Safe
Routes to School - Q and A
Safe Routes to School,
Q and A -
PDF
versionWhy should the federal
government be supporting this? Isn’t it a local
matter?
Federal transportation funds support a wide
variety of projects that shape local
communities. One of the most popular federal
programs is the Enhancements program, which
devotes funding to transportation projects that
enhance the local community. Local governments
clearly need help in retrofitting their streets
to make them safer for walking and bicycling:
two states that have instituted state-wide SRTS
funds have been overwhelmed by demand for the
funding.
How do we know this program will get results?
Most SRTS programs are pretty new, but early
evidence shows they get many more children out
on their feet. The Marin County, California
comprehensive SRTS program reported a 64 percent
increase in the number of students walking to
school, a 114% increase in the number of
children bicycling, and a 39% decrease in the
number of children arriving by private car
carrying only one student.
What will this program really do, on the
ground? Even the House funding seems like too
little money.
This funding certainly won’t solve the problem.
But it will help communities get started, and
will allow them to target improvements to the
schools that need it the most. Once local
communities see the value of the program, they
may use the federal dollars to leverage greater
local or state support.
Funded at the House level, the Safe Routes to School program in
Oklahoma could build 8
miles of sidewalks and 10 miles of bike lanes
and install 26 walk signal systems each year,
as well as funding a significant education and
encouragement program. These figures are
hypothetical; each state would be able to choose
how to target their funds most effectively.
(See the
full funding chart with sample figures for
each state; use the sentence below to fill in
the blanks for your state:)
A Safe Routes to School program funded at the
House levels in
_________ would be able to build at least ___
miles of sidewalks and ____ miles of bike lanes
and install ____ walk signal systems each year,
and fund a significant education and
encouragement program. These figures are
hypothetical; each state would be able to choose
how to target their funds most effectively.
Isn’t the real problem parents, who have
gotten into the habit of driving their kids to
school?
There isn’t one factor that has resulted in the
decline of children walking and bicycling to
school; there are many. SRTS is a multi-faceted
program that improves the physical environment
and educates both parents and students about the
benefits of bicycling and walking to school.
Haven’t studies shown that school buses are
the safest way to transport students, and that
walking and bicycling are dangerous? Why put our
kids at risk?
The current reliance on automobiles to transport
children represents a different kind of risk:
the long-term risks from a sedentary lifestyle.
The portion of children who are overweight or
obese has tripled in the last 25 years. Health
experts are predicting that rates of diseases
associated with physical inactivity, such as
diabetes, will soar as the next generation comes
of age.
In addition, school bus transportation costs are rising
steeply. In 1999-2000, $13 billion was spent on
busing children to public schools, at an average
cost of $521 per student. Helping more children
walk or bike to school could save some of these
funds for other educational needs, while
improving the students’ health.
Isn’t the real reason parents don’t let their
children walk the fear of crime and child
abduction?
SRTS is a program that gets adults involved in
helping children walk and bicycle to school
safely. In some communities with fear of crime,
parents and other adults lead “walking school
buses” that escort groups of children to school.
This is about more than just pouring a sidewalk.
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