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Safe Routes to School
Safe Routes to School is an international movement with a goal of making it safe, convenient and fun for children to bicycle and walk to school on a daily basis[1] . An increase in walking and bicycling improves community and personal health, benefits the environment, increases safety, and helps to decrease traffic and congestion around schools[1]. A Safe Routes to School program integrates health, fitness, traffic relief, environmental awareness and safety. It is an opportunity for schools, community, and local government to work together for a healthy, safer, and cleaner environment for everyone[2], as well as enhancing the health and learning capacity of children. Since 39% of urban land area is within a half-mile of a school [3], improving the safety of walking and bicycling in the vicinity of schools has health and safety co-benefits for the community as a whole.
The Need for SRTS
Safe Routes to School works to reverse the decline in children walking and biking to school. In 1969, 50% of children walked or bicycled to school; 87% of children living within one mile of school did so. Today, fewer than 15% of schoolchildren walk or bicycle to school. As a result, kids today are less active, less independent, and less healthy. Parents driving their children to schools can generate as much as 20% to 30% of morning traffic. Additionally, traffic-related crashes are the number one cause of death and major injury for U.S. children ages 1 to 17[1].
School Bike Bans
The years 2008-2009 saw a increasing numbers of schools banning students from biking in the US and the UK. Examples can be found in New Jersey; Saratoga Springs & Buffalo, NY; and Milford Haven (UK). Reacting to unsafe road conditions, these districts are prohibiting students from biking (and in some cases walking) rather than addressing the root problem.History of SRTS
The term “Safe Routes to School” was first used in Denmark in the late 1970s, spreading to Europe and in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. In the early 1970s, the US began to conduct research on the safety of children walking and bicycling to school, including a major study by the US DOT, “School Trip Safety and Urban Play Areas” in 1975 [4].
In recent years, pilot Safe Routes to School programs have gained funding and had success. The first of these began in Santa Ana, California, in the mid-1990's after a group of elementary students identified traffic safety as a major issue as part of an after-school project. A state legislator learned of their efforts and authored the first Safe Routes to School funding program in the nation. Independently, a program was launched in 1997 in the Bronx, NY. In 1998, Congress funded two pilot SRTS programs through the US DOT. NHTSA gave $50,000 each for Safe Routes to School pilot programs in Marin County, California and Arlington, Massachusetts. Within a year after the launch of the pilot programs, many other grassroots Safe Routes to School efforts were started throughout the United States[4].
Advocacy for additional advancements in SRTS programs, and implementation of the federal SRTS program is provided by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. in 2005, the U.S. Congress approved $612 million in funding for five years of state implementation of SRTS programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Partnership sees as its mission, in part, to track the progress of programs in each state.
Effectiveness
Research results so far support the effectiveness of SRTS construction projects in increasing walking or bicycling to school for children who would pass these projects on their way to school. In a study of children in Orange County, California, researchers found students were more likely to show increases in walking or bicycle travel than were children who would not pass by projects (15% vs 4%), based on parents' responses[5].
In some cases where SRTS programs also include encouragement and education activities, and have been operating for several years, substantial increases in walking and bicycling have been observed. For example, in Marin, California, walking and bicycling to school increased from 45% to 58% over the course of a few years [6].
ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK
REFERENCES
[1] BTA Safe Routes to School Conference
[2] Safe Routes to Schools Marin County
[3] Watson M, Dannenberg AL. 2008. Investment in Safe Routes to School projects: public health benefits for the larger community. Prev Chronic Dis 2008;5(3). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2008/
jul/07_0087.htm
[4] National Center for Safe Routes to School
[5] Boarnet, M.G. et al. 2005. Evaluation of the California Safe Routes to School legislation: urban form changes and children's active transportation to school. Am Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2005 Feb;28(2 Suppl 2):134-40.
[6] Transportation Authority of Marin, 2007 Annual Report.
PICTURE REFERENCES
Pictures are cited in the order they appear above. Please keep citation style consistent.
[1] Streetsblog article, "Motor Vehicles Leading Cause of Child Injury Deaths"
[2] WSTM Equipe C'est N'est Pas Une Pipe 0031.jpg
