Georgia safe routes to school: planning guide and workbook for resource center partners

GEORGIA SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
PLANNING GUIDE AND WORKBOOK
for Resource Center Partners
A Publication of the Georgia Safe Routes to School Resource Center Georgia Department of Transportation December 2011

History of SRTS and the Georgia SRTS Resource Center.
Research on the safety of children walking and bicycling to school began in the U.S. in the early 1970s. The term "Safe Routes to School" was first used in Denmark in the late 1970s as part of a very successful initiative to reduce the number of children killed while walking and bicycling to school. Safe Routes to School spread internationally, with programs springing up throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.
The first modern Safe Routes to School program in the U.S. began in 1997 in The Bronx. In 1998, Congress funded two pilot SRTS programs through the U.S. Department of Transportation. Within a year after the launch of the pilot programs, many other grassroots Safe Routes to School efforts were started throughout the United States.
In July 2005, Congress passed federal legislation that established a National Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The program dedicated $612 million towards SRTS from 2005 to 2009. The Federal Highway Administration administers the Safe Routes to School program funds and provides guidance and regulations about SRTS programs. SRTS funds can be used for both infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure activities.
Sources: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/introduction/history_of_srts.cfm http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/local/4149

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Introduction
Welcome to the Georgia Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program. As a Georgia SRTS Resource Center Partner, you have joined the growing number of communities in Georgia working to get more children walking and bicycling to school safely. Regardless of whether you are a Bronze, Silver or Gold Level Partner with the Resource Center, you will find step-by-step instructions to start a Safe Routes to School program, create momentum, and build sustainability for your program.
Why Have a SRTS Program?
A SRTS program is a way to improve the safety of children who walk or bike to school and to promote these types of transportation. Depending on the unique needs and goals of your school, your SRTS program may:

Educate children about pedestrian and bicycle safety. Learning how to walk and ride a bicycle safely gives children (and their parents) habits for life.
Enhance the health of kids. Increasing physical activity can combat a lot of health problems facing kids today.
Improve air quality and the environment. Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can reduce air pollution.
Create safer routes. Sidewalks, signals and traffic calming measures improve conditions for walking and bicycling.

Improve traffic safety. Teaching safety skills and working with law enforcement can improve conditions for walking and bicycling.
Enhance neighborhood safety. Working with law enforcement and walking together (walking school bus) can improve personal safety and security.
Create community. Parents, children, law enforcement officers and school officials working together get to know, respect, appreciate and look out for each other.

The Georgia SRTS Program
The Georgia SRTS program is a federally funded program administered by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). Georgia's SRTS program supports activities and projects that promote safety and enables and encourages walking and bicycling to school within a 2-mile radius of the school. Services supporting SRTS goals are:

On-going support for school-based Safe Routes to School programs through Partnerships with the Georgia
SRTS Resource Center; and
Infrastructure projects that improve the walking and bicycling conditions to primary and middle schools
(grades K-8).

The Georgia Safe Routes to School Resource Center
The Resource Center provides information and support for Safe Routes to School programs in Georgia. Resource Center School Outreach Coordinators (SOCs) work with schools to start and sustain SRTS programs.
Hot line staff are available during regular office hours to respond to provide general information and answer inquires. Call the hot line at 1.877.436.8927 or email us at info@SafeRoutesGA.org. Visit the Resource Center on line at www.SafeRoutesGA.org.
Schools, groups, business and individuals can create a more formal relationship with the Resource Center by becoming a Partner online. Four Partnership Levels School, Bronze, Silver and Gold - are available to all Georgia elementary and middle schools. Partner schools receive support from a School Outreach Coordinator.

How to use the Planning Guide and Workbook
The Planning Guide consists of five chapters. Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 provide information for each of the Partner Levels (School, Bronze, Silver and Gold); Chapter 5 helps you create long-term sustainability. The Workbook is a companion piece to the Planning Guide and is referenced in Chapter 4 of the Planning Guide.
Planning Guide
The Planning Guide is for schools to use in developing a SRTS program. The Planning Guide is organized according to Resource Center Partner Levels, with chapters aimed at helping School, Bronze, Silver and Gold Partner schools complete required programs and activities. Chapters for each Partner Level can serve as a standalone piece so that schools do not need to print the entire Planning Guide. As a result, some material is repeated in each chapter. The chart below shows the chapters you will most likely need based on your Partner Level.
Travel Plan Workbook
The Workbook provides instructions to prepare a SRTS Travel Plan. Gold Partner schools are encouraged to prepare a SRTS Travel Plan as part of their efforts to establish a sustainable SRTS program. Other Partner schools interested in preparing a Travel Plan may find the Workbook helpful. The Workbook contains a Travel Plan outline and forms to use to collect information to be included in the Travel Plan.
ON ROUTE TO...
School Level Partner Bronze Level Partner Silver Level Partner Gold Level Partner

SS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

Start as a School Partner.
99 Complete the Partner
Profile form at http:// www.saferoutesga.org/
99 Identify a school
champion.
Next Step:
99 Start on the road to
a Bronze Partnership and build your SRTS program.
99 Conduct your first
Student Travel Tally as soon as you have signed up as a School
Partner.

Make your SRTS program part of the school community as a Bronze Partner.
99 Conduct the 2nd
Student Travel Tally after your program has been in place for at least 6 months.
Complete one of three:
99 Host a Safe Routes to
School Kick-off event.
99 Communicate with
school parents, teachers and administrators about SRTS.
99Coordinate a Georgia
SRTS presentation to school stakeholders.

Build momentum. Become a Silver Partner.
Host two events during the school year. Examples:
99 A safety assembly focusing
on walking and bicycling.
99 Spring and fall walk to
school days.
99 A neighborhood walk-
about.
99 OR a bike-about to assess
safety issues along travel routes to school.
Support an on-going encouragement program such as:
99 A walking school bus or
bike train,
99 A classroom-based
pedestrian and bicyclist safety programs.

Create long term sustainability as a Gold Partner.
Garner support from the PTA or other stakeholder to ensure ongoing participation.
Develop a Travel Plan: A step-by-step guide is provided.

Compilation of References and Resources
For ease of reference, all the references and resources included in the Planning Guide and Workbook are listed here.

American Heart Association Bicycling Life Information on Bicycle Rodeos Community Walk Mapping Georgia SRTS Resource Center website
Partnership Information Way to Go Frequent Walker/Biker materials School Outreach Coordinators Georgia Department of Transportation Local Government Services and Resource Manual Statewide Transportation Plan 2005-2035 Georgia Department of Education Performance Standards Georgia Division of Public Health Health Aspects of Air Pollution International Walk to School Day Register for Walk to School Day League of American Bicyclists Education Programs National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website National Center for SRTS Bikeability Checklist Information on Educating Parents Information on Pick-up and Drop-off Strategies Information on Walking school buses Parent Survey and Student Talley
Student In-Class Travel Tally Form Parent Survey Form Instructions for Survey Administration Instructions for sending the date for processing Strategies for Educating Children
Tips for Engaging Middle School Students
Walkability Checklist
National Highway Transportation Administration's Pedestrian
SafeKids Pedestrian Safety Information Safe Routes to School National Partnership US Environmental Protection Agency, Greenhouse Gas Emissions

http://mylifecheck.heart.org http://www.bicyclinglife.com/SafetySkills/BicycleRodeo.htm www.communitywalk.com www.SafeRoutesGA.org www.SafeRoutesGA.org/Partner www.SafeRoutesGA.org/Resources/Downloads www.SafeRoutesGA.org/Basics/SOCMap www.dot.state.ga.us www.dot.state.ga.us/localgovernment/Documents/LocalGovernmentManual.pdf www.dot.state.ga.us/INFORMATIONCENTER/programs/transportation/Pages/swtp.aspx www.georgiastandards.org/Standards/Pages/BrowseStandards/PhysEd.aspx www.health.state.ga.us www.euro.who.int/document/E83080.pdf www.iwalktoschool.org/ www.walktoschool.org/register www.bikeleague.org/programs/education www.missingkids.com/ www.saferoutesinfo.org/ www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/education_bikeability-checklist.cfm www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/education/parents.cfm www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/dropoff_pickup/index.cfm www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/encouragement/walking_school_bus_or_bicycle_train.cfm www.saferoutesinfo.org/data/ www.saferoutesinfo.org/data/ www.saferoutesinfo.org/data/ www.saferoutesinfo.org/data/ www.saferoutesinfo.org/data/ www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/education/strategies_for_educating_children.cfm www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/collateral/tips_for_engaging_middle_school_students.pdf www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/education_walkability-checklist.cfm www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.dfedd570f698cabbbf30811060008a0c/ www.usa.safekids.org/wtw/ www.saferoutespartnership.org/home www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/420r06003.pdf

GEORGIA SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
PLANNING GUIDE
for Resource Center Partners
A Publication of the Georgia Safe Routes to School Resource Center Georgia Department of Transportation
For a companion Workbook, go to http://www.saferoutesga.org/ content/tips-tools and download the Workbook titled, Writing your SRTS Travel Plan.

The 5 "Es"
ENCOURAGEMENT strategies generate excitement and interest in walking and bicycling. Special events,
mileage clubs, contests and ongoing activities all provide ways for parents and children to discover, or rediscover, that walking and bicycling are not only great ways to get exercise but also a lot of fun.
EDUCATION activities teach students, parents, drivers near the school, and neighbors about traffic safety
and create awareness of the benefits and goals of SRTS. Education is often linked to encouragement. For example, children may learn safety skills and then get the chance to join a mileage club that rewards them for walking or bicycling to school.
ENFORCEMENT strategies act to deter unsafe behaviors of motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists, and to
encourage all road users to obey traffic laws and share the road safely. It is a complementary strategy which includes students, parents, adult school crossing guards, school personnel and neighborhoods all working together in conjunction with law enforcement. Ticketing for dangerous behaviors is only a small part of the overall strategy to enable more children to walk and bicycle to school safely. It is typically difficult to get additional crossing guards for school zones, but not impossible. The first step is to contact your school district's transportation department.
ENGINEERING is a broad term that describes physical changes to the walking and bicycling environment.
Examples include sidewalks, crosswalks, intersection crossing improvements, warning signs and flasher, and other ways to slow down traffic (called traffic calming).
EVALUATION will help you measure the impact of your efforts. The two main categories for measurement are
changes in travel mode (increases in bicycling and walking) and safety (decreased crashes, improved safety behaviors and knowledge). Evaluation will also help inform you of needed changes or updates to your plan.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: SIGNING UP - SCHOOL PARTNER .............................. 1 CHPATER TWO: MOVING UP - BRONZE LEVEL PARTNER ..................... 2 CHAPTER THREE: CREATING CONTINUITY - SILVER LEVEL PARTNER ............ 4 CHAPTER FOUR: CREATING SUSTAINABILITY - GOLD LEVEL PARTNER ........ 6 CHAPTER FIVE: BEYOND YOUR TRAVEL PLAN ....................................... 13

ONE THE BASICS: SIGNING UP AS SCHOOL PARTNER
Complete the Online Partner Profile and Identify a School Champion
Congratulations on becoming a School Partner with the Georgia SRTS Resource Center. You've completed the Partner Profile form and identified a school champion; you are now ready to build a SRTS program. Your School Outreach Corrdinator (SOC) is a wealth of information and can help you get started with your school's SRTS program. Your SOC will also be able to refer you to other resources and provide examples and contacts in other communities. If you don't know the name and contact information for the SOC working in the geographic area where your school is located, go to www.SafeRoutesGA. org and click on "Georgia Regions" to find a map of which SOC serves your community. You can also call the Resource Center hotline at 1.877.436.8927. Now is the time to gather information and other resources for your SRTS program, with a goal of becoming a Bronze Level Partner. Chapter Two provides more information on how to achieve Bronze Level designation. After talking with your SOC, take a look at the Resource Center website to learn more about Safe Routes to School in Georgia and in your region. In addition to general information about Safe Routes to School, you will find educational resources and downloadable materials for SRTS activities in the Program Toolkit. You'll also learn more about what's happening in your SOC Region under Georgia Regions.
Conduct a Student Travel Survey
Before your SRTS program gets into full swing, learn how students are traveling to school by conducting in-classroom counts. This step establishes baseline information on student travel behavior. The Georgia SRTS Resource Center asks all Partners to repeat the Student Travel Survey six months afterthe first in order to help gadge wether you know if you are making a difference. Since the student counts are conducted in the classroom, be sure to your school administrators and teachers agree to take a show-of-hands count for 2 or 3 days.
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TWO MOVIING UP BRONZE LEVEL PARTNER
Bronze Level Partners have completed several key steps towards creating a strong SRTS program at their school. They have formed an SRTS team to plan and coordinate SRTS programs and activities; they have also completed the Student Travel Survey (also known as the student tallies) shortly after becoming a School Partner, and have completed one additional program such as
Hosting a Safe Routes to School Kick-Off Event (i.e. International Walk to School Day in October); Communicating with school parents, teachers and administrators about SRTS (i.e. distribute safe
walking and bicycling tip sheets); or
Coordinating a GA SRTS presentation to school stakeholders (the Resource Center can provide
the speaker). Information on forming a team, conducting the Student Travel Survey, and hosting a walking and biking to school event is provided in this chapter.
Form a Team
If you don't already have a school SRTS team, find two or three other people who are excited about SRTS. Choices for team members include: A teacher, principal or other official, student, parent, PTA/ PTO representative, local traffic planner or engineer, a law enforcement officer, school crossing guard, health professional, neighborhood or community organization representative, senior citizens group, local business owner, pedestrian or bicycle advocate, etc.
Your best ally will be your school principal. Meet with your school principal to talk about creating a SRTS program. Bring a parent, teacher or law enforcement officer along to get support for becoming a SRTS Partner with the Resource Center. Talk about participating in a SRTS event such as Walk to School Day. Bring some resource materials to show what other schools are doing and how easy it is to organize an event.
Conduct Student Travel Surveys
The Georgia SRTS Resource Center asks all Partners to conduct Student Travel Surveys once a year during the first week of November Student Tally Week. Completing the survey during Student Tally Week is an important step for Georgia's SRTS program statewide, as it allows us to see the effect of all our work where it really counts the number of students walking and biking to school!
You have already conducted your first Student Travel Talley as a School Partned which established a baseline of information on student travel behavior. Repeating the counts six months after your first SRTS program activity (or during Student Tally Week) lets you know if you are making a difference. Since the student counts are conducted in the classroom, be sure to your school administrators and teachers agree to take a show-of-hands count for 2 or 3 days.
We recommend using the National Center for Safe Routes to School's Student In-Class Travel Tally form. The National Center will tabulate the results for you and provide the results in an easy-to-use format. Instructions and forms for completing the in-classroom student travel tally are available on the National Center for Safe Routes to School website.
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Information and instructions on conducting the Student Travel Survey is available at at the
Resource Center website, www.saferoutesga.org/ProgramToolkit. You will find a Way to tip sheet and a "how to" video.
The in-classroom tally forms are available at: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/data-central/data-
collection-forms
Send your completed tallies to the Resource Center. Contact your SOC for details.
Plan Your First Walk and Bike to School Day
To generate interest and enthusiasm, host a Walk and Bike to School Day or similar event. Georgia's Spring Walk to School Day is the first Wednesday of March. The Resource Center also encourages Georgia schools to participate in International Walk to School Day held on the first Wednesday of October, which is Walk to School Month. You may also decide to plan your first Walk and Bike to School Day in conjunction with another event such as Earth Day.
A Walk and Bike to School Day event draws attention to the benefits of walking and biking, and any changes needed to make it safer for students to walk or bike to school. The event also creates a safe way for students and parents to try it. The event doesn't have to be formal - just inviting families to walk or bicycle to school together is what the Day is all about. Larger events include speeches by local officials, school mascots, and school-wide assemblies. Regardless of the size, event logistics range from identifying central walking locations to designating alternative drop-off locations, and even getting teachers involved with walking and biking with the kids.
These are the simple steps for getting organized and following-up: Get the principal's approval and decide on a date. Post flyers at school (available at www.SafeRoutesGA.org and www.walktoschool.org/ resources/
flyers.cfm). Send an announcement via your school's e-newsletter, backpack mail or listserv. The event doesn't have to be formal -- just inviting families to walk or bicycle to school together is what the Day is all about.
One day before Walk and Bike to School Day, make an intercom announcement to remind
students to walk to school on Wednesday.
If you are participating in Georgia's Walk to School Day in March, let your School Outreach
Coordinator know. Register for International Walk To School Day at www.walktoschool.org/register so that students and the school will be counted among the thousands of participants across the USA and worldwide.
Create posters that will greet students when they arrive at school. Potential phrases include
"Thanks for Walking or Biking," "It's Walk to and Bike to School Day" or "It's cool to Walk and Bike to school!" Give out stickers (downloadable at www.SafeRoutesGA.org) or an incentive item (available through your School Outreach Coordinator when you become a Silver Level Partner).
Count how many kids participated. You can arrange to have volunteers count the kids as they
come onto school grounds or, it's easy to count the number of bicycles parked at the school. Once in the classroom, teachers can ask kids to raise their hands if they walked or biked to school. If you have high participation, an easier way is to count the number of kids getting out of cars and off buses, subtracting this number from your typical school attendance. The remainder is the number of kids walking or biking to school.
Once your event is over, publicize your results in the Thank You notes you send to everyone who
helped make the event successful.
Have fun! And remember your success for next time, when you can plan a bigger event or
repeat the simple path.
Celebrate success. Send information and photos of your even to the Resource Center to publicize
on www.SafeRoutesGA.org or an upcoming newsletter.
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THREE CREATING CONTINUITY: SILVER LEVEL PARTNER
School Partners are recognized as Silver Partners when they have gained momentum for their school program by:
Hosting two events each school year, such as a safety assembly focusing on walking and
bicycling, spring and fall walk to school days, a neighborhood walk-about or bike-about to assess safety issues along travel routes to school; AND
Offering an on-going encouragement program such as a walking school bus or bike train; OR Classroom-based pedestrian and bicyclist safety programs.
Information on several of these programs and activities is available on the Resource Center website at www.SafeRoutesGA.org. For example, Way to Go frequent walker/biker program materials available to download include punch cards and sticker. Downloadable items also include flyers to announce and remind kids and parents about SRTS school program activities.
Neighborhood walkabouts and bikeabouts are exercises used in many SRTS programs to raise awareness among all members of the school community about issues and conditions that effect walking and bicycling. These events also help garner support for needed changes and gather information needed to create school route maps. Participants can use the Walkability and Bikeability Checklist to record their impressions during a community walking or biking exercise. These checklists are available at: http://tinyurl.com/walk-bikeSurvey under "Education".
Plan More Walk and Bike to School Days and Other Events
You completed your first successful Walk to School Day or other event as a Bronze Level Partner. As a Silver Level Partner, you agree to create two regularly occurring SRTS activities each school year. For example, you may want to organize "Walking and Biking Wednesdays" where kids are encouraged to walk or bike to school once a week. The Resource Center's ready-made items for Georgia's Way to Go frequent walker/biker program include punch cards and stickers. The items are available to download and print from the website Program Toolkit page. Use the fillable flyers and posters to promote events at school.
Promote Your Events
Tell students, parents and others how to participate. Making announcements at school, publishing school newsletter articles, and sending flyers home are just a few ways to get the word out. Posting signs along the route a few days ahead will help inform the community. Business sponsors may want to hang signs in their stores, too.
SRTS can also be promoted as part of other events such as school fundraisers, festivals and outdoor activities. Be sure to build on the experience and success of your previous event (e.g. Walk and Bike to School Day).
Media coverage of the event brings visibility to the event's purpose and any changes needed to make it safer for kids to walk and bike to school. When mediacover your event, they help spread the word of the great health, safety, environmental and social benefits of more children walking to school every day. Colorful signs held by smiling, walking children and adults creates a perfect photo opportunity. Use the press release template on www.SafeRoutesGA.org, under Toolkit.
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Tell your SOC about your event ahead of time so they can include it on the website's calendar.
Creating Program Momentum
Engaging local partners will contribute to the momentum of your school SRTS program. Natural SRTS local partners include: Principals, Police and Parents; Public Officials; and Students.
Principal, Police and Parents. Successful events have the support and participation of the
principal, police and parents. Ask them to be local partners. The local police department is a valuable resource and will ensure that safety is a priority. Parents add energy and enthusiasm and are invaluable for Walk To School Day.
Public Officials. Partnerships with public officials and other community leaders, such as mayors
and city council members often create the momentum for fixing sidewalks and building new trails in record time. Walk and bike to school celebrations give leaders the opportunity to publicly support health, environment and safety initiatives, so consider finding ways to involve them.
Students. Involve students in the SRTS process by asking them to create a map showing where
they live in relationship to the school and the route they take to get to school. Ask the students to show locations that need safety improvements along their route to school and why. Students arriving by bus or car can point out traffic safety issues at the school site.
Ideas for Events, Programs and Activities
If you want to add to or expand the type of SRTS activities at your school, take a look at the list of potential strategies in the table in Appendix B. Strategies are organized by the E's - Encouragement, Education, Enforcement, and Evaluation. The table provides helpful information on the role of each strategy for your SRTS program, things to consider when implementing the strategy and resources to help get things started. See Appendix C for a non-infrastructure summary table.
Keeping Track of SRTS Activities
With several programs going, you may want to create an activity calendar. This calendar will help your team know who is coordinating each program, when it will take place, and when the planning for each needs to occur. A sample calendar is in Appendix A.
Consider Developing a Safe Routes to School Travel Plan
Once you have created some momentum from regular SRTS activities and events, consider becoming a Gold Level Partner. As a Gold Level Partner, you may develop a complete Travel Plan, adding recommendations for changes to the physical environment in your school community to the non-infrastructure programs and activities already underway. A plan creates the opportunity to expand your efforts, involve more members of the community, compete for funding for improvements in and around your school, and create a sustainable program that will be around for years to come. Contact your SOC to get started.
WHAT ARE LOCAL PARTNERS?
Each SRTS Team has local partners (not to be confused with Partnership Levels through the Resource Center). Local partners are members of the community who have a connection to your SRTS team goals. If they are not a regular member of your SRTS team, they will work with your team as needed and can help sustain your team's work over the long run. More information about how these local partners can help is found in Chapter 5 Implementing your SRTS Plan, page 14 Encourage your local partners to enroll as a SRTS Resource Center Friend.
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FOUR CREATING SUSTAINABILITY: GOLD LEVEL PARTNER
Gold Level Partners work to create long term sustainability, beginning with support from the school PTA. One of the following three activities are suggested to help create program sustainability:
Pedestrian and bicyclist classroom education for all students; SRTS programs integrated in to the school's reward system; OR Staff members actively participating in with the program.
The Georgia Safe Routes to School Resource Center strongly encourages Gold Level Partners to develop a Travel Plan as part of their efforts to create a sustainable program. General information on SRTS Travel Plans and instructions on how to develop a plan are included in this chapter. Companion templates are in the accompanying Workbook.
Ten Georgia schools have completed travel plans. These plans are available on the Resource Center website at http://www.saferoutesga.org/content/completed-travel-plans.
What is a Safe Routes to School Travel Plan?
A Safe Routes to School Travel Plan is a tool that describes how best to improve safety and encourage more children to walk and bike to school. Typically, your school's SRTS team writes the plan to reflect the characteristics and needs of your community.
The most successful SRTS Travel Plans include programs and projects by "E": education, encouragement, enforcement, engineering and evaluation (referred to as the "5 E's"; see Appendix B for full details).
Writing Your SRTS Travel Plan
This Guide will take you through the process of developing your Travel Plan. The Resource Center has created a companion Workbook with templates for you to record information needed to create your travel plan. In some cases, completing the template will be as simple as checking off a series of boxes or filling in the blanks. Modify the templates and make other changes as needed to meet the particular needs of your community.
The Workbook is available as a downloadable PDF at www.SafeRoutesGA.org. Click on Program Toolkit and download the document titled, "Writing your SRTS Travel Plan". Templates are located here, too, as a Word document. Copy this document on to your computer to start using them.
Section 1: Introduction and Start of the SRTS Travel Plan Summary. The introduction to your SRTS Travel Plan explains your understanding of and motivation
for completing the Plan, i.e. a brief statement of what your community hopes to accomplish through the plan.
What to include. Choose a name for your plan, and the reasons that best suit your school's situation. The introduction may include a summary of a visioning exercise to answer the question, "5 years from now, I'd like to see..." and specific goals, such as increasing the number of students walking or biking to school It will explain your school's main motivations for wanting to improve walking and bicycling to school.
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Tips for completing this section Engage all stakeholders to accurately represent your community's priorities for school travel.
Pose the two questions stated above to the school community during your public input
activities such as meetings, interviews and surveys.
Section 2: Your SRTS Team Summary. A SRTS team is a core group of people that commit to preparing, writing and following
through with the School Travel Plan and its strategies. The most successful SRTS Travel Plans are created by a variety of stakeholders who are concerned about kids walking and bicycling to school safely. In this section you identify each member of your team. Also choose a primary contact person for the plan among the team members listed. This person will serve as the team leader.
What to include. List each member of your SRTS team and her or his affiliation using the fields provided. Keep the size of the team manageable, ideally from nine to thirteen people. If you already have a SRTS team, this part of the Travel Plan should be easy.
Tips for completing this section
The following is a list of potential candidates to consider asking to volunteer on your SRTS team:
The school principal or assistant principal
Two to four interested parents
One or two teachers (consider those with outside duty before or after school)
Neighborhood or community association member
A local transportation planner or engineer from your local transportation agency
A school crossing guard
A local police representative
An advocate from your local pedestrian or bicycle group
One or two children who already walk or bike to school or who are a student safety
patrol member
Section 3: Current School Travel Environment Summary. This section paints a picture of how students and families currently travel to and from
school. This includes important baseline data that will help your school measure the effectiveness of your initiatives.
What to Include. This section should include information available at your school, such as Current travel modes and numbers. Identify how students currently travel to and from school,
as well has how many students use each mode. As a Bronze Level Partner, you should have this information from student tallies and parent surveys.
Distance lived from school. Knowing the number of students living within walking distance (under
one mile) or bicycling distance (under two miles), or further, is important in determining the type of approaches to use in your Plan.
Crossing guards and other supports. Identify school crossing guard locations, student safety
patrols, police department presence, neighborhood watch programs, etc. Interview these people to identify issues with student pedestrians and bicyclists safety. (Information gathered may help to inform Section 4 of the Plan.)
Arrival/dismissal procedures. Identify any unique arrival/dismissal procedures for pedestrians and
bicyclists, school buses, private vehicle drop-off/pick-up and school staff.
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School travel policies. Cite any official or unofficial policies of the school relating to student
travel, such as bicycling bans, early dismissal of walking and bicycling students, age restrictions or special permissions related to walking and bicycling.
What your school is doing already. This section should also include anything your school is currently
doing or has done in the past that promotes SRTS-supportive programs such as physically active transportation, healthy lifestyles and traffic safety.
Tips for completing this section
Use the Student Travel Tally sheet to determine current student travel modes. The Student Travel Tally
sheet is a show-of-hands survey completed in the classroom with students for two or three days, (avoid Mondays and Fridays) that records how each student travels to and from school each day. We recommend using the Student Tally Sheet from the National Center for Safe Routes to School at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/data.
Identify student walking routes. Your school district may have designated walking routes as part
of their transportation planning to determine hazard busing needs. Another option is obtain student addresses without names from your school administrators and plot them on a map. This will show where students are (or could be) walking. You can also gather distance information by administering the Parent/guardian Travel Survey, discussed in the next section.
NOTE: School districts typically bus students outside of a "walk area," except when the walking
route is considered "unsafe" based on factors such as lack of sidewalks, traffic volumes, unmarked crossings, or major arterial roads.
Compile and summarize your school's travel policies. These policies may be included in a
parent handbook. Alternately, interview the school principal or other school officials to obtain this information.
Document the source of each piece of information. This will come in handy when updating the
information in the future.
Section 4: Collect Data on Existing Conditions and Barriers
Summary. Identify existing conditions along with barriers that hinder students' ability to walk or bicycle to school in this section. Focus on existing conditions and barriers in the neighborhood at the school site and along roads up to 2 miles from the school, especially along student walking and bicycling routes. Once information on existing conditions and barriers is compiled, you will have a good picture of where walking and bicycling conditions for students can be improved.
What to include. Start by making a list of the conditions and barriers to include, noting how important each is to collect by designating it as high, medium or low. This step helps your team know where to spend its time. The information below is organized according to the 5 E's (Engineering, Encouragement, Education, Enforcement and Evaluation). This is a good start, but your team may collect other information based on your community's own unique circumstances.
Engineering
Identify roads that are busy and/or wide that divide neighborhoods and are difficult or impossible
for students to cross. Freeways, streets with 4, 6 or 8 lanes, and streets with posted speed limits of more than 35 mph are examples. Other barriers to identify include waterways, railroad tracks and private roads or communities that are not open to the general public.
Identify missing bicycle facilities that make it difficult or impossible to bicycle to school. This could
include short sections of trail, bike lanes or directional signing.
Identify missing sidewalks, especially those where students already walk along the side of the
road to get to school. Look for locations where there may be a `start and stop' mixture of sidewalks and gaps.
Identify locations with missing curb ramps and broken sidewalks. Students who use wheelchairs
and other assistive devices to help them walk, require curb ramps. Visually impaired students require truncated domes (little bumps) on curb ramps to let them know when they are entering to roadway.
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Education
Identify safety signs needed near or at the school. Examples include signs that say "Watch for
Children", "School Zone" and a bike symbol followed by "Share the Road". Encouragement
See if there is bicycle parking at the school. If so, is it sufficient? Existing bicycle racks may be in
disrepair or be in a location that leaves the bicycles subject to vandalism and theft.
Identify school crosswalks and school walking/bicycling routes that lead children to the school.
Your school may already have an official route that directs children to school crosswalks and crossing guards.
Document behavior at your school pick-up and drop-of area. Are parents following the rules?
Student arrival and dismissal times are often characterized by long lines of vehicle traffic, clogged streets and parking lots, and illegal parking. Many schools experience impolite or even aggressive behavior by drivers, including parents. Enforcement
Identify locations that currently have crossing guards and parent/student patrols. Identify times and locations of current enforcement activities near the school. Identify streets that have a problem with speeding motorists. Many communities grapple with the
difficult task of calming traffic, and increasing adherence to traffic laws. High posted speed limits and poor street design can contribute to extremely unsafe driver behavior.
Identify locations where there are public safety concerns. Anxiety surrounding public safety and
security (real or perceived) can be a major barrier to walking and bicycling. Evaluation
A pattern of traffic crashes is often a strong indicator of areas needing improvements. Talk
to your local police department, planning agency or public works department to see if they can produce a map showing pedestrian and bicyclist crashes within your school's attendance boundary. You may notice a pattern where most crashes are along one or two corridors. Try to collect three to five years of crash data. Other (include attitudes about walking and biking, e.g., parent attitudes)
Identify difficult crossing locations near the school. The lack of safe crossing points is one of the
major barriers to walking and bicycling. Problems include speed, wide roadway crossings, a lack of traffic controls, and the need for crossing guards.
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Tips for completing this section Most of the data can easily be collected by taking a walk (walkabout) or bike ride (bikeabout)
around your school area on streets commonly used by students.
Taking a walk or bike ride with your SRTS Team (and other stakeholders) is one of the best ways to
generate interest and enthusiasm for completing and implementing your SRTS Travel Plan.
Write down anything you think is important under "Notes." Your notes may be something positive
such as "observed lots of kids using this sidewalk" or something to address such as "this crosswalk is worn and needs to be replaced."
Ways to engage members of the public and local partners. The public input process is designed to assist you with gathering both baseline data and information because barriers and obstacles to walking and bicycle to school. The following summary describes the types of public input to consider:

Administer parent surveys. The National Center for Safe Routes to School recommends using
a parent survey to capture critical attitudes of parents and caregivers regarding walking and bicycling to school, and opinions of real and perceived dangers. Surveys can also gather information regarding problems along the walking route and how far students reside from school. We recommend using the National Center for Safe Routes to School Parent Survey. The National Center offers two options for completing the survey: a paper survey and a web-based survey via Survey Monkey. The National Center tallies surveys for options. Check the following for more information: http://tinyurl.com/parent-surveyInfo.

Interview local partners (a.k.a. key stakeholders). Talking individually with those directly involved
with student travel can provide valuable insight into the issues at hand. Principals, crossing guards, parents, and local traffic planners, engineers and law enforcement officials are good people to contact for interviews.

Solicit student opinions. Students often have a unique perspective on walking and bicycling
to school. After all, they are the ones doing it. Find out what students think by including them as members of the SRTS Team and in other public input activities. Or you can specifically ask students what they think through the student council, during an assembly or as part of an essay assignment.

Host a public comment period. One simple way to gather public opinion
is to announce a public comment period. Pose a simple question to the public: "How can we improve walking and bicycling to school in our community?" Publicize the question through newsletters, websites and email.

Conduct a community `walkabout' or `bikeabout'.
Neighborhood walkabouts and bike-abouts are exercises used in many SRTS programs to raise awareness of issues and conditions that effect walking and bicycling. They also can be used to garner support for needed changes and to gather information needed to help create school route maps. Have participants use the Walkability and Bikeability Checklist to record their impressions during a community walking or biking exercise. These checklists are available at: http://tinyurl.com/ walk-bikeSurvey under "Education".
Incorporate information from your community's existing bike
or pedestrian plan. You may already have an approved, local plan that includes pedestrian and bicycle policies, programs and plans. This document may include relevant information on walking and biking conditions to schools, including pedestrian and bicyclist counts, crash data and proposed improvements. Consult your local planning agency to see if you have one of these plans. If they do, see where you goals overlap and tailor your plan to include any strategies and projects that serve both sets of needs. Include proposed improvements in Sections 5 and 6 of your Travel Plan.

Using "Community Walk"
Community Walk is an interactive map website that can be used for SRTS projects, offering a forum for recording comments and recommendations for school walking and bicycling routes and conditions. See www.communitywalk.com for more information.

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How to display information. Organize and display the information you collect in a way that tells a story. While some of the information can be summarized in text form or in a chart or graph, much of it is best captured on maps that instantly identify existing conditions and where there are problems or deficiencies.
Obtain or prepare two maps: A School Neighborhood Map and a School Site Map. The maps may be simple, hand drawn creations, computer-drawn maps, or more sophisticated, interactive web based maps. The maps should be a fairly large size, so that there is enough room to make observation notes directly on the maps.
Quick Solutions for Developing Base Maps There are a number of ways maps can be prepared. A commercially available road map pinned to a board can serve as a base map, with the information added via markers or highlighters. However, these maps may not show enough detail so you may need to look elsewhere for a map that will work for your purposes. Check out the following sources: Your state, regional, county or municipal planning or transportation agency may be able to
create a map for you.
The school construction or master plan (a map which was created when the school was built or
remodeled) may be available from your school district.
Your school district may have a map of the school attendance boundary and walk zone. Internet map websites such as Google Earth (http://earth.google.com) can be used. Interactive web-based maps such as "Community Walk" can be used.
Tips for completing this section The School Neighborhood Map should cover a one-to-two mile radius in every direction from
the school. It should include road names; names of major destinations such as parks, shopping centers, libraries and community centers. It should also cover bicycle facilities and the school's walk/zone (if there is one) or non-transport limits where busing is not provided. From here you can add the other information on existing conditions and barriers.
The School Site Map should be a large map of the school property. This map should depict parent
and school bus drop-off and pick-up zones, on-site bicycle parking, and pedestrian and bicycle access routes between the public street and the entrance(s) to the school. Include sidewalks, bicycle facilities and information about the streets immediately adjacent to the school, and other information on existing conditions and barriers.
Section 5: Creating Solutions
Summary: Use this section to identify solutions to the barriers you have identified in Sections 3 and 4. You will no doubt have developed a diverse list of barriers to walking and bicycling, as well as opportunities to encourage more students to walk or bike to school. Your solutions will be multifaceted, based on the goals stated in the Introduction, and organized around the 5 "Es".
What to include Goals. You created a vision for the SRTS program at your school and identified why you decided
to prepare a Travel Plan. Refer to this information as you develop solutions.
Strategies. Strategies directly address the barriers identified in the previous section, organized by
the 5 "Es". Strategies are specific, measurable activities that answer the question, "How will I meet my goal?" Each strategy should include a measurable target and timeframe for implementation. Be aware of the things you can do within existing programs and few resources, compared to things that require additional resources and local partner input, i.e., from other sources such as your local transportation agency.
The National Center for Safe Routes to School's online guide (www.saferoutesinfo.org) describes in detail each of the 5 "Es", including ideas for specific activities. Suggested strategies for the 4 nonengineering "Es" -Encouragement, Education, Enforcement, and Evaluation are activities included
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in Appendix B of this Guide. Review this list to identify strategies that may be appropriate for your school. Other good resources to use are on the National Center for Safe Routes to School website at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/; and at the Safe Routes to School National Partnership website at http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/home.
Section 6: The Completed Travel Plan Summary. This is the section where you put everything together your team can use to guide
implementation.
What to include. List and describe each strategy, along with the "Coordinator"; "Timeframe/ Frequency"; "Necessary Resources"; and "Status". If possible, include a map showing the location of strategies targeted for a particular location.
Tips for completing this section Consider separating engineering strategies from the other "Es". Your school SRTS team will not
implement engineering strategies and they generally take longer to implement. Your team is more likely to implement Encouragement, Education, Enforcement and Evaluation strategies, and within a shorter timeframe.
Consult with each of the local partners who are responsible for implementing each strategy
before assigning responsibilities and setting timeline targets.
Consider ordering the strategies to reflect the timeframe i.e. immediate items first later
items last.
For example, begin with strategies that are low cost or can move forward immediately because
of an opportunity to "piggy back" onto another project or program.
Consider creating a 12-month activity calendar that targets when an activity will happen and
when to plan for it. You may already have developed a calendar as a Silver Level Partner. A sample calendar is in Appendix A.
Be creative in finding resources. Many education and encouragement resources are available
at no cost on the Georgia SRTS Resource Center website, www.SafeRoutesGA.org, so your main costs will be paper and printing. In many cases, you may be able to use school resources or those of an area business or other non-profit organization. Private foundations may have grants to support active and healthy living programs. Remember to work with your local transportation agency as they may be able to include SRTS infrastructure improvements as part of other planned projects or through funding for SRTS infrastructure projects. See Appendix C for more funding ideas.
Section 7: Plan Approval Summary. This section celebrates the Travel Plan completion with approval from all team members
and endorsements from your local partners.
What to include. List local partner names and affiliations, along with letters of support they may provide.
Tips for completing this section Placing team approval for your Travel Plan at the beginning of the Plan sets a positive tone. Team
members can sign below their name, if that is your preference. A team photograph is a great way to put a face on the document.
Local partner endorsements can be listed at the front of the plan or at the end. Letters of support
belong at the end, however.
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FIVE BEYOND YOUR TRAVEL PLAN
During implementation you will put into effect the activities, programs and projects in your SRTS Travel Plan. Your SRTS team will need to work together closely to engage other local partners. Keep your School Outreach Coordinator (SOC) at the Georgia Resource Center informed about your successes and ask for help if needed. Contact the Resource Center at 1.877.436.8927 or www.SafeRoutesGA.org. Reach out to other members of your community. Your team members can start to implement the Plan, but you will likely need the participation of experts and local partners from several different groups with different perspectives to make your plan effective.
Momentum - Building on Early Successes
Use your early successes to keep things going. You have probably already hosted a successful Walk and Bike to School Day or another SRTS event. You have also secured endorsements for you SRTS Travel Plan (See Chapter 4), including letters of support from some key people such as your mayor, school district superintendant and school principal. Interest in your SRTS program is riding high. Don't let this energy go to waste. Immediately move to implement new activities and projects. Make every Wednesday Walk and Bike to School Day. Look for ways to promote SRTS as part of other events such as school fundraisers and festivals. You want to be known as a group that produces results.
Building a Long Term Implementation Strategy
Incorporate SRTS in the institutional mission of your local partner agencies. Short term, early successes are energizing, fun and are needed for getting a SRTS off the ground. However, to fully implement your Plan and create a permanent and ongoing SRTS program that changes how kids get to school for years to come, you must eventually involve the entire community in a way that creates sustainability beyond the involvement of your SRTS team. This means involving the school district, local community groups or neighborhood associations, the local business community, your local law enforcement agency, local public health agencies, not-for-profit civic groups, and, your county and municipal governments beyond a one-time event. It means making SRTS part of the `institutional mission' of these agencies and organizations so that they embrace SRTS in their annual policies, projects and programs.
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Involving Your Local Partners
Each of your SRTS team's local partners has something unique to offer. The key is to identify what they have to offer and then come up with a strategy that makes their involvement on-going and sustainable over time. The objective is to secure an on-going commitment so that you don't have to search for resources over and over. For example, your local grocery may agree to provide juice drinks each year for your Walk to School Day event. Every local partner has existing projects and programs that offer opportunities. An important strategy is to identify existing projects and programs that offer opportunities to implement your SRTS Travel Plan. For example, your local police department may have existing enforcement patrols that can be moved to locations on school walking routes. Your local government may have a sidewalk repair program that can be used for sidewalks near your school. A description of potential local partners and how they can participate in your school's SRTS program is included in Appendix D.
Final Thoughts on Implementation
Implementing some of the things in your SRTS Travel Plan will be complex and will take several years to complete.
Don't be discouraged. Focus on some of the easy projects each year as a way of keeping the
momentum going.
Once you engage your local partners, you will be amazed at the success you achieve.
Remember, the old adage "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" is true. Building relationships for the long term now will help you implement changes in years to come.
SRTS can be a big umbrella for many things. Continue to look for ways to connect existing
activities to your SRTS program.
Keep track of your successes and make them public. Always, always, always give out a lot of
thank you notes, emails, letters, cards, awards and plaques. Take every opportunity to publicly recognize your champions the people who provide the vision and energy to get things done.
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APPENDIX A SAMPLE 12 MONTH ACTIVITY CALENDAR

Activity

Coordinator

EDUCATION

Pedestrian Safety Day

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May

Plan Implement

Kathy Parker of Safety Streets Georgia, (with Caitlyn Albemarle of Safe Kids Georgia)

Distribute Parent Education Materials Plan
Implement Mary Hall, PTA president

ENCOURAGEMENT International Walk to School Day First Wednesday in October
Plan Allen Smith, assistant principal Implement (with local business owners)

Georgia Walk to School Day First Wednesday in March
Plan Allen Smith, assistant principal Implement (with local business owners)

Walking School Buses Plan John Streeter, (with Allen Smith
Implement and Ramona Salizar)

ENFORCEMENT Neighborhood Watch Program / Safe Haven

Plan Gladys Johnson (with the Brown

Implement

River and Grasston Woods neighborhoods)

EVALUATION Classroom tallies of travel mode to school Conducted annually
Plan Implement Allen Smith (with Ramona Salizar)

Parent survey Conducted annually
Plan Implement Allen Smith (with Dr. Houston)

Annual Walk Audit Plan Allen Smith (with Anthony
Implement Vincetti)

Appendix A

A1-

Appendix A

A

APPENDIX B SUGGESTED STRATEGIES & RESOURCES FOR ENCOURAGEMENT, EDUCATION, ENFORCEMENT & EVALUATION ACTIVITIES

Strategy
Walking and Biking Safety Assembly
These single-day events can be held in the fall to promote Walk to School Day. Guest speakers teach the students pedestrian and bicycle safety skills that they can use when walkinzg and biking to school.

E's

Advantages

Considerations

Resources

Education & Encouragement

Assures all children learn bicycle and pedestrian safety skills.
Establishes habits that benefit children throughout their lives, regardless of whethzer they currently walk or bike to school.
Establishes consistent messages for young pedestrians and bicyclists.
Provides a refresher for parents if take home materials are provided in conjunction with the assembly. It's never too late to correct bad habits.

Best taught using a zcombination of methods, including one-time instruction (e.g. assemblies), multi-lesson classroom curricula, and skills practice (e.g. bike rodeos).
Requires able and willing instructors.
Should be age-appropriate.
Bicycle safety education may require an outside instructor, e.g. a police officer.

NCSRTS page on strategies for educating children: www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/ education/strategies_for_ educating_children.cfm.
National Highway Transportation Administration's pedestrian page: www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ portal/site/nhtsa/

Events can make learning fun, and help strengthen community ties with event organizers and participants.

Participate in Walk to School Day
Walk to School Day is a one-day event that celebrates walking and biking to school.
Generally this event is scheduled for the first full week in October.
The State of Georgia hosts a Spring Walk to School Day in March.

Education & Encouragement

Excellent kick-off event for Safe Routes to School program.
Generates enthusiasm for walking and biking.
Way to raise community awareness about safety issues.
Can be as simple as a few kids and parents meeting to walk to school or very elaborate celebrations.
Can be folded into studies of international cultures as it is an international event.
Date is flexible- to be counted by the National Center for Safe Routes to school the event need only take place before Dec 1.

Preparations for elaborate celebrations must begin several months in advance to allow time to identify partners, plan activities, and promote the event.
Should provide bicycle and pedestrian safety information to children and parents.
International Walk to School Day takes place in October but some schools organize multiple Walk to School Day (or "Walk and Roll Day") events over the course of the school year (e.g. one in the fall and one in the spring).

Walk to School Day downloadable templates for flyers, banners, pennants, etc: http://saferoutesga.org/ Resources/Downloads
U.S. Walk to School Day website (provides resources and event registration): www.walktoschool.org
International Walk to School Day website: www.iwalktoschool.org/

Appendix B

B1

Strategy

E's

Frequent Walker/ Bicyclist Program or Walking Wednesdays

Encouragement

Track and reward students who walk and bicycle to school. Can be an individual competition or a competition among classes.

Participate in Georgia's Way to Go Program.

Traffic Enforcement (Staff/Crossing Guards)
This can be an ongoing program for school staff and crossing guards. This works well if the school has an existing reward point program.

Education, Enforcement, Encouragement

Advantages
Provides positive reinforcement for walking and bicycling.
Children respond to incentives.
Can include all students.
Can include walking and bicycling beyond the trip to school.

Considerations
Necessary to identify a coordinator.
Establish a simple recordkeeping system.
Establish age-appropriate goals.
Consider giving rewards to parents as well, since parents are often involved in the commute to school.

Resources
Resources for Georgia's Way to Go Program Resources such as downloadable templates for punch cards and stickers: http://saferoutesga.org/ Resources/Downloads
NCSRTS page on mileage clubs and contests: www.saferoutesinfo.org/ guide/encouragement/ mileage_clubs_and_ contests.cfm

Crossing guards play an important role in helping children cross the street at key locations, reminding drivers of the presence of pedestrians, and making parents feel more comfortable about letting their children walk and bicycle to school.
Staff and crossing guards can also reward students who are "caught being good" by issuing School Reward Points.

Requires some training and coordination with crossing guards.

Student Safety Patrol Program
This can be an ongoing program for 5th grade students. Student safety patrols can offer educational literature to offenders to let them know about traffic safety issues (and proper behavior) surrounding the school zone.

Education, Enforcement, Encouragement

Students can also issue citations if condoned by the school.
Excellent way to educate parents and encourage appropriate behaviors while supporting the school's SRTS program.
Teaches students valuable leadership skills.

Requires an adult organizer such as a parent, teacher, or law enforcement officer.
Materials such as sashes and badges are encouraged.
Requires adult supervision while students are "onduty".
Student safety patrols will also be trained to set the model example for younger students.
In the last month of school, student patrols can "train" 3rd graders who are interested in being trained in the fall.
One option is to host an end of the year party to honor the graduating safety patrols.

Giveaways for students when they cash-in their Reward points.
AAA Safety Patrol Program: http://www.aaamidatlantic. com/ Foundation/ SchoolPrograms/ SchoolSafetyPatrol

Appendix B

B2

Strategy

E's

Walk Audit/Parent Surveys / Student tallies

Evaluation

The team will meet annually (ideally in August before school starts) to review the accomplishments and progress from the previous school year and set new goals for the upcoming school year.

Advantages
Establishes baseline information on student travel behavior and perceived barriers to walking and biking.
Helps determine existing needs.
Helps determine success of SRTS efforts and identify needed adjustments.

Considerations
Best to conduct initial surveys before SRTS measures have been implemented.
Requires teacher buyin and administrative organization.
Getting parents to fill out and return surveys can be a challenge. Follow up is necessary. Consider a contest among classes for highest rate of return.

Resources
Student In-Class Travel Tally For: http://www.saferoutesinfo. org/data-central/datacollection-forms
Parent Survey Form: http://www.saferoutesinfo. org/data-central/datacollection-forms
Instructions for Survey Administration: http://www.saferoutesinfo. org/data-central/datacollection-forms
Instructions for Data Entry: http://www.saferoutesinfo. org/data-central/datacollection-forms

Bike Rodeo
This is a single-day event that promotes bicycle safety. At the rodeo, students can borrow bicycles or bring their own.

Education & Encouragement

Events like bike rodeos make learning fun and can help strengthen community ties with event organizers and participants.
At the rodeo students learn safety skills such as how to properly wear a helmet and how to behave while bike riding. The rodeo can also have a closed "test course" for the students to ride along. This helps the students to practice in a safe environment and gain confidence in their decision-making skills.
One possible partner for this is the local police department.

Requires able and willing instructors.
Should be ageappropriate.
Bicycle safety education may require an outside instructor, e.g. a police officer.
These events require planning and materials to share with students.

Bicycling Life page on bicycle rodeos: http://www.bicyclinglife.com/ SafetySkills/BicycleRodeo.htm

Walking School Buses/ Bicycle Trains
Walking school buses and bicycle trains are adult supervised groups of students walking and/or bicycling to school.

Education & Encouragement

Adult supervision on the walk to school.
Can be loosely structured or highly organized.
Can include a meeting point in a parking lot so children and parents who must drive can participate.
Adults can rotate who will lead each time.

Need to identify routes where conditions support walking and there is sufficient demand for supervised walking.
Requires parents willing to walk with children and learn about how Walking school buses are organized and conducted.
More organized structure requires considerable planning.

NCSRTS page on walking school buses: www.saferoutesinfo.org/ guide/encouragement/ walking_school_bus_or_ bicycle_train.cfm

Appendix B

B3

Strategy

E's

Drive Safe Campaigns

Education

Some parents are not aware of how their driving behavior can put walking students at risk. This teaches parents how their unsafe driving habits can put their children in danger.

Advantages
Has the ability to positively effect change in and community around the school.
Improves the safety of the walking environment.
Good drivers can help to set the example for good behavior. This is especially true for helping to control speeds.

Considerations
This requires a person to organize and administer the campaign.
May not be effective at schools where parent/ teacher organizations are weak.
Law enforcement officers would be great at speaking at the campaign events. Sometimes, due to their heavy schedules that can be difficult to pin down.
A good way to contact parents is at back to school night and PTA meetings. Starting at the beginning of the year helps to prevent bad habits from starting. Law enforcement officers (or other teachers) can hold a brief assembly to explain the dangers of unsafe driving in school areas.
Law enforcement officers can provide a demonstration of how difficult it is to quickly stop a moving vehicle at 50, 40 and 30 mph. The National Center has information on how the speed of the vehicle can affect the severity of injury that the pedestrian experiences in a crash.

Resources

Appendix B

B4

Strategy

E's

Crossing Guard Appreciation Day

Education

Crossing guards help our children cross the road safely in the mornings and afternoons, in all weather conditions. Remind them that you appreciate their service and dedication. Students can create thank you cards that they deliver themselves during their walks home, or teachers and administrators can honor them formally during a school assembly.

Pace Car Program
Program participants pledge to drive the speed limit on neighborhood streets, respect pedestrians and bicyclists, and display the Pace Car bumper sticker.

Adopt a Sidewalk Program
To keep sidewalks clear of debris and trash, groups can volunteer to adopt a sidewalk. Groups can include classrooms and families as well as local businesses or agencies.

Enforcement

Advantages
Maintains a positive relationship between the crossing guards and the school/community.
Can inspire crossing guards to continue to be reliable, safety figures.
Creates an opportunity to remind students why it is important to practice safe walking skills.

Considerations
Requires coordination between the crossing guards, school administrators and school instructors.
May require materials to create the thank-you cards.
Is most effective with newsletter and in-school announcements.
Relatively inexpensive strategy.

Resources
Downloadable templates for event flyers and newsletter inserts: http://saferoutesga.org/ Resources/Downloads

This promotes the Safe Routes to School program and also relieves the localities of some of the burden to keep the sidewalks well-maintained.

Requires the help and dedication of volunteers.
Requires public outreach and education.

Websites for Pace Car programs around the country: www.northamptonma.gov/ pacecar/
www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pw/ npcp/npcp.html
www.waba.org/pacecar/

This promotes the Safe Routes to School program and also relieves the localities of some of the burden to keep the sidewalks well-maintained.

Requires the help and dedication of volunteers.
Requires public outreach and education.

Education

Appendix B

B5

APPENDIX C STATE FUNDING SOURCES

Non-Competetive Resources
Support for Encouragement, Education and Evaluation activities comes through becoming a Partner with the SRTS Resource Center.
Some Resource Center Partner Schools will receive assistance in preparing a Travel Plan that includes infrastructure projects to be constructed when funding is available from the state or other sources. A well-prepared travel plan is a great marketing tool when working to secure funding, regardless of the source.
State Funds for Infrastructure Projects SRTS Funding from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
Georgia provides funding for Infrastructure projects around schools through local government agencies. This means, your local transportation agency needs to submit an application for the project to GDOT. GDOT will complete the project if funded. Having a SRTS Travel Plan can make this much easier if it is developed in collaboration between your school and local transportation agency. For more information on the types of projects that will be considered for funding, go to the Georgia SRTS web site at: http://www.saferoutesga.org/Basics/How.
Infrastructure projects are selected through a competitive application process, with priority given to schools that have enrolled in the Resource Center, have SRTS Travel Plan, or have Education, Encouragement and Enforcement programs. All infrastructure projects must be within a two-mile radius of a school with grades K-8.
Georgia Department of Transportation District-Level Funds
Funding for small infrastructure projects is available through Georgia's Off-System Government Safety Program. Each GDOT District has a pool of funds targeted for upgrades such as pavement markings, signage and traffic signals. For more information, visit http://www.dot.state.ga.us/localgovernment/Documents/LocalGovernmentManual.pdf, page 4-5.
Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)
Georgia counties can use the special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) to fund buidling and maintenance of parks, schools, roads, and other public facilities. Georgia's state sales tax is currently 4% (groceries and perscription drugs exempted), with the counties allowed to add up to 1% more for SPLOST. A SPLOST is passed by a county commission and voted up or down by residents in a referendum, usually during the next scheduled election. A SPLOST only lasts five years. At that time, if the funds are still needed, it must be voted upon again. All expenditures of SPLOST funds must be in compliance with Article VIII, Section VI, Paragraph IV of the Georgia Constitution, and Official Code of Georgia Annontated (O.C.G.A.) Section 48-8-141.
Augusta-Richmond County adoped a SPLOST in February 2010 and will ust the funds for transportation projects supporting walking routes to schools.
Gwinnett County has allocated a total amount of 23 millon dollars (of the total 100 million raised) towards funding school improvement projects. Sidewalks at seven elementary schools were inproved with SPLOST funds.
More information on schools and SPLOST is available at: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/fbo_facilities.aspx?PageReq+FBOFacilitiesSPLOST

Appendix C

C1

APPENDIX D POTENTIAL LOCAL PARTNERS

Potential local partners and how they can benefit your team are described here.
Your Local School and School District
Brainstorm ideas for what they can offer. Differentiate between what your school can offer versus your school district. Some ideas to explore:
General support. There are many things your school or school district can offer. They can make photocopies, help create brochures, announcements and other publications; and provide free rooms for team and community meetings. They may also be willing to help develop and publish school route maps for pedestrians and bicyclists. Get a commitment that allows you to make use of these services on an on-going basis.
Walk and bike to school policies. If your school has policies that inhibit or prevent walking and bicycling to school, work with your school or school district to get them changed. You may need to try this on a pilot basis before getting them permanently changed.
Pick-up and drop-off policies. Your school's pick-up and drop-off policies may prevent safe and convenient access to your school for pedestrians and bicyclists. While the SRTS program focus is not about making it easier for parents to drive their children to school, these procedures should be considered within the context of creating safer places for students to walk or bike to school. Work with your school principal and your local transportation agency to make necessary and permanent changes. This may mean moving the pick-up and drop-off zones, adding new signs and curb paint and providing parents with written rules for when and when they can pick-up and drop-of their children.
School Comprehensive Plan. Your school will likely have a comprehensive site plan that anticipates future changes and improvements. Work with your school and school district to review the plans to make changes that will make your school easier and safer to access by foot and by bike. f your school does not have a plan, consider working with the school to create one. Even if there is no current funding, you will be in a great position to get significant changes when the time comes to implement the plan.
Community Groups and Neighborhood Associations Neighborhood Plan. If your neighborhood has or is developing a neighborhood plan, work with your
neighborhood group to include improvements identified in your SRTS Travel Plan. Once in the Plan, you will have a much better chance of eventually getting the improvements implanted.
Neighborhood Priorities. Your neighborhood group may have a prioritized list of projects they would like to see completed. Review the list to see if you can include improvements identified in your SRTS Travel Plan.
In-Kind donations. There are many things your neighborhood groups can offer. Some ideas include publicity and volunteers for special events (use their newsletter and email list to get the word out), meeting rooms and help with publishing materials. Get a commitment that allows you to make use of these services on an on-going basis.
Local Law Enforcement Safety Officer. Safety officers are often assigned to schools to give presentations, talk to parents, help organize
pick-up and drop-off zones and work with the traffic police to issue warnings and tickets. When budgets are tight, Safety Officers may be reduced, so provide community support to your local police department to make sure that funding for Safety Officers is included in the department's annual budget.
Law Enforcement Grants. Find out what safety grants are available to your local police department for safety

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education and neighborhood policing. Write letters of support to help secure the grants. Training for Officers. Support your police department's efforts to get specialized training in Safety Education and Community Policing. This can often produce champions who will support your SRTS program.
Local Public Health Agencies Advocacy. Health providers can be excellent advocates for healthy lifestyles. Often, a message that comes
from a health provider will carry more weight than if said by someone else. See if your public health organization will publicly endorse your SRTS Travel Plan. Your public health organization may use a local celebrity (e.g., an athlete, scholar or someone in the arts such as a musician) to help deliver its message. This person may be ideal as a spokesperson for your program.
Public Health Outreach Specialist. Health specialists are often assigned to schools to work with parents and kids regarding various health issues and creating healthy life styles. Find out how they are funded. Provide community support to your local health department to make sure that funding for safety officers is included in the department's annual budget.
Program Assessment. Health organizations are often very good at accessing whether programs are succeeding in accomplishing their goals and objects. Engage your local health professionals in evaluating your SRTS program (the 5th "E"). See if they will commit to an annual or bi-annual evaluation.
In-kind donations. As with other local partners, your public health organizations may be able to assist with providing meeting rooms, organizing local partner meetings and help with publishing materials. Get a commitment that allows you to make use of these in-kind services on an on-going basis.
Civic and Business Groups Business Community: Business groups such as the Chamber of Commerce are also likely to have a list of priority
projects for the neighborhood. See if some of your priorities match theirs and see if they will support your priorities.
Annual Fundraisers: Many civic and business groups will adopt, sponsor and run one or more fund raising events for a `good cause'. Events might include an auction, athletic event (bike ride, walking event, and a halfmarathon), raffle, or parade. Organizing a fund raising event is a big effort for any organization so it may take some time to secure support and develop an event. However, once established, it can be a great annual event that raises both funds and awareness for SRTS.
Political Support: Civic and business groups are often well connected to the local political network. They can be your best advocates for more resources and support from your local government. This is where "champions" can be particularly effective. Work to get one or two key business leaders on your SRTS team.
County and City Governments Local Comprehensive or Transportation Plan. If your county or city already has or is planning to complete
a transportation plan, get involved to make sure the projects identified in your SRTS Travel plan are included. This can be very important since it may make your projects eligible for certain types of funding (recognizing that the funding will need to go through your local transportation agency).
Local Non-motorized Transportation Plan. The same strategy applies here. If your county or city already has or is planning to complete a regional bicycle and/or pedestrian plan, get involved to make sure the projects identified in your SRTS Travel plan are included.
Capital Program. County and city governments typically have multi-year lists anticipating future capital expenditures. Road improvement projects are often part of these lists. Review their plans and then work with them to include your improvements.

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Annual Maintenance Programs. Annual programs can be one of the best ways to get small improvements completed around and near your school. Annual maintenance programs typically include installing new signs, restriping the street and crosswalks, installing curb ramps and making crossing improvements, sweeping bike lanes and repairing sidewalks. Annual maintenance programs make improvements based on internal priority systems. Meet with your local government officials, explain to them the improvements identified in your SRTS Travel Plan, and then ask them to give priority to projects identified in your SRTS Travel Plan.
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) or Regional Commission
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Your regional planning agency keeps a prioritized list of capital projects referred to as the regional Transportation Improvement Program or TIP. Review the TIP to see if there are any projects near your school. If there are, review the plans and make sure they include the improvements you have identified in your SRTS Travel Plan.
Regional Transportation Plan. If your region already has or is planning to complete a regional transportation plan, get involved to make sure the projects identified in your SRTS Travel plan are included. This can be very important since it may make your projects eligible for certain types of funding (recognizing that the funding will need to go through your local transportation agency).
Regional Non-motorized Transportation Plan. The same strategy applies here. If your region already has or is planning to complete a regional bicycle and/or pedestrian plan, get involved to make sure the projects identified in your SRTS Travel plan are included.
Direct Support. Depending on year to year funding, your local MPO or Regional Commission may be able to provide you with planning support and help with education and encouragement activities for local SRTS programs.

List of MPOs and Regional Commissions MPOs:
Dougherty Area Regional Transportation Study Madison-Athens-Clark-Oconee Transportation Study Augusta Regional Transportation Study Brunswick Area Transportation Study Chattanooga Urban Area Transportation Study Columbus-Phenix City Transportation Study Dalton-Whitfield County MPO Gainesville-Hall MPO Hinesville Area AMPO Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission Floyd-Rome Urban Transportation Study Savannah-Coastal Region MPO (CORE) Valdosta-Lowndes MPO Warner-Robins Area Transportation Study
Regiaonal Commissions:
Northwest Georgia Regional Commission Georgia Mountains Regional Commission Atlanta Regional Commission (also an MPO) Three Rivers Regional Commission
Northeast Georgia Regional Commission Middle Georgia Regional Commission Central Savanah River Area Regional Ccommission River Valley Regional Commission Heart of Georgia Regional Commission Southwest Georgia Regional Commission Southern Georgia Regional Commission
Coastal Georgia Regional Commission

Georgia State Government
Programs and projects of the Georgia Department of Transportation are often administered through its seven districts.
State transportation plan. The State of Georgia has a state transportation plan that anticipates future capital expenditures during a 30 year period. The current plan is for 2005-2035. If you have a state road near your school, contact your local district administrator to learn what work on this road is planned, and how the improvements may affect walking and bicycling to school. Include this state project in your SRTS Travel Plan. Review their plans and then work with them to include your improvements.

Funds for transportation projects. In the past, there has been SRTS infrastructure funding at the State level, however, these funds are limited and are not appropriate for all types of projects. There are many different types of transportation funding programs that your projects may be eligible for. Your State SRTS Coordinator and Bicycle/ Pedestrian Coordinator are good sources of information.

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