Safe Routes to School

What is the SRTS Program?

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs (link www.saferoutesinfo.org) enable community leaders, schools and parents across the United States to improve safety and encourage more children to safely walk and bicycle to school. In the process, programs work to reduce traffic congestion and improve health and the environment, making communities more livable for everyone.

This federally funded program encourages communities to address the Five Es preventing students from walking or biking to school and building exercise into their day. These are the same components used by planners trying to create a more healthy and active community for all ages!

Engineering: Focuses on the physical environment with sidewalks, paths, safer crossings, traffic calming methods to slow traffic. Recognizes a balanced roadway system is important to serve all modes of transport, not just motor vehicles.
Enforcement: Encourages motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to avoid unsafe behaviors and to follow the rules of the road. This includes law enforcement ticketing dangerous drivers but it also includes a community-wide approach to educate and promote the safest driving, walking and riding practices. Speed matters! (2b)
Education: Teach pedestrian and bicycle safety to students before they are encouraged to walk or bike to school. But parents and community members also need to learn and follow safer driving, parking, and drop off procedures to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe.
Encouragement: Provide fun opportunities and rewards to encourage students and parents to give walking or biking to school a chance. Special events, mileage clubs, contests and ongoing activities give the entire school community the chance to discover or rediscover how much fun walking and biking can be with friends and family. Walking School Bus or Bike Train (link to 11c) routes are a great way for parents to take turns walking or riding with a group of students.
Evaluation: Involves identifying problems, finding workable solutions and determining if solutions corrected the problem. Evaluation of local programs can improve that individual program but can also lead to improvements at the state or national level. The U.S. SRTS Program developed thanks to the work and data collected in Denmark in the 1970s. Over a 20 year period there, Denmark was able to decrease their pedestrian and cyclist injury rate 30-40% through their SRTS program.

School safety committees, Parent Teacher Organizations or Student Government organizations are a great place to start conversations about starting a SRTS program at your school.

Pueblo West SRTS Program

Pueblo West has received almost $265,000 of funding through two SRTS grants to improve the pedestrian/bike access to a few of our largest schools and provide educational resources to improve the safety and awareness for pedestrians and cyclists in the community.

Engineering: Many Pueblo West roads carry little traffic but the roads near our schools are often inundated with motor vehicles dropping students off to school or traveling through on their way to work.
Off-road Trails: Pueblo West has nearly 7 miles of paved multi-use trails away from traffic surrounding the higher density neighborhoods in the Skyview Middle School and Pueblo West High School (PWHS) boundaries. An additional 8 miles of unimproved dirt utility roads flank Skyview and PWHS allowing students in lower density neighborhoods the opportunity to walk or bike to school away from crowded, narrow roadways.
Trail Crossings: the off-road trails cross roadways periodically and trail users must yield and cross only when safe. We hope to recruit volunteers to serve as cross guards on program days to help students learn safe crossing behaviors.
Bridge: A pedestrian bridge and a few culvert crossings connect the high density areas east of Pike Camp Trail to Sierra Vista Elementary and PWHS offering students at these schools a safer option of walking or biking to school.
Bike Racks: All Pueblo West schools now have secure bike racks available for students that ride their bike to school.
Promote “safer” routes: the Pueblo West Bike Route map or individual school boundary maps are available for families to find a safer way to get to school. Oftentimes, the way everyone drives to school is not your best option. Avoid the traffic and find quieter streets and use the trails!
Enforcement and Education: All motorists, cyclists and pedestrians should follow the rules of the road and do their part to keep everyone safe. This includes a community-wide approach to educate and promote the safest driving, walking and riding practices. Dangerous practices will be discouraged by school officials, program volunteers and periodically ticketed by the Pueblo County Sheriff.
Motorists: Speed and Safe Drop Off Procedures.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Education.
All students at the target schools will watch segments of “Walking and Biking: A Practical Alternative” (link to 7d) on the school-wide tv system leading up to the International Walk to School event in October each year. Additional bike/pedestrian safety instruction will take place in PE, Media or other classes at each SRTS school.
Safely Crossing Streets with heavier traffic is an area much more discussion is needed between Pueblo West Metro District staff, law enforcement and community members need to work on together. Cross guards (11a3) are a solution if volunteers or funding is secured but only helps a couple hours a day.
Encouragement: A few Pueblo West schools will have “Walk-n-Roll Wednesdays” (link to 11a4) the first Wednesday of each month. Parents and students are encouraged to try walking or riding to school on these days to discover or rediscover how much fun walking and biking can be with friends and family. Schools are encouraged to offer contests or prize drawings to those that participate. Older students are encouraged to walk with a buddy and younger students should walk with an adult until at least until 4th grade or age 10. Parents are strongly encouraged to walk/ride with their child after selecting a route they are comfortable taking

We hope volunteers will start a neighborhood Bike Train or Walking School Bus (link to 11c) and escort kids on their way to school. Evaluation: Involves identifying problems, finding workable solutions and determining if solutions corrected the problem. Participating schools survey parents, track student participation walking or biking through observation and student self reports.

Grants for PW SRTS

2008 SRTS Infrastructure Grant: $250,000

Funded the multi-use trail, three drainage culvert crossings and a pedestrian bridge to connect Sierra Vista Elementary to the higher density neighborhoods directly east of the school. The trail and bridge diverts foot and bike traffic away from busy Spaulding Avenue, a narrow two-lane road with no sidewalks or paved shoulder, which serves three schools with nearly 2,400 students within a 0.8 mile distance. CDOT approved contract January 2009, engineering contract awarded January 2009, engineering review by CDOT March to October 2009.

2009 SRTS Non-Infrastructure Grant: $16,500

Funded educational resources including the “Pueblo West Walks and Rides” video, website, printed educational materials and maps of safer routes, directional and educational signage along the trail. Also funded signage and equipment for cross guards at crossings if volunteers willing to serve as cross guards. Limited funding for incentives for students participating in designated walk/bike to school events.

Promote “Safer” Routes

Pueblo West roads are often narrow and have no sidewalks. The roads were not constructed on a grid so choices are often limited to the only route that connects areas together. But the new multi-use trails and existing dirt utility roads offer pedestrians and cyclists a safer and more direct option of getting around than following the heavily traveled roads near the schools.

The Pueblo Area Council of Governments (PACOG) created maps identifying on-road routes that connect to the trail system leading to the schools.

Sierra Vista Elementary/Skyview Middle School boundaries (includes PWHS)
Bike Route Description (link to 8)
Pueblo West Bike Route map online (link to online map)

Students and parents are encouraged to explore and find a route they feel comfortable walking or biking from home to the trail system using the map as a guide. The experience on foot or a bike might be very different than what you expect or experience in your car. Parents and students should walk or ride the route together looking for problem areas and how to deal with those areas. Examples: road curves or hill limits sight distance, threatening dog barking, crossing a busy road.

Not all students will be able to walk all the way to school from home. But parents can drop the student off along the trail system to minimize traffic near the school, give the parent more time to get to work and the student the opportunity to walk at least part of the way to school. Dropping students off safely along the trail system (link to 7c1) requires some basic precautions to keep everyone safe.

Promote walking/biking with friends and family

We do not promote any students walking or biking alone. Older students should find a buddy to walk or ride with. We recommend adults escort younger students to relieve many parent concerns and emphasize safety along the way. Walking School Bus and Bike Trains (link to 11c) are a great way for parents to take turns walking or riding with a group of students to or home from school. We’ll have designated walk days such as International Walk to School Day and Walk-n-Roll Wednesdays where the entire school is encouraged to participate.

Some might find parts of the trails or roads lonely and distant from help if needed. Parents and students that have cell phones should keep them handy to call for help or take a photo of someone or something making them uncomfortable.