Serving Calumet, Fond du Lac, Menominee, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, and Winnebago counties.
Regional Safe Routes to School
Fifty years ago, walking and biking to school were commonplace. In 1969, nearly half of all students aged 5 to 18 walked or biked to school. Today, however, fewer than 13% of students use active transportation. A variety of factors have contributed to this decline, including longer distances to school, safety concerns, and an increase in reliance on vehicles. This shift not only affects student health but also contributes to rising traffic congestion, poor air quality, and a decline in physical activity.
The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program has been helping change this trend since the 1990s. Initially launched in a few cities, the program expanded nationwide in 2005, when Congress approved funding for SRTS initiatives in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. From 2005 to 2012, more than $1 billion was allocated to improve infrastructure and create safer conditions for children to walk and bike to school. In 2012, the program was integrated into the Transportation Alternatives funding stream under the MAP-21 transportation bill, and continued under the FAST Act in 2015, though without a guaranteed minimum funding level.
The East Central Wisconsin Regional Safe Routes to School program focuses on empowering local communities and school districts by providing resources, tools, and expertise to support SRTS activities. By improving safety and promoting walking and biking, the program helps foster healthier lifestyles, reduce congestion, and contribute to more sustainable communities. SRTS initiatives are organized around a framework known as the six E’s, developed by the Safe Routes Partnership, which guides efforts to create safe and active routes to school.
- Education: Teaching students, parents, drivers, and neighbors about traffic safety while promoting the benefits of SRTS. Education provides the skills necessary for safe walking and biking and is often paired with encouragement efforts.
- Encouragement: Generating excitement about walking and biking through school programs and events that engage students, parents, teachers, and the local community.
- Engagement: Involving children, parents, school staff, and local law enforcement in fostering safe and healthy walking and biking habits, encouraging lifelong physical activity.
- Equity: Ensuring that SRTS initiatives benefit all students, with particular focus on those from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and other underserved groups.
- Engineering: Implementing physical improvements such as better sidewalks and safer intersections, identified through walk and bike audits.
- Evaluation: Using data to measure the impact of SRTS efforts, track trends, and allocate resources more effectively.
The Safe Routes to School program is a comprehensive effort to make walking and biking to school safer, healthier, and more accessible for children. By focusing on infrastructure improvements, education, and community engagement, these programs aim to reduce reliance on cars, improve health outcomes, and foster a more sustainable and active transportation culture for the next generation.
For more information on the East Central Wisconsin Regional Safe Routes to School program, please visit http://eastcentralsrts.org.
