A national movement known as Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is becoming increasingly popular in local US communities. The concept is simple: making it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school.
They have been working successfully on getting policy and funding support at the federal, state and local levels, to effectively create safer environments for pedestrians in schoolzones. Whether it’s a lack of walking/bicycle programs, unsafe infrastructure, or lack of infrastructure, they have been working alongside communities to create lasting change.
School Zone Safety is Key to Encourage More Physical Activity
A few decades ago, 50% of children would ride a bicycle or walk to school in the United States. Today, this number has dropped to less than 15%. Over 25% of children commute by bus, while roughly 50% are driven by their parents or in other vehicles. In a context of increasing childhood obesity rates, creating safe environments for kids to walk and bike to school is a great way to increase physical activities.
Addressing the decline in walking and biking to school is achieved through consistent initiatives. One such initiative is the Vision Zero for youth, that focused on offering special protection to Children and Youth in the hope of sparking interest in communities for broader Vision Zero programs.
The 5 Key Factors of Successful Safety Initiatives:
Building a successful plan to enhance safety for pedestrians in your community requires carefully considering and mixing the following elements:
- Infrastructure improvements:
Redesigning streets and public spaces, intervening at the design phase, or adding pedestrian safety devices to give more space or protect the space offered to pedestrians and bikers - Policies and programs:
Implementing targeted initiatives and regulations that prioritize lower driving speeds and safer behaviors. - Use of crash data and patterns:
Analyzing collision trends and risk factors to guide data-driven, system-wide safety improvements. - Partnerships:
Collaborating across sectors to strengthen safety efforts by working with schools, transportation agencies, law enforcement, health professionals and local leaders. - Community Engagement:
Encouraging active community participation to build a shared commitment to road safety, especially by empowering younger generations
Getting Started
Each community is unique, but the same steps can be used before submitting an application for SRTS. Communities should create a plan for their project and identify primary stakeholders. A multi-skilled team will need to work in unison for the development and implementation of the project. Specialists may also be required to identify safety hazards around school zones and propose precautionary measures.
