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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
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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.
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Surprisingly—but no surprise to walking advocates—walk to school programs are part of the solutions.
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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?
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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
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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.
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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
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Far-reaching Benefits
• Low-resourced areas are well served
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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
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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
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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%
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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)
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Safety Benefits of SRTS
Courtesy of David Henderson, Miami-Dade MPO; Rachele Solomon, WalkSafe; Vivian G. Villaamil, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
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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)
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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
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Broader Benefits from SRTS
Reduce school and district transportation costs
Address absenteeism
Improve readiness to learn
Connect residents with essential services
Enhance community life
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Improving Safety:Child Pedestrian Injuries Reduced by 63 Percent
Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsMiami-Dade County, Florida
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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
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Safety Benefits of SRTS
Courtesy of David Henderson, Miami-Dade MPO; Rachele Solomon, WalkSafe; Vivian G. Villaamil, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
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Increasing Walking and Bicycling:Walking and Bicycling grow from 12 to 43%
Heatherwood Elementary SchoolBoulder Colorado
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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
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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
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Reducing Transportation Costs:Early SRTS Funding Still Saving Money
Auburn School DistrictAuburn, Washington
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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
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Connecting Services, Improving Quality of Life and Promoting Economic Revitalization
Elbert-Palmer Elementary SchoolWilmington, Delaware
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Improvements for low-resource neighborhood
Infrastructure improvements provide connections between school and nearby housing, parks, community center, community gardens and shops
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Enhancing Community Life, Addressing Absenteeism and Improving Readiness to Learn
Brightwood Elementary SchoolBrightwood, Massachusetts
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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Connecting Schools and Neighborhoods
Brevard Elementary SchoolBrevard, North Carolina
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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
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Building a Bike Culture for Middle School Students
Omro Middle SchoolOmro, Wisconsin
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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
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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
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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
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Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?
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Are We Reaching a Tipping Point?
4
Source: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets/changing-policy/complete-streets-atlas
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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
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Thank you. Questions?
A lifetime of being active can begin on the way to school.