Safe Routes to School is the name for programs that: Encourage students to commute to school via walking or biking; educates teachers, parents, and students about safe walking and biking commutes to school; and provides opportunities for students to be more physically active.
Safe Routes to School programs are typically divided into the six "E"'s:
- Engineering - More sidewalks, crosswalks and bikeways would definitely encourage walking and cycling, but they are expensive and slow to implement compared to the other measures.
- Encouragement - These are demonstrations, events, competitions, or fun activities, that show off the benefits of walking and cycling.
- Education - Teaching people how to walk and cycle safely are core aspects of SRTS programming. Many walking and cycling education activities can be so fun that they are also encouragement activities!
- Enforcement - Using the rules that already exist can enhance the safety and attractiveness of walking and cycling. For instance, enforcing no-parking zones makes street corners safer, and slower traffic is less intimidating to walk alongside.
- Evaluation - SRTS programs compete for funds with everything else to do with education, families, streets, transportation and health, but are less well known. Data and results are therefore required to ensure programs get funded and remain funded.
- Equity - Walking and cycling are inherently low cost, easily accessible modes of transport. Nonetheless, effort is still required to ensure everyone in the community has the opportunity to benefit from SRTS programming by ensuring time and resources are spent where the maximum benefit is achieved, not just where the most adept advocates are active.
For 2018/19 Walk Bike Nashville is pleased to announce we are the recipients of a Metro Health Dept Community Partnership Fund grant. This will allow us focus on four MNPS schools to achieve more walking and cycling to these schools through targeted, focused, programming. The schools are:
Sign up for our Quarterly Safe Routes to School Newsletter!
Resources for Nashville Schools
Join our SRTS newsletter for updates on their progress and to learn of ways to get involved! And if you are interested in having us work with your school please contact us.
Resources
- Information from the Nashville Metro Planning Organization
- National Center for Safe Routes to Schools
- Safe Routes to School District Policy Workbook
- Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership
- Tennessee Dept of Transport Safe Routes to Schools Program
Encouraging SRTS At Your School
- Contact Robert Johnson, SRTS Manager, at Walk Bike Nashville for assistance.
- Participate in Walk to School Day (October).
- Participate in Bike to School Day (May).
- Take a look at our toolbox of ideas for programming that encourages walking and cycling to school.
- Contact us to request a bike rodeo -- an on-bike workshop to teach children basic bicycle and road safety skills.