What are the "5 Es?"

One of the cornerstones of Safe Routes to School is the acknowledgement that safer walking and biking routes can best be accomplished through a combination of infrastructure and noninfrastructure projects and programs. These are known collectively as the "5 Es": Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, and Evaluation.

Education programs are primarily aimed at helping children build their pedestrian, bicycling, traffic, and social skills, but also include programs that educate parents and other motorists. Educational examples include pedestrian and bicycle safety workshops, personal safety training and brochures advising parents on correct pick-up/drop-off procedures. Educational programs are most effective if they are ongoing, rather than a one-time event.

Encouragement, through activities, programs, and contests, provides incentives for children to walk and ride to school. Examples include establishing walking clubs and mileage clubs and organizing walking school buses and bike trains.

Enforcement increases awareness and reduces the frequency of crime and traffic safety problems. Enforcement examples include enforcing traffic violations, enforcing pick-off and drop-off procedures, addressing environmental concerns such as abandoned houses, litter and dogs, and creating neighborhood watch programs.

Engineering includes improvements to the built environment that improve the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. These infrastructure improvements include traffic calming measures that reduce speed, improve street crossings and improve children's visibility and safety, installing sidewalks and bike paths, and improving safety where pedestrians cross streets.

Evaluation is the final "E". It is important for school teams to evaluate their programs on a regular basis to determine what is working, what isn't working, and what changes might be needed to make their program more effective. Evaluation also refers to data collection: surveying students and parents to assess their behavior and attitudes towards nonmotorized travel.



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