Safe Routes to School Plan
A safe routes to school plan is a blueprint for a local or regional strategy to make walking and bicycling to and from school safer and a more attractive travel choice for families. A school or school district can use a safe routes to school plan to initiate support for broader adoption of these important routes into general plans or regional transportation plans. A safe routes to school plan includes strategies to support local communities in establishing new safe routes to school programs as well as sustaining and enhancing existing efforts. A safe routes to school plan will also ensure that tools and resources are focused in areas across the region with the greatest need for assistance.
Safe routes to school plans may address, but are not limited to, the following:
- Increasing the number of children and youth who walk and bicycle to school
- Improving safety conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists
- Expanding existing SRTS programs
- Reducing barriers to participation in SRTS
- Documenting the health, vehicle miles traveled, traffic management, and other benefits derived from SRTS
- Promoting standardization of data collection
- Promoting land use planning and design decisions that support active transportation
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Community input is an important component of a safe routes to school plan. With a large number of diverse stakeholders involved with the creation of the plan, the better the chances it will address community need and garner support. Stakeholders include parents, students, school personnel, community members, local jurisdiction staff and officials. The diversity of the community should be reflected in the stakeholders consulted, including language spoken, income level, and physical ability level. |
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The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has adopted a Regional Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan, which has been included in its 2050 Regional Transportation Plan. The 2050 Regional Transportation Plan provides a framework to guide the development and completion of the Regional Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan as one action toward expanding the region’s travel choices by helping to make walking and bicycle to school a viable transportation option. |
| The creation of the Lake County Safe Routes to School Plan was led by the Lake County/City Area Planning Council. Lake County/City Area Planning Council is the Regional Transportation Planning Agency for Lake County. The plan describes the benefits of safe routes to school and makes recommendations for planning efforts. |
