfield, NJ Case Study | Workshops | Community Assessment Tool

For many years, bicycle advocates and professionals have used a simple construct to call attention to the range of projects and programs that can and should be addressed as part of a comprehensive approach to increasing bicycle use. It is called the “4-Es” which refers to activities related to Encouragement, Education, Enforcement, and Engineering.

The various kinds of activities associated with Safe Routes to School (SRTS) projects and programs can be similarly organized. Many communities have chosen to add a fifth "E": Evaluation. SRTS programs naturally lend themselves to an evaluation component; it's easy to count how many walkers or bicyclists are arriving at a given school.

In some cases, a SRTS campaign may concentrate initially on only one or two of the 5-Es. However, experience has shown that the most successful efforts eventually require a comprehensive approach – at least over time – that brings in all of the elements.

Encouragement
The objectives include increasing public awareness and support for SRTS goals, and promoting changes in behavior. Activities may include: media and social marketing campaigns; special events such as a Walk to School Day and contests; presentations to school and community groups, including elected officials, and SRTS program promotions. Such programs might also include surveys such as how kids currently get to and from school, and what kinds of concerns parents have about allowing their children to walk or bike.

Education
The objectives here might include ensuring that children have the age-appropriate understanding and skills related to bicycling and walking, making drivers more attentive to the presence of children in neighborhoods, and fostering greater attention by the community in general to the need to operate motor vehicles more safely. Another major objective is to increase the understanding of parents, school personnel, students, and community leaders to the health concerns that can be addressed by successful SRTS activities.

Example: Working with Walk Boston three schools in Arlington, Massachusetts, started with student surveys. These revealed that the overwhelming majority of students were being driven to school, despite most students living less than a mile from school and having access to safe walking routes. The Safe Routes team held six Walk-to-School days, incorporated walking into after school events, and provided a classroom curriculum that focused on the fun aspects of walking, all Encouragement activities. Their Education element focused on teaching pedestrian safety to parents and students, familiarizing students with the positive benefits of walking, and giving students a role in developing Arlington's transportation plan.

Enforcement
This objective includes reducing the threats to the health and safety of children associated with the careless operation of motor vehicles and various other kinds of criminal behavior. Activities involve utilizing enforcement strategies (in conjunction with education efforts) to redefine what is expected of motor vehicle operators, and to make them accountable for the consequences of their actions. It also entails working with police, crossing guards, parents and volunteers to increase attention to traffic laws by pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages. Finally, communities must give appropriate attention to general crime prevention.

Example: The State of Washington established the School Zone Safety program (1996). This program serves as an excellent example of how good legislation, when combined with aggressive enforcement, can create safer streets for everyone. The State of Washington doubled the fine for speeding in a school zone. Half the revenue generated from the fines is given to the schools and to law enforcement for use in school safety projects. The School Zone Safety program has raised and expended more than $10 million on school zone safety since its inception. A brief summary of this
innovative program is available in the resources section below.

Engineering
The objectives include the planning, design, and operation of streets and highways that provide good accommodations for walking and bicycling by people of all ages, including children. This means using various road design techniques (e.g., traffic-calming) to keep motor vehicle speeds down to levels compatible with the presence of children. Special priority should be given to making improvements to routes in and around schools to both restrict motor vehicle speeds and encourage walking and biking. In some cases, it may be possible to develop separated trails to create new or additional opportunities for walking and bicycling.

Evaluation
If you use surveys in your initial Encouragement activities, you'll have "baseline" data against which you can compare the number of children who walk or bike to school as other program elements are instituted. Some schools use classroom projects or contests as a method of keeping tabs on how many children are getting to school under their own power.

Resources

- Washington State School Zone Safety Program | Online Resource