Healthy Community Design
Updated December 2006
Safe Routes to School(SR2S) is a unique approach to encourage physical activity among both students and their parents. Originally created as a way to reduce the safety hazards of walking and biking to school, public health professionals who are interested in promoting physical activity among children have realized the potential these programs have for meeting both health and safety goals. Support for such programs has grown to include not only those working to improve health and traffic safety, but also educators, police officers, transportation and community planners, and smart growth and environmental health advocates.
Safe Routes to School programs are comprehensive interventions that incorporate four program areas:
- Encouragement – increasing awareness and gaining support for program goals;
- Education – teaching bicycle, pedestrian and driver safety;
- Enforcement – increasing adherence to traffic laws; and
- Engineering – making physical improvements to streets, highways and neighborhoods surrounding schools.
This approach directly affects efforts to increase walking and biking by making routes to school safer. It also may have long-term public health benefits if children and their parents sustain their interest in physical activity.
Safe Routes to School Resources
 At NCSL's 2006 Fall Forum, the NCSL Transportation Standing Committee heard a panel of speakers on Safe Routes to School policies and programs. To view their presentations, please see below.
Speakers
- Tim Arnade, Safe Routes to School Program Manager.
- Robin Stallings, Executive Director, Texas Bicycle Coalition, Safe Routes to School National Partnership Representative.
- Assembly Member Betty Karnette, California State Assembly (No presentation available)
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- The Federal Highway Administration has a website dedicated to the new, Federally funded Safe Routes to Scool program. The website contains information on the legislation that created the program, as well as contact information for state Safe Routes to School coordinators. In addition, valuable guidance on how states can implement their programs.
- The Strategic Highway Safety Plan is a comprehensive plan to reduce all kinds of highway fatalities and includes numerous details that are essential to understanding SR2S. Please note this document is also in Adobe format. To read portable document format (.pdf) files, you must install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- The Bikes Belong Coalition also has valuable information on how to start a SR2S program, including a special page especially for states trying to take advantage of the Federal money available for states to start a Safe Routes to School program.
- The Safe Routes to School program of Marin County in California was one of the first in the nation and their website has a multitude of resources related to all aspects of SR2S.
- The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center encourages children to walk and bike to school and has information on various SR2S programs.
- Obviously, physical design plays a large part in children being able to walk to school. Why Johnny Can't Walk to School highlights various ways to improve the walkability of infrastructure, as well as impediments to getting around by foot.
- A joint NCSL/National Highway Traffic Administration legislative database contains state legislation pertaining to SR2S, as well as other traffic safety issues.
- NHTSA also has a great report on SR2S that contains a good introduction to the issue, as well as an examination of possible solutions.
- For a good primer on SR2S and state legislative actions related to this subject, please click here for an article by NCSL's Leslie Robbins. Please note this document is in Adobe format. To read portable document format (.pdf) files, you must install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- NCSL's Healthy Community Design Legislative Database allows you to search for information on SR2S bills, as well as related topics.
- A report from Florida on Transportation Planning and School Siting that seeks to identify the best ways for the Florida DOT to implement their Safe Paths to School legislation.
- Lastly, see below for a selection of SR2S policies adopted before 2003.
Safe Routes to School Policies Adopted Prior to the 2003 Legislative Sessions
Cal. Education Code § 45452
Allows funds collected from traffic safety violations in a school zone to be expended on programs that enhance the safety of students traveling to and from school on foot or by bicycle.
Cal. Streets & Highways Code § 2333.5
Establishes the Safe Routes to School construction program, which shall use federal transportation funds tp provide grants for construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety and traffic calming projects.
Del. Code Ann. tit. 17, § 1021
Authorizes the department of transportation to administer a "Safe Routes to School" grant program, using federal transportation funds, for pedestrian and bicyclist safety programs based in schools and school districts.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 335.066
Establishes the Safe Paths to Schools Program in the department of transportation to consider the planning and construction of bicycle and pedestrian ways to provide safe transportation for children from neighborhoods to schools, parks, and the state's greenways and trails system.
Or. Rev. Stat. § 195.115
Requires the city and county governing bodies to work with school district personnel to identify barriers and hazards to children walking or bicycling to and from school. Cities, counties and districts may develop a plan for improvements designed to reduce the barriers and hazards identified.
Texas Transportation Code Ann. § 201.614
Requires the department of transportation to establish and administer a Safe Routes to School program to improve safety in and around school areas.
Accommodating Pedestrians and Bicyclers
Pedestrian and Bicycle Policies Adopted Prior to the 2003 Legislative Sessions
Cal. Streets & Highways Code § 894.6
Creates the Pedestrian Safety Account in the State Transportation Fund to make grants available to local government agencies to reduce pedestrian injuries through traffic calming measures, safety improvements, traffic signal timing, crosswalk construction or improvements, and traffic safety or enforcement programs.
Fla. Stat. Ann. § 335.065
Requires bicycle and pedestrian ways be given full consideration in the planning and development of transportation facilities, with special emphasis given to projects in or within one mile of an urban area.
Or. Rev. Stat. § 366.514
Mandates expending funds on footpaths and bicycle trails on projects where roads are being constructed, reconstructed or relocated.
Va. Code § 33.1-23.03:001
Requires the Commonwealth Transportation Board to prepare and update a Statewide Pedestrian Policy. The Board shall identify and evaluate needs at statewide, regional and local levels for additional facilities required to promote pedestrian access to schools, places of employment and recreation, and major activity centers.
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