1. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Walk It Out: Walking to Transform Individual and Community Health June 7, 2013 Lake Merritt Garden Center Kendra Bridges, MS Project Coordinator SRTS Technical Assistance Resource Center Safe Routes to School: Increasing Health for Children and Families

2. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

3. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Fewer kids are biking and walking More parents are driving 1969 2009 48% walked or biked13% walked or biked 12% driven44% driven (U.S. DOT, 2009)

4. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Parents driving School travel by private vehicle accounts for 10-14% of morning rush hour traffic. ( McDonald, Brown, Marchetti Pedroso, 2011)

5. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center The consequences of this…

6. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center …instead of this can be alarming.

7. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Promoting safe walking and bicycling is an ideal strategy to increase physical activity

8. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center  Make walking and bicycling safe ways to get to school  Encourage more children to walk and bike to school Safe Routes to School programs

9. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center School Siting Issues: A Generation Ago  Small (average of 127 students)  Located in community centers  48% of kids walked or biked to school (U.S. EPA, 2003)

10. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center School Siting Issues: Today  Mega-schools (average 521 students)  Schools located on 10 to 30+ acres fringe land  Lowest-cost construction (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008 )

11. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center It’s Not Just Distance Students living within one mile or less who walk or bike to school: 1969 – 89% 2009 – 35% (U.S. DOT, 2009)

12. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Individual Barriers to Walking and Bicycling to School  Long distances62%  Traffic danger30%  Adverse weather19%  Fear of crime danger12% (CDC, 2005)

13. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center SRTS Programs are Part of the Solution… …to increase physical activity …to improve unsafe walking and biking conditions …to improve poor air quality by reducing vehicle emissions

14. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Every School Faces a Different Challenge

15. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center All 5Es require participation and support from the school community! Successful SRTS Programs Include: Education Encouragement Enforcement Engineering Evaluation Browns Valley Elementary School

16. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Education  Teaches safety skills  Creates safety awareness  Fosters life-long safety habits  Includes parents, neighbors and other drivers

17. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Who Needs Educational Messages? 1. Children 2. Parents 3. Neighbors

18. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Strategies to Address Personal Security Concerns Education strategies Teach street smart skills Educate and engage families Walking school bus/bike train Corner captains Engage stakeholders and law enforcement

19. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Sources of Instructors  Teacher  Police or fire personnel  Local bike club/advocate  Public health professional  Local Safe Kids coalition  League of American Bicyclists (LAB) instructor

20. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Education Summary  Children Pedestrian and bicyclist safety Personal security Health and Environment  Parents Pedestrian and bicyclist safety guidelines to reinforce Personal security skills School drop off and pick up procedures Tips for safe driving near the school  Neighbors Watch for / yield to pedestrians and bicyclists Drive slowly Keep sidewalks clear Prune plants

21. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Encouragement  Increases popularity of walking and biking  Is an easy way to start SRTS programs  Emphasizes fun of walking and biking

22. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Encouragement Programs 1. Events 2. Walking school buses 3. Individual competition 4. Contests 5. Route map promotion

23. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center 1. Events

24. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Celebrate International Walk to School Day / Month in October

25. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center 2. Walking school buses and bicycle trains

26. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center 3. Individual competition

27. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center 4. Contests

28. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Enforcement  Increases awareness of pedestrians and bicyclists  Improves driver behavior  Helps children follow traffic rules  Decreases parent perceptions of danger

29. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center Evaluation Is the program making a difference?

30. Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center TARC assists local communities with creating SRTS programs by providing trainings, technical assistance, and resources to implement safe and successful SRTS strategies throughout California. Kendra Bridges Regional Coordinator, Caltrans Districts 1,2 & 4 SRTS Technical Assistance Resource Center www.casaferoutestoschool.org (916) 552-9832 Kendra.Bridges@cdph.ca.gov NEED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE?