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S C H O O LS A F E ROU T E STO


2/88Safe Routes to School

Overvie w 3

Pro m o tio n 1 1

Sa fe Stree ts 2 5

Cla ssro o m Ac t ivi t ie s 4 3

Re so u rc es 6 1

Fo rm s 6 7

Health y Heart Ta lking Points

Environm enta l Fa ct Shee t

Safety Talking Points

Studen t Survey

Parent Survey

Traffic Count Form

Letter Hom e to Pa ren ts

Sam ple Press Relea se

Support Letter from PrincipalTown/School District Resolution

Walk to School Day Proclamation

Walk to Scho ol D a y Checklist

The Six Sim ple Steps to Stayin g Safe

Helpful Hints in the Classroom

Frequent Rider Miles Contest

Walk a nd Bike Across America

Tab le o f Conte nt s


3/88Safe Routes to School4

F O R E W O R D

In August 2000, the Ma rin County Bicycle Coalition a nd Wa lk Boston, with fun ding from the Nation a l

Highwa y Tra ffic Sa fety Admin istra tion (NHTSA), bega n to develop a n a tiona l m odel Sa fe Routes to

School program . Congressma n Jam es Obersta r, the ran king Dem ocra t on th e Tran sporta tion a nd

Infrastructure Comm ittee in the U.S. House of Representa tives, endorsed the p rogra m a s a m ean s to

reduce tra ffic congestion a roun d schools an d prom ote hea lthy a lterna tives.

Marin Coun ty is a picturesque com m un ity north of Sa n Fran cisco with nu m erous historic sm a ll towns

and miles of open space. Despite its low population growth, traffic congestion has grown increasingly

worse with 21 percent of the m orning com m ute resulting from pa rents driving their children to school.1

In fact, surveys indicated that 73 percent of students commuted to school by car; 14 percent walked; 7

percent b iked; an d 3 p ercent a rrived by bus.

To dem on strate th e ben efits of the Sa fe Routes to School progra m , the Ma rin Cou n ty Bicycle Coa lition

recruited n ine p ilot schools in four loca tions. Ea ch school received guida n ce, form s, newsletters, a n d

oth er prom otiona l m a terials. In two jurisdiction s, schools were grouped to form citywide Ta sk Forces to

study engineering solutions to increase safety on routes to schools. A transportation engineer was hired

to a ssist in d eveloping th ese plan s. Every school h eld periodic Walk a n d Bike to School Da ys an d pa rtic-

ipated in the Frequent Rider Miles contest which rewarded children who came to school walking, bik-

ing, by ca rpool, or by bus. At the en d of the p ilot progra m there was a 57 percent increase in th e nu m -

ber of children wa lking a nd biking to school an d a 29 percent decrease in the n um ber of children a rriv-

ing by car (those not in a carpool).

This toolkit resulted from the experiences of the Marin County p ilot program a nd from other Sa fe

Routes to School progra m s in th e United Sta tes, in th e Can a dian province of British Colum bia, a nd in

the United Kingdom.

We offer this toolkit to oth ers wh o wish to start a Sa fe Routes to School progra m in you r sch ool or com -

munity.

Wendi Ka llin s

May 2002

O v e r v i e w

1. Marin County Congestion, a report by the Marin County Congestion Management Agency, January 2002.



O v e r v i e w

A CK N O W LED G M EN TS

Many than ks to everyone wh o

con tributed to th is Toolkit a nd

pilot program :

Progra m Director/Auth or Wendi Ka llin s

Ma rin Coun ty Bicycle Coa lition Executive

Director Debbie Hu bsm ith

Safe Routes Instructor Chris Davis

Design a n d Production Missy An a polsky,

Circle Design a n d La urie Ahlf

Fina l Editing/ Post Production/ Prin ting

Na tiona l Highwa y Tra ffic Sa fety

Administration

Editors and Sound Advice Colette Weil, Roz

Ha m a r, Ka ren En gbretson, Gra cie Askew,

Peggy DiSilva, Ken Eichstaedt, David Parisi,

Ken Owens, Scott Bricker, Anne Seeley

Engin eering Consultan ts Da vid Pa risi an d

Michael Jones (Alta Consulting)

Fun ding Provided by:

Na tiona l Highwa y Tra ffic Sa fety

Adm inistra tion , Office of Tra ffic Sa fety

Programs

Marin Comm un ity Founda tion

University of Ca lifornia a t Sa n Fra ncisco/

California Department of Health ServicesSafe Routes to School Program

Ca liforn ia Office of Tra ffic Sa fety

Specia l Than ks to th e Pa ren ts, Tea chers,

Principa ls, an d Neigh bors at the Marin

Cou nty Pilot Schools:

Edna Maguire

Ta m Va lley Scho ol

Mill Va lley Middle Sch ool

Marin Horizon

Lagunitas Schools

Man or School

St. Rita s

Va llecito Sch ool

Thanks also for the support and collabora-

tion by elected o fficials an d staff of the

City o f Mill Va lley, the Tow n of Fa irfa x ,

an d the Cou nty of Marin, California .



INTRODUCTION

Did you walk or bike to school when you were a

child? Thirty yea rs a go, more tha n 66 percent of

all children walked to school.2 Walking or biking

to school gives children a sense of freedom and

responsibility, a llows them to en joy the fresh a ir,

a nd provides opportunities to get to know th eir

neighborh ood while arriving a t school a lert,

refreshed, a n d rea dy to start th eir day. Yet m ost

America n children a re denied th is experience; infact, only 13 percent of American children walk

or bike to school.3

Recent research indicates that 20 to 25 percent4 of

m orning traffic is due to pa rents driving th eir

children to school. As a result, tra ffic congestion

ha s increased aroun d schools, prom pting even

more parents to drive their children to school.

The h ea lth consequen ces to our children a nd to

the well being of the com m un ity a re extensive.

(See Resou rces.)

A successfu l Sa fe Rou tes to Sch ool (SR2S) prog ra m

integra tes hea lth, fitness, traffic relief, environ -

mental awareness, and safety under one program.

It is an opportunity to work closely with your

school, your com m un ity, a nd your loca l govern-

m ent to create a hea lthy lifestyle for children a nd

a safer, clean er environm ent for everyone.

THE TOOLKITThis toolkit has been designed to assist you in ini-

tiating and implementing a SR2S program. Manysuccessful SR2S progra m s bega n with ju st one or

two volun teers orga nizing a Wa lk an d Bike to

School Day, using the energy generated from a

sin gle event to b uild a SR2S progra m . Oth er SR2S

program s were created through a com m un ity-

wide Task Force organized by public officials to

a ddress traffic issues. There is no right wa y to

start the program. Customizing your program to

the n eeds of your comm un ity will ensure the suc-

cess of your program but your chance of success

will increa se if you follow in th e footsteps of th e

pilot program s.

Successful SR2S programs in the United States

ha ve incorporated on e or m ore of the following

approaches:

Th e En c o u r a g e m e n t A p p ro a c h uses

events and contests to entice students to try

walking and biking.

The Educa t ion Approach teaches studen ts

imp ortan t safety skills an d la un ches driver

safety campaigns.

The Eng ineer ing Approach focuses on cre-

a ting ph ysica l im provem ents to the infra-

structure surroundin g th e school, reducing

speeds and establishing safer crosswalks and

pathways.

The Enforcement Approach uses local law

en forcemen t to en sure drivers obey traffic

laws.

Although each elem ent can stan d alone, the

m ost successful p rogra m s ha ve integrated ele-

m ents from a ll four a pproa ches. Ea ch time the

program is a da pted, new ideas emerge. Use

research data , inn ova tion, an d ima gina tion to

develop a program tha t best suits your school

an d comm unity.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Who is Involved?s The Cham pions

Cha m pions are individua ls whose passion

a nd en thu sia sm will give life to the program .

O v e r v i e w

2./3 . Kidswalk-to-School, Departmen t of Health Services Centers for Disease Control and Preventions. 20 00

4. Marin County Congestion Management Agency



O v e r v i e w

Every SR2S program needs at least one cham-

pion. The cha m pion can be a tea cher, a prin-

cipal, even a child, but usually the championsa re parents who wan t to ensure a safer envi-

ronm ent for their own children. Often th ey

a re a vid walkers or bicyclists an d set a posi-

tive exa m ple with th eir own tra vel beha vior.

Cha m pions are th e key organ izers of the pro-

gram , overseeing a ctivities a t th eir school an d

working with cha m pions from other schools

to sha re ideas.

s The Safe Routes to School Team

A SR2S team, organized by the champion(s),

consists of pa rents, children, tea chers, princi-pa ls, a nd neighbors of a single school. The

team should seek to gain official school sta-

tus, either as a committee of the PTA or as a

part of the schools Site Council or Safety

Committee. The team gathers information

a bout th eir school th rough surveys a nd traffic

counts, organ izes incentive-ba sed events a nd

contests to encoura ge students to try n ew

modes of transportation, and promotes the

program through school newsletters an d other

m ean s to reach pa rents an d students.s The Safe R out es t o School Ta sk Force

SR2S team s within a comm on geograp hic

a rea a re often m ore successful a nd ha ve a

wider sphere of influence when they u nite to

form a com m un ity-wide SR2S Ta sk Force. Th e

SR2S Ta sk Force sh ou ld in volve n eigh bors, city

and school staff members, and elected offi-

cials. Th is com m u n ity-wide Ta sk Force ca n

produce a comp rehensive docum ent for the

whole com m un ity tha t can be easily reviewed

a nd a ddressed by the p ublic a gency respon si-ble for street im pro vem en ts. Th is SR2S

Im provemen t Pla n can include recomm ended

infrastructure enhancements to the areas sur-

rounding the schools, increased traffic

enforcement, a nd com m un ity education to

promote safety.

The basic components of the Safe Routes

to School program outlined in this toolkit

are:

Act iv i t ies and Outreach

M a p p in g t h e R o u t e s t o Sc h o o l

Classroom Lessons

The overview section of this toolkitdescribes the basics of a SR2S program. The

Promotion s Toolkit provides ideas a bou t

events and contests, as well as other tips to generate interest in the program. The Safe Streets

Toolkit helps you m a p routes to schools in your comm un ity an d provides inform a tion on pra ctices

used to en sure tra ffic safety. Th e Classroom Lessons section p rovides ideas th a t will en coura ge stu-

dents to reflect on their transportation choices and teach them basic safety skills. The toolkit also

supp lies you with sam ple SR2S form s, press releases, posters, an d oth er resources.



Fitting a Team TogetherThe community-wide Task Force serves as an

access point to these officials. If your program is

n ot a pa rt of a Ta sk Force, not ify city officials your-

self. Officials from your local municipality are

important partners because they can provide

resources, are effective in building community

support, and can influence policies that will lead

to improved bicycle and pedestrian travel facili-

ties. Contact law enforcement personnel, citycouncil members, and public works and public

health staff members and describe your plan to

form a SR2S team and what you hope to accom-

plish through this program. Invite them to your

first m eeting a nd contin ue to keep th em inform ed.

In your letters to these com m un ity lead ers, outline

the resources you need. Traffic engineers and the

public works department can provide maps and

help to evaluate the safety conditions near your

school (See th e Safe Streets Toolkit). La w en force-

ment can patrol your event and provide safety

tra inin g for the children. Elected officials can h elp

m a ke key decisions an d build com m un ity support.

Tell these pa rtners h ow th eir efforts will m eet th eir

departments goals, that it will be a useful public

relations tool, and will improve the health and

safety of the comm un ity.

Your progra m shou ld involve the followin g stake-

holders:

Pa ren ts

Stu den ts

Tea c h ers N eigh b ors

School Staff Mem bers

City or County Staff Mem bers

Elected Officials

Businesses

Co m m u n i ty Gro u ps

Law Enforcement/ Crossing Guards

Create AgreementsIt is im portan t to ha ve the cooperation of all

agencies responsible for implementing a SR2S

program. Get partnership agreements from your

loca l m un icipa lity, the school boa rd a nd princi-

pa l of you r sch ool (see Resources for sam ples).

These agreements should indicate that the

agency supports the program and will participate

by providing sta ff resources. City governm ents

need to provide police enforcement for eventsa nd enlist th e coopera tion of the pu blic works

departmen t in m ap ping the routes a nd identify-

ing safety im provemen ts. The p rincipa l an d

school board need to set aside some class time for

the progra m a nd be willing to help promote

events an d contests.

Collect Informa tionThe first step for a n y SR2S prog ra m is to collect

your ba seline da ta through surveys an d traffic

counts (See Promotions Toolkit for details) to

learn how studen ts currently a rrive at school.

Student surveys will enable you to deter-

mine how children get to school. A quick

daily show of hands during homeroom is

often en ough to get a feel for studen t tra vel

ha bits a t your school.

Traf f ic co unts will supplement this infor-

m ation by determ ining how m an y vehicles

enter school grounds to drop off children.

Paren t surveys m easure attitudes and iden-

tify obstacles an d opp ortunities for cha ngingbehavior.

Traffic a nd crash da ta, which can be obtained

from your states departm ent of tra nsportation

and department of public health, will help to

convince o fficia ls of the projects im porta n ce.

O v e r v i e w



O v e r v i e w

EVENTSWa lk an d Bike to School Days are a great wa y to

inau gurate your program an d generate enthusi-

asm (see Promotions section for details on organ-

izing this event). International Walk to School

Da y, h eld th e first Wednesda y in October, offers

a n op portun ity to plug your school into a suc-

cessful worldwide m ovem ent. Schools a cross th e

na tion h a ve used this event to laun ch ongoing

a nd perma nen t safety and education program s,a nd secure fun ding for street im provemen ts.

Schools tha t h a ve success with Interna tiona l

Walk to School Day can keep the energy alive by

organizing Walk and Bike to School Days, either

weekly or monthly. Even if you start with a small

nu m ber of ongoing pa rticipa nts, continu e to pro-

m ote your events an d they will ha ve a cum ula-

tive and lasting effect. Other event ideas are

described in the Promotions section.

CONTESTSContests are a n ideal way to get childrens atten -

tion a nd m otivate them to try som ething new.

Contests can ta ke ma ny form s. Children can

thin k a bout rea l world issues through a rt projects

or essays. Challenge students to travel to school

in different ways an d reward th em either individ-

ua lly or rewa rd the entire class. The u ltim a te

goal is to enga ge studen ts through a contest to

discover the value in walking or biking to school,

without receiving an award.

TEACH CHILDRENIN THE CLASSROOMTeaching children basic pedestrian and bicycle

skills is vital to the success of your SR2S program.

Rodeos and obstacle courses are examples of fun

a ctivities for studen ts. Tea chin g h ea lth, fitness,

and the environmental consequences of various

tran sporta tion m odes enh a nces childrens ability

to make healthy choices in their lives, which will

ha ve a positive im pa ct on the comm un ity an d

our Ea rth.

M AP THE ROUTESThe Safe Rou tes to Sch ool Ta sk Force focuses on

developing a Safe Routes to School Improvement

Plan . The SR2S Ta sk Force will iden tify a focu sed

a rea surrounding the schools, ma pping theroutes tha t children currently ta ke to school, sug-

gest safer routes when necessary, a nd recom m end

imp rovem ents. Wa lk the routes in groups an d

identify safety issues, using the Safe Routes

Checklist and locating them on a map. Involve

the students a nd ha ve them m a p the routes

themselves. Those who walk and ride regularly

a lrea dy a re fa m iliar with their streets, while those

who do n ot, will begin to learn a bout th eir neigh-

borhood. Working with local government staff,

develop a SR2S Improvement Plan for addressingsuch safety issues as speeding cars, dangerous

intersection s, a n d m issin g or ineffective cross-

walks, sidewalks, and bike lanes.

ESCORT PROGRAM SMan y pa rents would like to a llow their children

to walk or bike to school but are afraid of letting

them walk or bike a lone. Escort program s ad dress

the im m edia te need for safety an d complement

m ore perma nent infrastructure improvemen ts.

The Walking School Bus (or Bike Train)involves adu lt volunteers who a ccom pa ny chil-

dren to school, stopping a t designa ted loca tions

where children can join th e bus or train a t

pre-a rran ged tim es (see more a bout th e Wa lking

Scho ol Bus in th e Safe Streets section ). Escort

programs require a commitment of volunteer

resources a nd good coordina tion.



A crossing gu a rd progra m can train volun teers to

h elp children cross the roa d. School districts

should be encouraged to place gua rds a t pa rticu-

larly dangerous crossings. Other escort programs

provide m onitors on th e street or find neighbors

to offer th eir hom es as Sa fe Hou ses. Th is is a form

of com m un ity pa rticipa tion tha t urba n visiona ry

Ja n e Ja cobs ca lled Eyes on th e Street, an d is

pa rticularly useful in u rban a reas where crime is

a m a jor concern.

CARPOOLS AND BUSESMany children live too far from school to expect

th em to wa lk or bike to scho ol. Th is is especially

true for children who attend private schools.

Som e sch ools offer a bu s program , using yellow

school bu ses or through a greem ents with city bus

services. If so, include a carpooling and bus com-

ponent in all your SR2S activities and encourage

parents to form carpools with special incentives

such a s preferred drop-off area s for ca rpools. Holdneighborh ood coffees a t th e beginnin g of the

school year to help pa rents meet their neighbors

a nd a rran ge ca rpools. In a ddition, crea te specia l

contests for pa rents who carpool, with a wards

such as free baby-sitting or romantic get-a-ways.

Orga n ized Walking Sch ool Buses an d Bike

Train s ca n becom e carpools on storm y da ys.

KEEP YOURPROGRAM ALIVEIt takes tim e to develop n ew cultura l a ttitudes

a bout tra nsportation. Be sure to reintroduce your

program every year at the beginning of the

school yea r. You sh ou ld:

s Hold a kick-off event or

assembly to get students excited.

s Notify parents by including

informa tion a bout the program in the parent

pa ckages tha t are ma iled home

a t th e start of the school year.

s Hold regular SR2S team m eetings a t a time

when most interested people can attend.

s Meet with the principal and teachers at the

beginnin g of the year to p lan in-classroom

activities for the year.

sHold neighborhood coffees to encourage par-ents to form Walking School Buses, Bike

Trains, and carpools.

s Keep your school community up-to-date on

the latest street improvements. Every new suc-

cess builds increased support for the program.

s Keep m easuring your success through new

surveys. Th e grea test satisfa ction com es from

seeing the in crease in th e nu m ber of children

walking an d biking to school a nd th e reduc-

tion of cars entering the school grounds.

s Be sure to inform your com m un ity throu gh

press releases a n d n ewsletter a rticles.

s Join government advisory groups and attend

city coun cil a nd school boa rd m eetings.

s Reward yourselves and celebrate every

success, large or sm a ll.

O v e r v i e w



Prom otion Toolkit 12

Events 16

Contests 19

Prom ote Your Progra m 21

Keep the Energy Alive 23

P r o m o t i o n



P r o m o t i o n

P RO M O TI O N TO O LK ITTh is Toolkit provides in form a tion a bou t a ctivities

designed to encoura ge children to wa lk an d bike

to school. Th e pu rpose of a Sa fe Routes to School

(SR2S) progra m is to foster a culture wh ere wa lk-

ing and biking are celebrated and encouraged.

Festive events a n d clever con tests will ma ke bik-

ing a nd wa lking to school a ttractive an d entic-

ing.

Establish a team

Establishing a network is necessary for launching a

successful SR2S program. The SR2S Team should be

started at your school with the goal of obtaining offi-

cial status with the school adm inistration. This can be

done through the PTA or as a school subcomm ittee.

Start by finding parents, teachers, administrators,

and stu dents wh o share your enthu siasm for walking

or biking and a re concerned abou t traffic safety.

The Team PlayersPa ren t s

Parents are the most active SR2S participants

becau se of th eir con cern for their children. They

form the majority of the SR2S teams to help

organize events, contests, and classroom activi-

ties, while also publicizing th e program a nd

recruiting other volunteers. They have detailed

knowledge of their neighborhood a nd h a ve a

wealth of informa tion a bout safety ha zards in

a nd a round the schools in the comm un ity.

Students

Children a re the h eart a nd soul of an y SR2S pro-

gram . When children a re inspired, their enthu si-

a sm is infectious. Stud en ts often serve on th e

SR2S teams and use classroom assignments to

help ga ther inform a tion for engineering im prove-

ment recommendations.

The Principal

An enthusiastic principal can be a great motiva-

tor for a SR2S progra m . Th e prin cipa l ensures

that contests and events are compatible with the

school calendar and helps set aside time for SR2S

classroom lessons, assem blies, a n d bike rodeos.

Teachers

Tea chers can offer trem en dous sup port for a SR2S

program by bringing informa tion into the cla ss-

room, rem inding studen ts of special events, an d

a ssignin g studen t a ctivities. Active tea chers often

set a n exa m ple by wa lking or biking to school

themselves.

Ne ighbors

Often there a re neighbors withou t school-a ged

children wh o a re equa lly concerned a bout tra ffic

safety in th e comm un ity. Neighbors a re also

knowledgeab le abou t safety issues in th eir com -

m un ity a nd can serve as volun teers for events

a nd cla ssroom lessons. Often neighbors volun teer

to be crossing gu a rds or participate in other

Escort p rogra m s.

City or County Staff

A close relationship with local law enforcement

a s well a s public works an d pu blic hea lth depa rt-

m ent s is essentia l to a successful SR2S progra m .

La w enforcem ent can provide extra pa trols an d

escorts on Wa lk an d Bike to School Da ys, h elp to

gather speed and injury statistics, assist with

classroom lessons and ultimately can implement

a long term enforcement strategy. Public Worksstaff can work with th e comm un ity Ta sk Force to

a ssist in eva lua ting th e streets an d crea ting a

SR2S Improvemen t Plan tha t ca n th en be used as

a blueprint for making physical improvements.

Elect ed Officia ls

The city coun cil an d school boa rd a re the key

participants on a SR2S Task Force, even if they

are not active members. The city council will ulti-

m a tely decide on street improvemen ts, when to



P r o m o t i o n

a llocate loca l resources, a nd when staff m em bers

should apply for grants. Elected officials often

enjoy participating in events, enhancing

publicity.

BUSINESSES AND COMM UNITY GROUPSThe local chamber of commerce and area busi-

n esses ca n a ssist a SR2S progra m by providing

don a tions of food a n d prizes. Businesses a lso can

help pu blicize your program a nd provide sta ging

a rea s for Wa lk an d Bike to School Da y events.

Those businesses tha t a re loca ted a djacent to

schools will wa nt to pa rticipa te in th e ma pping

process, beca use redu ced tra ffic ben efits their cus-

tom ers a nd em ployees. Senior groups, wa lk an d

bike clubs, and community organizations can

provide ex pertise, con n ection s to elected officia ls

a nd staff m em bers, a nd volun teers for events.

In your search for team m em bers, you can :

Write an ar t icle for your school newsletter an d

invite people to come to an informationalmeeting.

Circulate flyers throughout the neighborhood

a nd write a press release (see sam ple in th e

Resources section). Ma n y n eighborh ood resi-

dents a re equa lly concerned a bout tra ffic

congestion, sa fety issues, an d la ck of good

sidewalks.

Make a p resen ta t ion to the PTA, walking an d

biking clubs, senior citizen groups, and other

com m un ity organ izations.

Getting Started

In the ea rly sta ges, you m a y be active in out-

reach a ctivities a nd on ly ha ve a h a ndful of peo-

ple to start th e SR2S tea m . Dont let tha t discour-

a ge you. Your work is im portan t a nd even one or

two people can plan a sma ll event such a s Wa lk

a n d Bike To School Da y or a cla ssroom contest.

As the program increases its visibility in the com-

m un ity, people will realize tha t this program is

fun a nd im porta nt a nd m ore people will wa nt to

join you r te a m . Go a h ea d a n d sta rt with a sm a ll

group but keep sea rchin g for additiona l mem bers

who can help the team.

Your first m eeting will be an idea l opportu n ity to

introduce the program a nd get to know your fel-

low tea m m em bers. Be sure to set time a side in

the b eginn ing for people to introduce them selvesand talk about their reasons for participating.

Discuss your goals for the program and establish

a list of ta sks an d a timeline for achieving th ose

ta sks. You r first a ctivities will focus on ga th erin g

in form a tion (see below). Sa fe Rou tes to Scho ol

depends on volunteers. Ha ve a n um ber of sma ll

ta sks ava ila ble for those who ha ve limited time

to devote to the tea m . Rem em ber, no job is too

sma ll a nd even th e sm a llest efforts a re app reciat-

ed! If you decide to start with a kickoff event, see

Events (page 18) for more detailed information

on how to proceed. If your initial efforts will focus

on safety improvements, consult the Safe

Streets (page 29) section of the toolkit.

Th e followin g tips will help ensu re un iform

involvem ent by a ll m em bers of your team :

Estab lish a r egu la r mee ting t ime when m ost

people ca n a ttend.

Make sure everyone involved receives meeting

announcements .

The personal touch always works best ma kephon e calls to team m embers.

Set a ge n da s a n d st ick to th e m .

Make your meetings concise and product ive.

Cre a te a w a r m a n d w elco m in g en v iro n m e n t.

Sta r t w ith sma ll an d ach ievab le goa ls.



P r o m o t i o n

Grow your program out of the special needs

of your comm un ity.

Se t a schedu le of even ts an d tasks.

End each m eet ing with a r eview o f task

a ssignm ents an d set the n ext m eeting date.

Ga ther Ba seline Da ta

Surveys generate baseline data that can help

sha pe your SR2S program . Surveys can be a dm in-istered visua lly (such a s coun ting the n um ber of

bicyclists), verbally or in writin g, to in dividua ls or

to groups. Surveys can be short and concise or

extensive with data gathered over a number of

da ys, such a s a on e-week travel dia ry. A well-

designed survey will provide unbiased informa-

tion th a t can help to identify the current level of

biking a nd walking to schools, the ph ysica l an d

perceived problems, and opportunities for biking

a nd wa lking in your comm un ity.

Before an d a fter surveys can be useful in evalua t-ing th e program s accom plishm ents. For exa m -

ple, coun ting th e n um ber of bicyclists a nd walk-

ers before, durin g, a n d a fter SR2S events ca n h elp

qua ntify the im pa ct of your promotiona l activi-

ties. This type of information is valuable when

trying to obta in funding or to show the imp or-

ta n ce an d effectiveness of your work.

Designing a nd evalua ting the surveys in order to

get baseline da ta can be time consum ing yet

rewarding. Surveys should be designed so that

data capture specific information in an unbiasedmanner, requesting a desired level of detail while

ensuring the m ethod you u se is easy to code an d

evalua te (sam ple surveys a re foun d in the

Resources section). Someone must administer the

survey and then enter the responses into a data -

base so tha t the data ca n be a na lyzed. This

should provide an a ccura te sna pshot of your tar-

get audiences behavior, so be sure to share the

findings with the comm un ity a s a way to gener-

a te support for the progra m . If this ta sk over-

whelm s you, a sk a m a th tea cher, local traffic

engineers and transportation planners, or the

county hea lth depa rtmen t for assista nce in devel-

opin g your survey.

Student Surveys

Stud ent surveys, which reflect how studen ts travel

to school, are essential to determining your pro-

gra m s success. Th ese surveys can be don e by stu-dents (see Classroom Activities section) or by vol-

un teers from the tea m . An oral survey a sking for

a show of ha nds in each hom eroom is simple

a nd easy. Ask how ma ny students wa lked, biked,

bused, carpooled, or were driven by parents or

siblings to sch ool. You ca n a lso include a catego-

ry for ska teboarding, scooters, an d oth er tran s-

portation m odes. Be sure to expla in th e definition

of a ca rpool two or more fam ilies who sha re

drivin g. Its best to con duct th is survey for a week

a t a tim e to get an a ccura te picture of studentstravel beha vior. (Ta ke note of potential va ria tions

in travel beha vior beca use of weath er an d other

sea sona l variables.) At th e end of the school year

repeat th is survey using the sam e pa ram eters to

determine a ny cha nges in student travel beha v-

ior. Older children may be asked for more

detailed information about their transportation

choices. Middle and high school students can

develop and administer their own surveys. (See

Classroom Activities.)

Traffic CountsTraffic counts measure the number of vehicles

a rriving a t sch ool. A sim ple tra ffic coun t involves

volun teers at ea ch school entra nce counting cars

a rriving during the ha lf-hou r before school

begins. More complex counts could tally the

nu m ber of cars passing the school a nd/ or the

nu m ber of students biking a nd wa lking to school.

A simp le wa y to m easure biking is to coun t the



number of bikes in the bike rack after school

starts. You a lso could coun t th e nu m ber of chil-

dren getting ou t of each car a t the va rious drop-

off poin ts arou n d th e sch ool. Ask school bu s driv-

ers to coun t the n um ber of children on their bus.

At the end of the school year and/or during SR2S

events, repeat th is traffic coun t th e sam e way to

determine any changes in traffic patterns around

the school. Students also can conduct this traffic

count survey as a classroom activity (see

Cla ssroom Activities section).

Parent Surveys

Measuring th e a ttitudes of pa rents ca n give your

team insight on the reasons behind students

travel behavior. Ask parents how their children

currently get to school a nd why th is travel m ode

was chosen. If parents drive their children to

school (and most will), ask why. Then ask what

m ight get them to allow their children to walk

and bike to school. This information will help

you design your p rogra m to a ddress the safety

concerns of parents. Be sure to ask them if they

wan t to volun teer, an d provide space on th e sur-

vey for their na m e a nd conta ct informa tion.

Parent surveys are distributed to pa rents either by

m a il or sent hom e with students. Surveys a lso

can be conducted by phone using a ran dom sam -

pling (choose parents from the school directory at

ran dom ). The m ethod of distribution m ight influ-

ence survey length a nd design.

Other data tha t will strengthen your program :

School popu la t ion with a b reakdown by g rade

The locat ion of a l l the students hom es in a

da tabase and /o r on a ma p

The num ber of non-English speaking students

a nd the first lan gua ges spoken b y these stu-

dents

The num ber of fam ilies in you r schoo l

The num ber of out-of-area fam ilies (greater

tha n two miles)

The num ber of studen ts who a t tend befo re

and after-school care/programs

Students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch programs

Demograph ics: race, e thn icity,

family make-up

COMMUNICATE W ITH YOUR COMMUNITYAfter th e Sa fe Routes Tea m h a s collected a n d

a na lyzed the ba seline tra vel da ta , present it to

the wider school comm un ity. Publish it in the

school newsletter, and/or develop your own

newsletter or flyer. Speak to the PTA, neighbor-

hood groups, an d th e city coun cil. Invite the

community to a special SR2S forum to present

th e da ta , discuss issues revea led in th e survey,

and explain the SR2S program. After people

un dersta nd the n eed for the progra m , you canschedu le com m un ity-wide m eetings. Crea te a

warm, welcoming feel, offer refreshments and

provide childcare, if possible, to increase a tten -

da n ce. Post notices, a dvertise in you r sch ool

newsletter, an d e-m a il or call everyone wh o ha s

expressed interest. A personal contact will make

people m ore likely to atten d.

As a word of cau tion, avoid setting u p a n a dver-

sarial process. Certain individuals may resist

aspects of the program that require a change in

their beha vior. While these people ca n cha llengethe p rogra m , they can a lso contribute to its suc-

cess. Do not identify these people as a group or

faction. Try to fa cilita te a positive process where

a ll concerns a re hea rd. Criticism a nd dissentin g

opinions often lead to th e developmen t of a n

imp roved program . If you a pproa ch a ll individu-

a ls with respect a nd considera tion, everyone ca n

be a strong ally.

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P r o m o t i o n

The project team also is responsible for promot-

ing the SR2S program a nd m a king its goa ls

known to th e wider com m un ity. Outline th e vari-

ety of problems that the SR2S program addresses

a nd request inpu t a nd feedback from th ose a ffect-

ed by the progra m so your a ctivities ca n be m odi-

fied, as necessary.

EVENTS

Specia l events promote a nd stim ula te walkinga nd biking. Events such a s Wa lk an d Bike to

School Day give people the op portun ity an d

m otiva tion to try som ething n ew for a da y, in th e

company of others. Once children and parents

discover the joys of walking and biking through

such events, they are m ore motivated to continue

on their own.

WALK AND BIKE TO SCHOOL DAYSIn 1997, Nationa l Wa lk Our Children to School

Day bega n with a walk in Ch ica go spon sored by

Partnership for a Walkable America. By 1999,

300,000 children from 170 cities across th e United

States were participating. On October 4, 2000, the

event officially went global with Interna tiona l

Walk to School Day, which included nine coun-

tries a nd m ore tha n 2.5 million pa rticipa nts. By

2001, the n um ber of pa rticipa ting coun tries ha d

doubled.

A Walk and Bike to School Day event can be ben-

eficial for a number of reasons:

To encourage physical fi tness through ahealthy and active lifestyle

To sha re the joys of walking an d b ik ing

To reduce t raf fic congest ion a nd speed near

schools

To teach ch i ldren safe walk ing a nd b icycl ing

behavior

To teach ch ildren independence an d self-con-

fidence

To reduce a ir and water pollu t ion

To r ecla im ne ighborhood st reet s

A Walk and Bike to School Day can be simple or

elabora te, depen ding on th e needs of your com -

m un ity. Design a n event tha t your team can

ha ndle a nd th a t suits your comm un ity. Be sure to

give your team sufficient tim e to pla n your event.

It usua lly ta kes 4 to 6 weeks to organ ize th e first

Wa lk an d Bike to School Day, but som e comm u-

nities ha ve created events in just a couple of

weeks.

Here a re som e tips for orga nizing a Wa lk an d

Bike to School Day:

Hold a mee ting to organ ize vo lun teers.

For your first event, try to work within a n

existing organization like the PTA or a neigh-

borhood association th at h as the comm un ity

contacts to recruit volunteers.

Involve as ma ny people as possible to build

excitement that will spread to others; involve

school staff to help promote the event inter-

nally.

Invite local sen ior groups, b ik ing a nd h ik ing

clubs an d other com m un ity groups to join in .

Get celebrities and loca l officials to come walk

with the kids.

Ask for a sheriff or police escort to be present

a t the event.

Plann ing th e Event

At your first meeting, determine the goals for the

event. Is the focus on fitness, or is this a wa y to

bring a ttention to a needed im provement such a s

a crosswalk? Wha tever your goa ls, discuss th em



a nd write them down. This will help you in

designing your promotiona l packages.

Decide th e scope a n d structure of th e event. You

can invite parents and children to walk on their

own a nd create a welcom e table at th e school.

You a lso can create staging a reas where pa rents

can drop off their children to walk or bike with a

group. A nea rby shop ping center or church m ight

a llow you to u se its parking lot or there ma y be a

pa rk near th e school where children can gath er.Encoura ge n eighb orhoods to organ ize th eir own

Walkin g Schoo l Bus o r Bike Tra in (see escort

prog ra m s in t h e Sa fe Streets Toolkit).

Make a list of a ll ta sks an d a ssign them to m em -

bers of the team. If the attendance is low, then

recruit other people who m ight be a ble to help,

a nd a ssign ta sks to them . At the end of the meet-

ing review the tasks and responsibilities one more

time.

Childrens SafetyEn suring th e childrens safety is essen tial for a n y

event. Adequa te an d competen t supervision is

critical. Recruit adults to meet children at pre-

determined locations or staging areas and walk

or bike with th em to sch ool. If wa lkin g, try to

ha ve at lea st one a dult for every 12 children (or

m ore if the children a re in kinderga rten through

second grade); if biking, include more adults,

a pproxim a tely one a dult for every seven chil-

dren. Ask parents to walk with their own chil-

dren , especia lly if theyre youn g.

When traveling on busy streets, it can be h elpful

to ha ve extra supervision. Som e com m un ities

ha ve adults sta tioned at strategic places a long

routes to sch ool. Often schools provide crossing

guards at busy intersections near schools. Local

law en forcem ent is usua lly willing to pa rticipa te

and may provide one or more officers for the

event. Som e police depa rtmen ts even ha ve bicy-

cle pa trols tha t can bike alongside the children.

If you are organizing Bike Trains, make sure that

children are properly equipped and sufficiently

tra ined for safe cycling. Every child m ust wea r a

properly fitted bike h elmet. Con du ct traffic sa fety

train ing before the event to ensure tha t children

un dersta nd the rights a nd respon sibilities of

cyclists. Lim it pa rticipa tion to th ose ch ildren wh o

a re old enou gh to n egotia te traffic on a bike

un less they are a ccom pa nied by their pa rent.

Use the opportunity of a Walk and Bike to SchoolDay to en coura ge people to get to know their

community and identify safety concerns. The Safe

Rou tes Ch ecklist (see Resou rces) is used to a ssist

in m ap ping the com m un ity to evalua te routes.

Pass out th e checklist no later tha n th e day

before and ask the children to use the list with

their pa rents as they wa lk. Pa ssing out th e check-

list earlier will give families an opportunity to

walk the route in a dvan ce of Wa lk an d Bike to

School Da y. Have the children dra w ma ps an d

display th em a roun d the school. Publish th e

results of the checklists in th e nex t sch ool

newsletter and use the information as part of

your Ta sk Force ma pp ing p rocess. Use this a s an

opportun ity to recruit m ore volun teers.

Crea te a Celebration

Crea ting a celebra tory atm osphere is an excellent

way to increa se energy an d m a ke the event fun for

everyone. Decora te the routes to school with ba n-

ners or signs. Greeting children with ba nn ers, ba l-

loons, flags, or even the school band, creates a fes-

tive occasion. Free treats and other refreshments

offer an incentive for children to participate.

In m a ny instances, the m aterials needed to

organ ize a celebra tion can be a cquired for free or

a t low cost. Studen ts ca n m a ke signs, ba nn ers,

and flags. Law enforcement agencies, city trans-

portation depa rtments, a nd h ealth orga niza tions

often h a ve trinkets to give a wa y. Local grocery

stores usually have a budget to donate healthy

P r o m o t i o n



P r o m o t i o n

treats but b e sure to give them a few weeks

notice.

Advertising is importa nt to set the ton e a nd

recruit p a rticipa n ts for th e event. A festive pro-

m otiona l tool, such a s a ba nn er at the school,

will constan tly remin d students tha t a celebra tion

is com ing . (See th e Sa fety Art lesson in Cla ssroom

Activities.) Ba ckpa ck ma il, school n ewsletters, dis-

tributin g flyers a t sch ool drop-off points, an d

n ews media press releases are a ll effective wa ys toadvertise your event. If your school has a com-

m un ica tions system, such a s an e-m a il list or

cla ssroom ph one trees, ma ke use of tha t to pro-

m ote your event. Ask the principal to m a ke

a nn ouncements over the loudspeaker in the da ys

lea ding up to the event, an d ha ve teachers

rem ind th eir studen ts. (See th e Resources section

for a Walk a n d Bike to School Da y Checklist.)

Cla ssroom-based a ctivities a re a noth er way to

prom ote the event while providing educa tiona l

value. Find teachers who are willing to holdcla ssroom a ctivities prior to th e event. Volun teers

also can go to classrooms to conduct safety

a nd/ or art lessons. An ex citing a ssem bly tha t

includes bicycle-riding dem on stration s will

delight the children.

Ideas from OtherCommunities Make it Fun!

The b obcat is the m a scot for Bonita Elemen tary

School in Bonita Springs, Florida. For

Interna tiona l Wa lk to School Da y, the comm un i-ty of Bonita Springs pa inted a two-m ile pa th of

blue pa w prints lea ding to the front entra nce to

the school. Children from Qu een Ma ry

Elemen ta ry School in th e Can a dian province of

British Columbia drew the longest hopscotch in

th e world a n d followed it to sch ool. Whole Foods

staff h elped ou t Wh ittier Elemen ta ry School in

Boulder, Colorado, by dressing up in fruit and

vegeta ble costum es on Intern a tiona l Wa lk to

Scho ol Da y.

Use the Da y to Prom oteTraffic Safety

At Bryn Mawr Elemen tary in Renton,

Washington, Walk Smart became the theme

and rallying cry of the day. Weatherproof signs

with th e m essa ge Wa lk Sm a rt, Drive Slower, Ou r

Children Want to Grow were fashioned on T-shirts, flags, and umbrellas, as well as used to

line the route to school. In Capita l Heights,

Maryland, more than 100 children walked

together singing safety songs.

Bring People Together

In Broward Cou n ty, Florida, Wa lk to School Da y

was combined with Broward Navy Days. Sailors,

dressed in Navy whites, walked with students to

school. Physical education students at Virginia

Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, p lan ned a nd pa rtic-

ipa ted in Walk to School Day a t three a rea ele-

mentary schools. In Clarkston, Georgia, children

from a refugee resettlem ent com m un ity used the

opportunity to create a cross-cultural experience.

Wa ving h a ndm a de pedestria n sa fety signs writ-

ten in several lan gua ges, they all joined ha nds to

walk together.

Other Innovations

Hold a class-by-cla ss com petition Reward

the class tha t ha s the greatest percenta ge of

students wa lking a nd biking with a breakfast,

a n extra recess, or a pizza or ice cream pa rty

using food donated by local businesses.

Hold a Best Ways to Get Your Pa rents to

Walk/ Bike to Scho ol With You cont estHave

students come u p with one-senten ce ideas for

getting p a rents to wa lk with kids. Get a p a nel

of loca l celebrities or ra dio, TV, or n ews



jou rn a lists to ju dge th e con test . Rewa rd both

creativity an d feasibility. Publish a list of

winners.

Have studen ts d raw a m emory map ( cogn i tive

m a p) of their walk to school. Ask them to

keep a diary of their walking trips. Invite

them to write or dra w wha t they sa w, wha t

was beautiful, wha t would ma ke the walk

sa fer, an d wha t chan ges would m a ke them

m ore likely to wa lk aga in soon.

Hold a t reasu re hun t by ask ing studen ts to

identify certain la ndm a rks on th eir way to

school. These can be fun item s such a s houses

with ga rden ga tes, certain trees, an d com m on

flowers. You shou ld a lso includ e street signs,

importan t buildings, an d other la ndm arks

tha t a re im portan t for children to know. Have

them m a p out where they found ea ch item.

Give out p rizes for th ose who com plete th eir

m a ps. (See Classroom Activities.)

Have students decorate their sneakers. Give

out prizes for the most original. Ask them to

wear their decorated shoes to school during

the walk.

Create themes. For ins tan ce, in Februa ry, use

the them e of a hea lthy hea rt to prom ote

ph ysical fitness. Invite the school n urse or

other h ealth professiona ls to give ta lks on th e

imp ortan ce of good hea lth. Invite the loca l

hospital or the h ea rt associa tion to give out

inform a tion. Hold a h ealth fair at th e school.

Variations

Hold a Walk an d Bike Home From School

event. Assem ble the students an d h a ve every-

one walk home together in a pa rade.

Organ ize a walk to a comm uni ty even t. The

Vista Community Clinic in Vista, California,

organ ized a walk to the comm un itys an nu al

Cinco de Ma yo celebration. Orga nizers ha d

special booths a t th e festiva l a longwith a bike

rodeo.

Organ ize a specia l na tu re walk home from

school. Invite a loca l na tura list to take the

children on a walk hom e through a na tural

a rea like a pa rk or by a creek. Teach the ch il-

dren to identify plan ts a nd trees in their

neighborhood.

Footsteps in the Neighborhood is the brain-

child of the Way to Go progra m in British

Colum bia. Provide each pa rticipa ting class

with a piece of colored cha lk, footstep stencil,

a nd spra y pain t or cha lk. Invite each person

in th e class to m a rk out his/her route to

school u sing the m a teria ls supplied. Ma ke

sure you get permission from your local gov-

ernm ent if you are going to use an y m arking

tha t will be perm an ent.

Declare a Car Free day. Each fam ily in thesch ool is cha llenged to give up t h eir ca rs for

one p a rticular da y. Have the studen ts keep a

diary of how their fa m ily traveled th a t da y.

Produce a cha rt to calculate h ow ma ny

pounds of pollution were avoided.

Hold a wa lk ing fest ival . Set up booths that

promote traffic safety, walking for health,

walking for the environm ent, a nd walking for

the good of the comm un ity. Invite other

organ iza tions to set up informa tion booths.

Have a bicycle rodeo (see Cla ssroom Lessons).

Create obsta cle courses, safety courses, an d

other ways to teach children bicycle safety

skills.

C O N T E S T SChallenge students to change their behavior

through contests an d competitions. Contests an d

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P r o m o t i o n

competitions are fun and children are motivated

to win p rizes. Con tests a re effective in en coura g-

ing the students to act beyond th eir norm a l expe-

rience an d try out n ew ideas a n d a ctivities. Yet,

be cau tious not to overdo a good thin g. For

exa m ple, a yearlong contest might cau se chil-

dren to lose enth usiasm. Keep cha nging th e

them es to keep studen ts interested. Not a ll con-

tests reward participants with prizes. Sometimes

the students reward is seeing their work pub-

lished or used for a comm un ity education ca m -

paign .

Frequen t Rider Miles

Th e Frequen t Rider Miles con test wa s origin a lly

conceived by GO GERONIMO, an a lterna tive

transportation progra m in the Sa n Geronimo

Va lley in Marin Coun ty, California , an d a da pted

by the Ma rin SR2S program of the Marin County

Bicycle Coalition (See Resources). Children are

issued ta lly cards to win p oints for wa lkin g, bik-

ing, carpooling a nd busing. Every tim e they wa lk

or bike to school th ey earn two poin ts. Every time

they carpool or ta ke the bus they earn on e point.

When they earn twenty points students turn in

their ca rd for a sma ll prize an d get an other ca rd.

At the end of the contest, hold a raffle drawing of

all the completed tally cards for major prizes.

Contact local businesses and ask them to donate

prizes.

In Marin, Specialized Bicycles, Schwinn, Diggler,

a nd Bell Helm ets ha ve dona ted prizes including

h elm ets, gloves, ha ts, T-sh irts a n d a n ew bike for

each of the nine pilot schools. This contest had

tremendous success in getting students to walk

a nd bike on a regular ba sis.

Green ing of th e Trees

In th e Wa y to Go con test (British Colum bia ),

each child comes to school and colors a leaf. The

color of the lea f is determin ed by th e child's tra v-

el mode. Walking a nd biking students color

leaves green. Those who a rrive by bus a nd car-

pool get a different sh a de of green leaf. If a child

traveled by ca r pa rt of the wa y, but wa lked a t

least a block, the leaf is half yellow or brown and

ha lf green. Studen ts who a rrive by ca r (but n ot in

a carpool) get a b rown leaf. The lea ves a re then

m ounted on a tree, and th e more the children

walk or bike to school, the greener the tree

becomes. Give a prize to the class with the

greenest tree.

Walk a nd Bike Across America

Anoth er Wa y to Go In itiative, this contest

allows students to get a broader perspective on

the freedom provided by walking a nd biking.

Studen ts keep tra ck of the distan ce tha t th ey walk

a nd bike to school by ca lcula ting h ow fa r they

live from school an d m ultiplying th a t by the

nu m ber of one-wa y biking a nd walking trips. If

children a re dropped off a t sta ging area s near

school th ey ca lcula te the d istan ce they travel

from th ere. Similar counts are m a de from h om e

to the bu s stop.

Ea ch week a t a designa ted tim e, the studen ts add

up the distan ce tha t the whole cla ss traveled dur-

ing tha t week a nd plot it on a m ap . Then they

travel to a destina tion chosen by th e cla ss with-

in th ose m iles. Studen ts become a ware tha t they

can travel great distances on foot or by bike. As

your cla ss continues to a ccum ula te m iles, the

cla ss can research n ew destina tions aroun d the

country. At the en d of a designa ted time, the

cla ss tha t h a s tra veled the farth est gets a special

rewa rd, such a s a video or pizza p a rty.

In a variation on this contest, you can include

carpools and bus passengers by adding bonus

m iles for every child wh o uses those m odes. Note

that students using motorized transportation can



travel fa rther tha n th ose going on their own

power. To include the actual miles would defeat

the purpose of the exercise. Add one mile to the

cla ss tota l for every ch ild who ca rpools or rides

the bus to school.

Art Con tests

Art contests give children the opportunity to

develop safety slogan s an d a rt while learn ing

about better safety practices. Their artwork canthen be used as signs or ban ners as pa rt of a

comm un ity-wide sa fety ca m pa ign. Studen ts in

Hertfordshire, En glan d (United Kingdom ), sa w

their own a rtwork tran sform ed into gateway

signs to a lert drivers entering roads a round

schools.

Essay Contests

Essa y a n d creative writin g contests give stud en ts

an opportunity to address how transportation

affects their community and the environment.

Middle school students at the Lagunitas School in

Marin County, Ca lifornia , m et with school

instructors to develop a n essay tha t looked a t two

different scena rios. Wh a t would th e world be like

in 20 years if everyone drove as m uch a s

America ns? They were then a sked to contem plate

a world where everyone rode bikes, wa lked, or

used transit. The outcome Nightmares and

Sweet Dream s was a thou ght-provoking essay

on the choices the students fa ce in their futu re.

The essay was pu blished in a nu m ber of different

newsletters.

Other Con test Idea s

Organ ize a Treasure Hunt by creatin g a

list of objects, sa fety sign s, an d special la n d-

marks and ask the children to locate them on

their walk to school. Those who find all the

item s get a prize. (See Walk a n d Bike to

School da y a n d Cla ssroom Activities.)

Hawthorne Schoo l in Br i t i sh Co lumbia

created a cla ssroom ga m e boa rd. Every time

the majority of the class walked or biked to

school, they stam ped a squa re on th e board.

When the whole board was completed, the

class qua lified for a cla ss prize.

A Walk-a-Thon is a way to prom ote walking

and raise funds at the same time. Children

solicit p ledges for every m ile they wa lk (or

bike) to an d from school. At the end of theperiod, the studen t who ra ises the m ost

m oney wins a prize.

P R O M O TE YO U R P RO G R A MRepetition is the key to th e contin ued success of

your SR2S progra m . A SR2S progra m shou ld be

prom oted by m a xim izing its visibility through

repeated ou treach to its potentia l customers.

The rule of thu m b in m a rketing is tha t people

need to hea r and read a bout an event at least

three times before they pa y atten tion. Persona l

contact increases the likelihood of participation.

The m ore tim es tha t children a nd pa rents hear

about the program, the better the chances of par-

ticipation. Specifically having teachers and

respected a dults a nd studen ts prom oting the

events ca n grea tly increase visibility.

Flyers and Banners

Post flyers a round the school a nn oun cing tea m

m eetings, events, an d contests. Expa nd beyond

the school an d post them a t loca l businesses.Make your flyers attractive by using eye-catching

gra ph ics (see sam ples in Resources section ). Find

a volun teer who h a s experience in gra ph ic design

to h elp you design your flyers. Be sure to in clude

a ll the im porta nt inform ationwho, what,

where, when , an d why, but don t load u p your

P r o m o t i o n



P r o m o t i o n

flyer with too much text because pictures often

tell the story better. Ma ke sure your flyers a re

easy to rea d a nd th at th e m ost importan t infor-

m a tion is big an d bold. You a lso can m a ke la rge

banners that can be placed in strategic places at

the school an d in th e comm un ity.

Backpack Mail

Most schools ha ve a da y every week when they

send hom e notices with th e studen ts (backpa ckmail). This is an excellent and low-cost opportu-

nity to comm un ica te with pa rents on a regular

ba sis. Sen d h om e your flyers a s well as m ore

detailed informa tion on th e program . This is one

way you ca n do your pa rent surveys. Provide pa r-

ents with fact sheets on the significance of health

a nd safety for the children, for the com m un ity

a nd for the na tura l environm ent (See Resources).

Every piece of in form a tion sen t ou t keeps your

program visible.

School NewslettersMost schools ha ve newsletters tha t a re sent hom e

periodically. Find out if you can include a regular

column in the newsletter and get the deadlines

for th e subm ission of articles. Use th e school

newsletter as an opportunity to talk about the

Safe Routes to School program and initiate dis-

cussion. Be sure to an nou nce a ll events an d con-

tests in at least two separate issues of the school

n ewsletter. Let pa rents kn ow when cla ssroom

a ctivities a re sch eduled, especially if th e children

need to bring th eir bicycles or other equipm ent.

Media Alerts

The media love stories about children. Send out

regular press releases to an nou nce your events

a n d con tests. Publicize the results of your surveys.

Stage a ph oto opportun ity with studen ts wa lking

a nd biking but be sure to get m odel relea ses for

the children u sed in the ph oto beca use they ca n-

not be ph otograph ed a t schools without p arenta l

perm ission . Follow up every press release with a

ph one call. Media ou tlets receive nu m erous press

releases so a ph one ca ll will get their atten tion.

Form a rela tionship with th e editor or a writer

a nd be sure to ca ll them every time you h a ve a

newsworthy story. Dont forget to thank the

reporter or editor if your event was mentioned in

print. The editorial pa ge is a lso a n excellent

opportunity to get more publicity for your pro-

gram . Ha ve team m em bers write letters to the

editor or longer opin ion p ieces.

E-mail

E-m a il is an excellent tool for com m un ica ting

with busy people. At a ll meetings a nd events, col-

lect e-m a il addresses an d develop a compreh en-

sive e-m a il list to keep your su pp orters inform ed.

Include elected officials an d school a n d city sta ff

people on your list. Keep your e-mail messages

short an d to the p oint. Ann oun ce events, cla ss-

room a ctivities, m eeting rem inders, an d other

up da tes. Man y schools ha ve created th eir own e-

m a il lists. You ca n often m a ke use of th ese to

a nn oun ce your events, cla ssroom a ctivities a nd

contests. These lists are also useful for recruiting

volunteers.

You can a lso start your own e-m a il list-serve

within your school or with other team s in your

comm un ity. List-serves are m a de a vailable by pri-

vate servers to allow mu ltiple pa rties to ha ve

a ccess to each other withou t ha ving to en ter indi-

vidual addresses. These are usually free and

a llow for two-way comm un ica tion within the

group. This allows you to keep people informed

a bout your a ctivities a nd build support for the

program . It is a good wa y to comm un ica te with

volun teers who don t a ttend m eetings. You m a y

want to suppress the address list to protect par-

ents privacy.



Web Sites

Ma n y sch ools n ow ho st their own web sites. Ask

if you m a y ha ve a pa ge on th e schools web site.

Cities also ha ve web sites an d you ca n a sk for a

pa ge on th a t site. You ca n a lso set up your own

web site to keep peop le ab rea st of your a ctivities

a nd then link it to the city an d school sites.

Pho ne Trees

Many schools set up phone trees for each class.

You ca n a ctiva te th ese ph on e trees for your Walk

a n d Bike to School Da ys an d for classroom a ctivi-

ties. Some schools even have sophisticated phone

system s tha t can call all school pa rents with

a utoma ted an noun cem ents. You can a lso set up

your own ph one trees within your group. Phon e

calls a re the best wa y to get people to a ttend

m eetings a nd events. It is especia lly imp ortan t to

call everyone on your team before a m eeting. Do

not a ssum e tha t they ha ve it on their calenda r or

tha t they sa w an e-m a il upda te. Going the extram ile with a ph one ca ll will give you m uch h igher

a ttenda nce at m eetings a nd events.

Direct Mail

Send out a m a iling to every parent a t the school

or a comm un ity-wide ma iling to an noun ce

events or workshops. While direct mail can be

expen sive, your city or school m a y ha ve the

budget to include you in a m a iling. Direct m a il

assures that everyone sees your announcement or

survey. Mill Va lley, Ca liforn ia, sent ou t its pa rentsurveys by ma il an d got a 50 percent response

rate.

School Announcements

Request tha t the principa l ma ke ann ouncements

over the lou dspea ker for events a n d contests. For

Walk a n d Bike To School Da ys, th e studen ts

should be remin ded repeatedly to participa te. Put

an an nouncem ent up on the reader board . Have

the tea chers a nn oun ce it in th e classrooms dur-

ing homeroom.

Classroom Activities

Cla ssroom a ctivities help to ra ise a waren ess an d

get studen ts excited abou t the program . Com bine

classroom activities with your events so that they

ha ppen in the sam e week or in the week leading

up to your event. This helps to build enth usiasmfor the even t. (See Cla ssroom Activities.)

K E E P T H E E N E R G Y A L I V EWith contests and events, children will partici-

pa te in SR2S program s in m uch grea ter num bers.

However, they will return to their old habits with-

out contin ued reinforcem ent. Use a ll of the a bove

techn iques to keep th e energy alive. Continu e to

remind pa rents an d children a bout the impor-

ta nce of reducing tra ffic a nd th e hea lth a nd en vi-

ronm enta l benefits of walking a nd biking. Workwith you r SR2S Ta sk Force to im prove th e con di-

tions of th e streets to provide sa fer a ccess.

Make sure you tha nk your volun teers often. Let

them know they are a pprecia ted. Give your tea m

an opportunity to bond with each other.

Em power them by giving th em respon sibility an d

decision m a king p owers. Volun teers need to feel

they ha ve ownership of the program an d tha t

their ideas a re valued. Treat ea ch oth er with

respect even when you disagree.

Have fun with your program . Wa lking a nd bik-

ing a re thorough ly enjoya ble a ctivities. Make

tha t evident with everything you do. People are

a ttra cted to th ose with positive a ttitudes. You will

get more volun teers, m ore media a ttention, a nd

more cooperation from your city and school offi-

cia ls when you a re positive an d upb eat.

Remember, youre not only an organizer youre a

cheerleader.

P r o m o t i o n


23/88

24

P r o m o t i o n

THE KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL EVENT

Involve the people who can create cha nge.

Contact your mayor, city council representatives, school district superintendent and board,

police ch ief a n d city traffic engineer to join you.

Thin k biginvite the governor, federal a nd state legisla tors, a nd state depa rtmen t of

tran sporta tion officials to participa te. Let them kn ow tha t the m edia h a s been invited.

Urge them to ta ke pa rt in th e event with their own children or oth ers.

Make it a community program.

Enlist the help of parents, teachers, local business people, neighborhood associations, and

other community organizations when coordinating your event.

Contact parent/teacher organizations, local emergency medical services, and city police, fire,

an d public hea lth depa rtments.

Ask loca l businesses to don a te prizes for pa rticipa n ts.

Ask a loca l business nea r your school to let you u se its pa rking lot a s a staging a rea.

Publicize an d prom ote the even t.

Use e-m a il, ba ckpa ck ma il, ph one ca lls, a nd flyers to get the word out.

Send a press release to the m edia.

Follow-up with phone calls to local media outlets. Let them know:

W h a t st a te or com m u n i ty lea d ers will t a ke pa r t in t h e even t.

Th e n u m ber of ch ild ren a n d p a ren t s wh o a re ex pect ed to wa lk.

Wh a t oth er com m u n ity grou ps a re in volved.

Best loca t ion s a n d ex a ct tim e s to join th e wa lk.

Call the media again the day before the event.

Send flyers hom e to pa rents well in a dvan ce of the event.

Be sure the Walk and Bike to School Day is announced daily at school the week before so that

students will be ready and excited.

Have students dra w posters advertising th e event.

Ta ke pictures an d subm it them with a press release to local pa pers im m ediately

following the event.



Sa fe Stre e ts To o l Kit 2 6

Create a Sa fe Routes

to Sc h o o ls Im p ro ve m e n t P la n 2 8

The Too lbox o f

En g in ee rin g Tec h n iqu e s 3 0

Crea te a Sp a c e fo r Eve ryo n e 3 4

Wh a t Yo u Ca n Do No w 3 6

How t o Fu n d a

Sa fe Ro u te s to Sc h o o l Pro g ra m 3 8

Pu t It All To g eth er 4 0

Genera l ized Assessm ent o f

Tra ff ic Ca lm in g Mea su re s 4 2

S a fe S t r e e t s


25/88


Safe Routes to School26

SAFE STREETS TOOLKITIn order to encourage m ore children to walk an d

bike, pa rents need to trust tha t its both sa fe a nd

conven ient from a variety of perspectives. Tra ffic

on n eighb orhood roads a nd streets is a la rge

imp edimen t to most children wa lking or biking

to school.

To create a safe route for every ch ild, there shou ld

be a m ple room to walk an d bike, preferably sep-a ra ted from tra ffic. Every m a jor road crossing

needs a safe an d visible crosswalk a nd som etimes

tra ffic controls an d crossing gua rds. You can

a ddress th ese issues by creat ing a Sa fe Routes to

School (SR2S) Improvement Plan using the three Es:

Ed u c a t io n p r o g r a m s teach motorists, pedestri-

ans and bicyclists about their responsibilities and

about traffic rules, while promoting activities that

encoura ge walking a nd biking. Teach bicycle an d

pedestrian safety to students as part of their class-

room curriculum . Develop a safety ca m pa igntha t prom otes safe driving through the u se of

ba nn ers, posters, promotions, an d direct app eals

to the community.

En f o r c e m e n t en lists the h elp of loca l police

departments to focus enforcement efforts in prob-

lem a rea s an d increase comm un ity awa reness of

sch ool safety issues. Beefing up en forcemen t

around schools helps keep drivers on their best

beha vior. A consistent bu t ra ndom presence of

law enforcement will encourage motorists to drive

with care.Engineer ing too ls include a va riety of street

design techniques that can reduce traffic vol-

umes, decrease speed, and improve safety. Some

engineering solutions, moreover, dont require

large expenditures, such as posting signs, re-tim-

ing lights, or re-painting crosswalks and bike

lanes. Long-term engineering solutions will

require a fun ding plan , which shou ld be included

in th e SR2S Improvemen t pla n developed by your

SR2S Ta sk Force.

A Matter of Life and Death:20 m ph versus 40 m ph

A little slower speed can m ea n a world of differ-

en ce for pedestrian s an d bicyclists. Pedestria n s hit

by a car traveling 40 mph ha ve a m ere 15 per-

cent cha nce of survival. At 30 m ph , those odds

increase to 45 percent. By contrast, a pedestrianha s a 85 percent cha nce of survival if hit by a car

m oving at 20 mph.5

A cost-effective wa y to red uce sp eeds is tra ffic

calm ing, which focuses on design cha nges to

streets and intersections. These changes include

raised crosswalks and intersections, new medians,

traffic circles, speed humps, and curb extensions

tha t can slow traffic to a ccepta ble speeds an d bet-

ter balance the needs of vehicle flow and traffic

safety.

Som etim es streets need to be redesigned to

im prove sa fety, a ccess, a n d m obility for pedestri-

a n s a n d bicyclists. With wider sidewalks (result-

ing in n a rrower streets), m ore visible pedestria n

crossin gs, an d slower traffic speeds, pa rents ca n

feel more comfortable allowing their children to

walk and bike on their own. When children have

m ore indep enden ce, pa rents are freed from

cha uffeur duty an d a dults ventu re out more often

on foot or bike.

Clearly m a rked bike lan es or sepa rated bicycle

a nd pedestr ian pa thways an d trails are some of

the most effective ways to encourage people to

walk a nd bike. Once comp leted, they tend to fill

quickly. Multi-use paths also are popular with

nea rby residents an d, a ccording to a Ra ils to

Trails Conservancy study, have even helped

increa se property values a nd lowered crime

rates.6 Adequa te bicycle pa rking facilities with

5. UK Department of Transportation, "Killing Speed and Saving Lives."

6. Tunnels on Trails, April 2001.


26/88


Safe Routes to School

a ssured security on school groun ds ca n a lso dra -

m a tica lly increase the n um ber of children biking

to school who m a y otherwise be concerned a bout

theft.

The Success of the Three Es

Th ere a re nu m erous success stories where sch ool

districts, towns, cities, sta tes, an d even coun tries

have developed comprehensive programs that

created safer streets around schools and increasedthe n um ber of children a nd a dults who walk or

bike. Th e first pilot progra m wa s sta rted in

Denmark in 1976, when 45 schools identified

specific road d a n gers to be ad dressed. Th ey pro-

ceeded to crea te a n etwork of traffic-free pedestri-

a n a nd bicycle pa ths, esta blished slow speed

a reas for certain roa ds, a nd com plemen ted these

with road na rrowing a nd traffic isla nds. These

improvem ents ha ve now been im plem ented in 65

loca lities an d crashes ha ve fa llen by 85 percent. 7

Th e Sustra n s SR2S progra m wa s introdu ced in

En glan d (United Kingdom ) in 1995. Bicycle la n es,

traffic calming, and raised pedestrian crossings

ha ve cut traffic speeds considera bly m a king con-

ditions much safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Lower speed zones in England (20 mph) reduced

child pedestrian casua lties by 70 percent a ndchild bicycling ca sua lties by 28 percent. 8

Aggressive traffic calming programs have been

imp lemen ted in such cities as Pa lo Alto an d

Sa nta Monica , California ; Portla nd , Oregon;

Sea ttle, Wash ing ton ; an d New York City. Both

Berkeley a nd Palo Alto h a ve m a de significa nt

progress providing en gineering solutions to m a ke

PROFILE: Community Decision Making

In Februa ry 2000, the City Coun cil of Mill Va lley, Californ ia , form ed a Tra n sporta tion Com m ittee

to address the increasing congestion on the streets of this small town nestled at the foot of Mount

Tamalpais, just north of San Francisco. The committee included representatives from the city,

police, local businesses, schools, senior citizens, and other community members, along with staff

support.

The Transportation Committee mailed out surveys to the parents of every school in the district,

which ga rnered a 50 percent rate of return du e to th e concern of parents for the safety of their chil-

dren. They discovered that 60 to 70 percent of all students were driven to school. The committee

also found that 26 percent of morning traffic could be attributed to school-related traffic. In addi-

tion, th e City of Mill Va lley h ired a con sulting firm to a n a lyze th e street con ditions a n d tra ffic vol-

umes.

In Fa ll 2000, the City sponsored an open h ouse on tran sporta tion a ttended by a bout 250 residents.

The comm ittee presented its findings an d gath ered m ore com m un ity inpu t. In Jan ua ry 2001, the

com m ittee issued its recom m enda tions, including edu cation, enforcem ent, a nd engineering

imp rovem ents. There was a special em ph a sis on pedestria n a nd b icycle needs a round schools, a nd

a new loca l tran sit system . Som e of the recom m ended im provemen ts were in place by Fa ll 2001,

while others are pen ding.

7. A Safer Journey to School, Transport 2000, England

8. Sustrans Routes for People 3-Year Review


27/88



streets m ore bicycle an d ped estria n friendly. Th e

City of Sea ttle reported a 77 percent redu ction in

traffic crashes after it implemented a citywide

traffic-calm ing program tha t included 700 n ew

residential traffic circles.9

CREATE A SAFE ROUTES TOSC H O O L I M P RO V EM EN T P LA NWhy won t pa rents allow their children to wa lk

or bike to school? In Marin County, California,

nin e pilot schools foun d tha t m ore tha n 50 per-

cent of stud ent s lived with in a m ile of sch ool yet

80 percent a rrived by ca r in Fa ll 2000. Fea r of

crime a nd stranger da nger worried m a ny pa r-

ents, but by fa r, the m ost comm on concerns were

traffic safety. Parents stated that the roads were

too congested, th e tra ffic moved too fa st, crossing

conditions were un safe, an d sidewa lks a nd p a th-

ways were inadequate.

A Sa fe Rou tes to Schoo l Ta sk Force ta ckles these

problems by m a ppin g the routes to school an d

plan ning for a safe an d a ttractive environm ent

for pedestria n s a n d bicyclists. Work with your

loca l departm ent of public works to ma ke infra-

structure im provem ents th a t will reduce conges-

tion around schools, slow vehicle speeds, and

provide opportunities for safe crossings, bicycle

fa cilities, a n d sidewa lks.

Mapping the Routes

Th e Ta sk Force begin s with a n inven tory of the

a rea s around the school, m ap ping out the pri-m a ry routes used by children with the Sa fe

Routes Checklist (see Resources) as a guide. Local

law enforcement can provide speed, traffic vol-

ume and crash statistics. Task Force members

walk the neighborhoods, identifying significant

problems, an d record their findings using ph otos

a nd m a ps. Som e schools districts, such a s the on e

in Palo Alto, Ca lifornia , take th e four-qua dran t

approach, which encompasses the entire neigh-

borhood surroundin g the schools. With a dense

network of neighborh ood streets, they wa nt to

ensure th a t a ll studen ts arrive sa fely.

In addition to the checklist, other key elements to

look for include:

Are the sur rounding streets equipped with

sidewa lks a n d bike lan es? Are the facilities

continuous a nd m a intained in good condi-

tion?

Are there t ra i ls an d pa thways tha t p rovide a

direct link between the school site a nd the

surroun ding n eighb orhoods? Is there a n old

railroad bed or overgrown footpa th th a t could

be converted to a public trail?

What a r e the t ra ffic volumes an d average

speeds on heavily used walking routes? Are

there opportunities for traffic calming to slow

or discourage through traffic?

Are crossing points strategically located an d

well marked, including designated crosswalks

at controlled intersections and mid-block

crossings? Do the children ha ve enough time

to get a cross the street?

Is there clear visibility for drivers to see pedes-

tr ia ns throughout th e area? Can they see

pedestrians under five feet tall?

Is the school building ea sily accessible topedestrians and cyclists? Are there parking

lots and drop-off points blocking their paths?

Are there conflicts between buses, ca rs, bicy-

cles and pedestrians on the school site? Are

there opportun ities to provide each m ode with

its own designa ted a rea for traveling?

Is there adequa te an d secure b icycle park ing?

9. Institute of Transportation Engineers


28/88


Safe Routes to School

When evalua ting a p otential safe route to school,

it is im portan t to remem ber the special needs of

children. Children a ged five to n ine a re not fully

developed a nd ca nn ot be expected to beha ve like

little adults. In fact, compared with adults, chil-

dren in th ese age groups ha ve one-third na rrower

side vision, a re less ab le to determ ine th e direc-

tion of sounds, an d ha ve a lim ited capa city to

a nticipa te or focus. In a ddition, sm a ll children

a re often n ot ea sily visible to drivers.10

The school district a nd/ or principa l a lso can pro-

vide supplemental information, such as:

Addresses of students p lot ted on a m ap

The most favorab le d rop o ff po in ts

The areas that cur rent ly present the largest

traffic problem during pick-up and drop-off

periods

Cu rren t p a rkin g

Nearby schools, st reets, or comm ercial areas

that contribute to the schools traffic problems

On ce a SR2S m a p h a s been com pleted, the find-

ings shou ld be presented to th e genera l public.

This ca n be don e thorough p ublica tions, in pu b-

lic meetings, or both. This outreach will usually

a ttract m ore volunteers for your program .

Be sure to separate your strategies into short-term, low-cost solutions, and long-term, high-cost

rem edies. Keep elected officials inform ed if th ey

a re n ot pa rt of your Ta sk Force.

Helpful Hints

Dont jum p straight to solutions. First, identify

th e problem s using da ta collected by the Ta sk

PROFILE: Comm unity Wa lks the Wa lk to Map School Routes

In April 2001, th e SR2S Ta sk Force of Fa irfa x, Ca liforn ia h eld a Cha rrette, or design worksh op, to

develop a SR2S Improvemen t Pla n. A town-wide ma iling h elped to prom ote the event. The high -

powered group of more tha n 40 residents included representa tives from the town coun cil, the pla n-

nin g comm ission, pa rks a nd recreation com m ission, th e volun teer board, the police a nd fire

depa rtmen ts, the pu blic works director, an d the cha m ber of comm erce as well as pa rents an d

neighbors of the p ublic a nd priva te elem enta ry schools.

Parents from the schools ha d wa lked, inventoried, an d ph otogra ph ed the towns routes to schoolsa nd presented th eir findings to the comm un ity at th e Cha rrette. Middle school studen ts described

their bicycle commute to the audience with vivid descriptions of the conflicts they experience nego-

tiating traffic. This was followed by a Toolbox presentation by transportation consultants show-

ing exa m ples of safe street techn iques developed in other comm un ities.

The group th en dispersed into work team s, com plete with m a ps, flip cha rts, a nd colored pens, to

devise their own ideas on how to m a ke Fa irfa x a better pla ce for walking a nd biking, concentrat-

ing on school routes. Each group developed creative solutions in a flurry of activity. A number of

innovations were discovered as a result of this effort, which will be refined and incorporated into

the towns capita l im provemen t plan .

10. Washington State Department of TransportationA guidebook for Student Pedestrian Safety


29/88



Force, then brain storm solutions in consulta -

tion with pu blic works sta ff mem bers an d

other en gineering consulta nts. Use the exp ert-

ise of sta ff to work with you in developing th e

right solution for your specific problem .

Work comprehensively. There are num erous

ways to ap proach the p roblem of better bicy-

cle and pedestrian access. But any long-term

solution m ust rely on edu cation, encoura ge-

ment, enforcement, and engineering.Com bining these comp lem enta ry approa ches

will lead to a m ore via ble solution.

Educa te the pub lic th rough pub lic hea l th a nd

safety campaigns.

Get the po lice to enha nce en fo rcemen t near

problem areas.

Th ink abou t improv ing sidewalks an d crea t -

ing separate paths for bicycles as well as on-

street bik

seguridad ruta a la escuela

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