Vermont Agency of Transportation Safe Routes to School Program at [INSERT NAME OF SCHOOL] Date

Today’s Presentation SRTS Overview The 5 E’s SRTS at Our School Next Steps 2

Safe Routes to School History Comprehensive approach to student travel and safety began in Europe – late 1970s Embraced by U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – 1998 National Safe Routes to School Program funded in SAFETEA-LU 3

What is Safe Routes to School? Enables children to walk and bicycle to school. Planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools. 4

Why Is It Important? Children are walking or bicycling to school less: –Past - over 70% –Present - less than 15% In VT, as many as 65% of school kids are routinely driven to school School transportation operating costs in the U.S. exceed $14 billion annually The estimated cost of obesity related illnesses in VT is $141 million per year 5

Children’s Health Risks Prevalence of overweight children Sharp increase in cases of type 2 diabetes Pedestrian injuries are the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among kids. Asthma rates in kids have increased 160% in the past 15 years 6

Children’s Health Risks Speeding increases severity of injury Speeding reduces the driver’s field of vision 7 Source: FHWA

More social interaction Increased independence Increased physical activity Improved pedestrian skills Community design Less reliance on automobile Decreased neighborhood/ school traffic Reduced fear of crime Many reasons walk and bike to school Why Walk and Bike to School? 8

Safe Routes to School Approach 5 E’s –Education –Encouragement –Engineering –Enforcement –Evaluation 9

Education WalkSmart / BikeSmart Vermont In-classroom training In-field training Bikeology Bike Rodeo 10

Encouragement Walking Wednesdays Walking School Bus/Bicycle Trains Way to Go Week (May) International Walk to School Day (October) Vermont Walk to School Day (April) 11

Engineering Traffic calming Sidewalks School drop off/pick up zones Intersection improvements 12

Enforcement Speed Enforcement in School Zones Bike Helmet Reminders Crossing Guard Training 13

Evaluation Parent Survey –Measure parents attitudes Classroom Student Tallies –Measures current behavior Walk Audit –Assessment of roads & sidewalks in the vicinity of the schools 14

[Your School Name Here] School Completed and Ongoing Activities –X 15

[Your School Name Here] School Next Steps –X 16

How You Can Help: Event coordination Assessment of walking and bicycling conditions Leaders for Walking School Buses and Bike Trains Volunteers for Bicycle Safety Fair Data collection If you are interested in helping out the best thing you can do is join our SRTS team! 17

Find Out More……. Learn more about Safe Routes to School Attend our next SRTS Team meeting [date] Contact me at [your and phone here] 18