1. What is Safe Routes to School (SR2S)?

3. What is the rationale behind Safe Routes to School?

Most of today’s parents walked or biked to elementary school when they were young, according to a recent study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/nhts/index.htm). They explored their neighborhoods regularly on bike or on foot. As long as they behaved, they maintained a tremendous amount of independence, which resulted in a sense of self-assurance.

Things are much different today. Today’s children are driven to nearly all their activities, and only about 10 percent of children walk to school everyday. There are several reasons for this sharp decline. For one, the journey between home and school has become longer and more treacherous because of decades of auto-oriented development. This pattern has been compounded by the trend towards building new schools far away from residential areas. Then, too, there are the fears and concerns of parents about exposing their children to threats from strangers and motor vehicles. And finally, in many communities, sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and trails are either missing or inadequate.

4. What are the benefits of a SR2S program?

A successful Safe Routes to School program benefits children in several ways. When routes are safe, walking or biking to and from school is an easy way for children to get the regular physical activity they need for good health. Studies have shown that physically active kids have improved mood and concentration, a stronger self-image, and more self-confidence. Physically active kids also have fewer chronic health problems and report lower levels of smoking and alcohol consumption.

It’s also fun! Research shows that walking or riding is children’s preferred method of getting to school. There’s so much to see, smell, touch, think, and talk about. By walking with friends, children will build relationships and learn more about their neighborhood, their friends, and themselves.

Safe Routes to School initiatives help the environment by easing traffic jams and curbing air pollution. Research has shown that 25% of morning traffic is parents driving their students to school. Fewer car trips also mean lower gasoline bills, a significant factor with today’s higher prices.

6. 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.

8. Which schools participated in the SR2S pilot project?

Eleven schools participated in the Safe Routes to School pilot project. Six schools joined the project during the 2003-04 school year: Belmont Elementary (Rockford Public Schools), Frost Elementary (Jackson Public Schools), Stanton Elementary (Central Montcalm Schools), Washington Elementary (Flint Public Schools), Webster Elementary (Pontiac School District), and Winans Elementary (Waverly Community Schools). Five more schools joined for the 2004-05 school year: Cherry Creek Elementary (Lowell Area Schools), Clear Lake Elementary (Oxford Area Community Schools), Johnson Elementary (Taylor School District, Lincoln Elementary (Cadillac Area Public Schools) and Westlake Elementary (Lakeview School District).

9. What is the SR2S Handbook?

The Safe Routes to School Handbook is a “how-to” guide for starting a SR2S program and was developed during the pilot project.  The Handbook was based on research into national and international best practice models and lays out, in order, a process that will lead to the development of a Safe Routes to School Action Plan specific to a particular school.

Click here to visit the Handbook page.

10. How can I start a SR2S program at my school?

The first step is to register your school with the SR2S office. Schools may register by completing and returning the SR2S registration form.  The next step is to obtain a copy of the SR2S Handbook and carry out the planning activities. The Handbook includes sample calendars, checklists, and many time-saving extras to help get your program up and running.

Schools are also encouraged to send a representative to a SR2S training session. Check the training page to see when the next sessions are scheduled.

11. Which schools have registered for Michigan's Safe Routes to School program?

333 schools are registered for Safe Routes to School as of June 13, 2008. Click here for a list of the schools currently enrolled in the program.

12. What is the federal Safe Routes to School program?

The federal Safe Routes to School program was created by Section 1404 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users  (SAFETEA-LU), which was signed into public law (P.L. 109-59) on August, 10 2005.  A total of $612 million was allocated to the states for Safe Routes to School programs and projects for FY 2005-2009.

The purposes of the program, as defined in the legislation, are:

1. To enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;

2. To make walking and biking to school safe and more appealing; and

3. To facilitate the planning, development and implementation of projects that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.

14. What can the federal funds be spent on?

The statute identifies project types for each category as follows:

Infrastructure Projects

●  Sidewalks
●  Traffic calming and speed reduction
●  Pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements
●  On-street and off-street bicycle facilities
●  Off-street pedestrian facilities
●  Traffic diversion improvements in the vicinity of schools

Noninfrastructure Projects

●  Activities to encourage walking and bicycling to school
●  Public awareness campaigns, community outreach
●  Traffic education
●  Traffic enforcement operations in the vicinity of schools
●  Student training sessions (bicycle and pedestrian safety, health, and environment)
●  Funding for training volunteers and managers of Safe Routes to School program

Any project or program proposed for funding under the SRTS program must either 1) increase the safety of students walking and biking to school and/or 2) increase the number of students walking and biking to school.

1. Register their school and provide evaluation permission. Schools are registered by completing and returning the SR2S registration form. The principal’s signature indicates 1) the school’s desire to participate in Safe Routes to School, and 2) permission to distribute surveys to students and parents at his/her school.

2. Designate a Safe Routes to School coordinator. The coordinator will serve as the main contact person for the school’s SR2S program.

3. Establish a Safe Routes to School team. The members of the team will vary from vary from school to school, but often include: a school administrator, teacher(s), student leader(s), parent(s), a local law enforcement official/officer, and a representative from the local road authority (i.e., city engineer, road commission employee, or a representative from the local MDOT Transportation Service Center).

4. Assess attitudes and behaviors related to walking and biking to school. Schools will survey parents and students to assess their behavior, beliefs and attitudes toward walking and biking to school and to non-motorized travel in general. Assistance with data collection, analysis, and reporting is available to registered schools.

5. Assess the safety of walking and/or biking routes. School teams will assess the physical environment around the school and along routes traveled by students in order to identify barriers to safe walking and biking.

6. Develop a SR2S Action Plan. The SR2S team will review findings from the walking audit and information collected through student and parent surveys to develop recommendations to encourage and enable students to walk to school on safe routes. The Action Plan will address education, encouragement, enforcement and/or engineering needs.

19. What is Walk to School Day and how is it different from Safe Routes to School?

Walk to School Day—like Safe Routes to School—is a school-based initiative to encourage physical activity among Michigan’s children and youth. Walk to School Day has become the kick-off event for Safe Routes to School, and is usually held the first week in October. It is a way for parents, students, school personnel and other community members to directly experience the walk or bike to school as they walk and bike with students on the day of the event. It often generates wider teaching about the importance of physical activity, awareness of the fun of walking and biking and early identification of safety concerns.

20. What is a "walking audit?"

A walking audit (also known as a walking tour or environmental assessment) is a process where parents, school administrators, and other community members tour the school property and adjacent neighborhoods to assess the barriers to safe walking and biking. The audits typically focus on the walking and biking routes currently used to travel to school, the walking and biking routes that could be used to travel to school, and the school property itself, especially pick-up and drop-off sites used by busses and parents. These tours show stakeholders what students experience during their walk to school and gives school teams first-hand evidence of existing safety problems.

22. What is "traffic calming?"

The Institute of Transportation Engineers defines traffic calming as “changes in street alignment, installation of barriers, and other physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or cut-through volumes in the interest of street safety, livability, and other public purposes.”

Traffic calming measures can include: street narrowing (reducing the number of lanes); the addition of speed bumps or speed humps; the addition of traffic circles or roundabouts; the addition of raised pedestrian crosswalks; the conversion of two-way streets to one-way streets; and the addition of curb extensions (also known as bulb-outs).

More information on traffic calming can be found at www.trafficcalming.org.