Safe Routes to School
Safe Routes to School
We consult on policy and program needs, including a pedestrian safety curriculum engaging students, parents and teachers, encouragement strategies to increase walking to school, and national evaluation standards to quantify your results.
Bring IWALK to your school in October – Feet First can help
What is Safe Routes to School?
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Curriculum
Safe Routes to School Services
Good news on the National front for Safe Routes to School! The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has received a major grant renewal from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, guaranteeing nearly $3 million in funding for the next 3 years.
Feet First is a proud member of National Partnership, which advocates for legislative funding and action across the country. A January 2012 press release has additional details.
What is Safe Routes to School?
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs aim to increase the number of students walking and biking to school safely. Today, only 13 percent of North American children walk or bike to school. Just 30 years ago, that number was at 60 percent nationwide. Though different in every community, SRTS programs typically incorporate safety, health, community-building, traffic relief, and environmental awareness components. These program activities encourage schools, communities and local government officials to model a healthy lifestyle for children and work towards the creation of a safer, cleaner environment for everyone.
- Deborah Nelsen,
Former Principal at Sanislo Elementary, Delridge Neighborhood in Seattle
Safe Routes to School programs also work to reduce the number of children being driven to school. This number has increased so drastically over the last 30 years that according to recent research, 21 to 25 percent of morning commuter traffic results from parents driving their children to school. The more parents drive their children to school, the less safe it becomes for those children walking, and the fewer parents allow their children to walk. In this way, the area around the school becomes progressively less pedestrian-friendly.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Curriculum
Take a look at the first statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Curriculum designed for P.E. instructors to teach 5th through 8th graders.
Curriculum Welcome
Table of Contents
Section 1 through 11
Grant Requirements
At A Glance
Curriculum Communities Putting Prevention to Work
Additional Resources
Captain Barclay Cards
Volunteer Parent Letter
Volunteer Parent Letter Translated to Spanish
Learn to Ride
We offer the following Safe Routes to School services:
Pedestrian Safety Education Class
This one-day event, designed for elementary grade children, begins with a one-hour training session for adult volunteers and coordinated with a teacher is followed by a “walking field trip” around the school. We create an itinerary to determine appropriate learning stations around the school campus and, through a site visit, develops a map and plan tailored to the school. We also prepare volunteer recruitment letters, a newsletter article and a follow-up informational letter to families. These classes are best suited for students in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades.
Drop-off and Pick-up Zone Improvement Consultation
This consultation includes a morning and afternoon car count, observation and a report quantifying pedestrian hazards and troublesome driving patterns, with prioritized options for addressing them. We also provide tools for schools to follow up on recommendations and measure progress.
Assistance with Walk-To-School Day Event
We will host an organizational meeting and informational training to help prepare your Safe Routes to School team to conduct a walk-to-school incentive campaign. Scheduling of this service begins in August/early September for October IWALK events and in February/March for Safe Routes to School events in May. We provide materials, including lollipop signs, brochures and leader packs.
School Mapping
We will analyze your school’s current walk route map and design an updated walk route map using a community engagement process similar to that used for our popular “Neighborhoods on Foot” walking maps. The price includes 300 full-color maps. We provide a PDF file of the map that the school can make available for downloading from the internet or for future printing production.
Develop a Social Marketing Plan
We will help increase the number of students walking to school through a social marketing plan. This plan will identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with walking to school and conduct focus groups with parents and staff. Results from the analysis and focus groups will be incorporated into the plan.
Walking Audit
A walking audit will be incorporated into the research of the social marketing plan or can be a stand alone. A walking audit involves a three-hour event to train parents, school officials and students in pedestrian safety and to identify safest walking routes to school. The walking audit is interactive, and we provide cameras and reporting sheets and facilitate discussion. Using these materials, we create a final report which includes top observations and recommendations for walkability as well as walking audit field notes with specific changes or identification to address safety, built environment, enforcement, community asset and conflict of shared space.
To learn more about these services, contact us.
