How communities are using

walking to school to address

broad social challenges:

Evidence and practice

Lauren MarchettiUNC Highway Safety Research CenterNational Center for Safe Routes to School

Presented atWALK21 Vienna Conference 2015

Communities in the US are facing many health- and transportation-related problems from obesity and the short- and long-term impacts of sedentary lifestyles to neighborhood streets with high crime rates, drug violence and gangs.

Surprisingly—but no surprise to walking advocates—walk to school programs are part of the solutions.

A Look at 10 Years of Promoting Safe Walking and Bicycling to School

Safe Routes to School Program successes and trends

Traditional goals—safety and mode shift Larger goals Equity 6 programs—3 with traditional goals, 3 with larger

goals Are we reaching a tipping point?

Safe Routes to School Program

August 2005

SAFETEA-LU established SRTS as a standalone program

Full-time State Coordinator

100% Federal funding

July 2012

MAP-21 established TA program (TAP)

SRTS is eligible activity under TAP

State Coordinator is an eligible expenditure

80% Federal funding

Larger MPOs provided funding

Far-reaching Benefits

As of March 31, 2015:

• $1.2 billion in SAFETEA-LU and MAP-21 funds have been awarded to:

• 17,400 schools

• reaching 6.8 million students in all 50 states + D.C.

Interest in Data-based Decision-making

As of March 2015, SRTS data system had:

• 1.3 million parent surveys

• 270,000 travel tallies

• from 12,400 schools

Far-reaching Benefits

• Low-resourced areas are well served

Interest in Walking and Bicycling

Since 2004:

• More than 34,000 Walk to School Day events nationwide

• More than 18,500 schools in more than 4,700 different municipalities

What motivates your school/community to participate in Walk to School events?

Sense of community

Enhancing safety

Physical activity/obesity prevention

Congestion and air pollution

More Students Walking and Bicycling to School

Parent survey results from 5,300 schools from 2007–2013:

• Walking to school increased by 25% in the morning and by 27% in the afternoon

• The percentage of parents reporting school support for walking and bicycling to school increased by 53%

More Students Walking and Bicycling to School

A study of 801 schools over 5 years:• 25 percent increase walking

and bicycling after education and encouragement

• 18 percent increase in walking and bicycling after infrastructure

(McDonald, et al, 2014; Journal of the American Planning Association)

Safety Benefits of SRTS

Courtesy of David Henderson, Miami-Dade MPO; Rachele Solomon, WalkSafe; Vivian G. Villaamil, Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Safety Benefits of SRTS

Work funded by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Grant 1 R49 CE002096)

Charles DiMaggio Guohua Li

44% decrease in number of child pedestrian injuries in NYC (DiMaggio & Li, 2013; Pediatrics)

43% reduction in child pedestrian and bicyclist injury among youth in Texas (DiMaggio, Brady, & Li, 2013; Injury Epidemiology)

Safety Benefits of SRTS

75 Schools in California have seen a 73% reduction in pedestrian and bicyclist crashes among all ages near infrastructure, n.s. for child pedestrians

(Ragland, Cooper, et al, 2013; Active Living Research)Jill Cooper

Broader Benefits from SRTS

Reduce school and district transportation costs

Address absenteeism

Improve readiness to learn

Connect residents with essential services

Enhance community life

Improving Safety:Child Pedestrian Injuries Reduced by 63 Percent

Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsMiami-Dade County, Florida

4th largest school district in nation

Partnership of transportation, health and law enforcement

Infrastructure improvements

WalkSafe education program started with 4 schools in 2002, grew to 222 schools today

Safety Benefits of SRTS

Courtesy of David Henderson, Miami-Dade MPO; Rachele Solomon, WalkSafe; Vivian G. Villaamil, Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Increasing Walking and Bicycling:Walking and Bicycling grow from 12 to 43%

Heatherwood Elementary SchoolBoulder Colorado

Tripled number of students walking and bicycling in 3 years

Infrastructure, encouragement and education activities

Intensive Learning Center focused on children with autism

Fleet of specially equipped tandem bikes

Children with Autism on Tandem Bikes

“We took a huge risk trying something that had never been done before, and it turned out beautifully. We had lots of parents with tears in their eyes and children who had never been on a bike before not wanting to get off of the tandems.”- Program Coordinator Amy Thompson

Reducing Transportation Costs:Early SRTS Funding Still Saving Money

Auburn School DistrictAuburn, Washington

Grant in 2007 to implement 20-year vision to increase walking and bicycling to school and reduce school transportation costs

Infrastructure improvements, safety education and incentive programs

Bus use decreased from 6 to 1

In 2015, transportation cost savings is still $220,000 per year

Connecting Services, Improving Quality of Life and Promoting Economic Revitalization

Elbert-Palmer Elementary SchoolWilmington, Delaware

Improvements for low-resource neighborhood

Infrastructure improvements provide connections between school and nearby housing, parks, community center, community gardens and shops

Enhancing Community Life, Addressing Absenteeism and Improving Readiness to Learn

Brightwood Elementary SchoolBrightwood, Massachusetts

97% of children live within one mile of school

Brightwood had highest rates of violent crime in the city

2 Massachusetts State Troopers started Counter Criminal Continuum (C3)

Bayside Brightwood Health Center

Residents were hesitant to walk, to get to know their neighbors or let their children out to play

Childhood obesity was a health care crisis

Six Goals

Daily exercise to aid in reducing childhood obesity Increased safety for the children and the

neighborhood Decreased absenteeism and tardiness Increased learning capacity Reduce carbon footprint around the school Community engagement

Health department and principal identified walking route

Small group of teachers walked with students Expanded to 3 routes Parents joined in, businesses donated scarfs,

mittens and umbrellas Credited with improving attendance, reducing

tardiness, and reducing crime Expanded to all Springfield Elementary schools

and spread across state Featured on 60 Minutes

Connecting Schools and Neighborhoods

Brevard Elementary SchoolBrevard, North Carolina

In 2008, constructed multi-use paths to connect school, residential neighborhoods, medical facility and senior living communities

By 2013, began funding connections to schools and to neighborhoods and city’s trail network

Building a Bike Culture for Middle School Students

Omro Middle SchoolOmro, Wisconsin

New York? Paris? No, a Bike Share Program at a middle school in Wisconsin

Championed by physical education teacher and principal

Young mechanics club Eighth grade bicycle junto As of spring 2015, 1 in 6 regularly walks or bikes

to school

Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?

• An estimated 18,500 schools have participated in SRTS activities since the Federal SRTS Program began

• Therefore, about 18.5 percent of all K-8 schools in the country have adopted SRTS in the past 10 years

Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?

Since 2004:

• More than 34,000 Walk to School Day events nationwide

• More than 18,500 schools in more than 4,700 different municipalities

Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?

Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?

4

Source: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets/changing-policy/complete-streets-atlas

Recommendations

Let’s grow it. Let’s not kill it by mistake.

Advocate for walking and bicycling infrastructure improvements around schools

Encourage State DOTs, MPOs, RPOs, communities and neighborhoods to prioritize safe walking and bicycling to school

Support communities’ desire to be more active through walking and bicycling

Provide opportunities to test drive walk a change

Thank you. Questions?

A lifetime of being active can begin on the way to school.