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Safe Routes To School





safe routes to school

Parents want their children to be safe from the buzz of traffic surrounding neighborhood schools.  As a result, a growing number of parents drive their kids to school which only adds to increased car congestion.  Some studies show that these short car trips account for up to 30% of morning rush hour traffic.

In an attempt to break this car-dependent cycle, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) was born.  It is a program that allows our kids to get safely to and from school in an active, self-propelled way.

Safe Routes To School programs systematically apply the "4 E's:"

Engineering
Building sidewalks and bike paths that meet high safety standards.

Education
Teaching kids to bike safely and be careful, responsible pedestrians.

Enforcement
Enforce traffic safety laws around schools for cars, bikes and pedestrians.

Encouragement
Reward and celebrate walking and biking to help kids develop healthy lifelong physical activity habits.

In the communities where it has been implemented, Safe Routes to School programs have succeeded.  Kids are safer and more active and automobile traffic has lessened.  Grassroots bicycle advocates know the positive transformations that result from programs like Safe Routes to School and that is why they worked hard to get $612M for SRTS in the 2006 federal transportation budget, SAFETEA-LU.

Learn More:
Marin County Bicycle Coalition pioneered the national SRTS model.
Bike Texas has pushed the boundaries of SRTS.
The SRTS National Partnership is linking the grassroots and the political.