Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are sustained efforts by parents, schools, community leaders, public health, and metropolitan planning organizations to improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school.

Successful SRTS programs include policy development, planning, and implementation of the 6 E’s

• Engineering
• Education
• Encouragement
• Enforcement
• Evaluation
• Equity

The 6 E’s would include things like:

• Walkability and bikeability audits on safe routes
• Strategies to improve sidewalk conditions on identified safe routes
• Traffic calming devices to slow traffic and give pedestrians priority
• Educating children on walking and bicycling safety
• Challenging students to walk and bike to school
• Implementation of a walking school bus
• Providing opportunities for all students to participate
• Parent walking and biking surveys
• Safety patrol and crossing guard programs
• Student arrival and departure counts
• Bike rodeos
• Walk and bike to school days

Siouxland District Health Department and SIMPCO provide technical assistance to schools in Woodbury County who are interested in starting a SRTS program. Contact Angela Drent for more information.

• Everybody Walk! Video
• Iowa Safe Routes to School
• National Center for Safe Routes to School