Take Action

The following resources will help you take the first steps toward implementing a Safe Routes to School program that will get more kids walking and bicycling to and from schools in your community.

Forming Your “Team”

While a local Safe Routes to School program usually has one or two “champions” who initiate and manage the process, it’s important to involve a wide array of representatives from your community. Safe Routes to School programs are built on collaborative partnerships among many stakeholders that should be brought together to create a Safe Routes to School “team.”

Since your Safe Routes to School program will involve the local school and making changes to city and/or county routes, any successful program will directly engage the city, the county, and the school. The types of people to invite to serve on your Safe Routes to School Team include:

• School personnel (the principal and teachers

• The PTA

• Parents

• Students

• Elected officials

• Engineers

• Police officers

• City and/or County planners

• Health officials

• Non-profit organizations

• Business and community leaders

Safe Routes to School programs are unique to the particular community in which they operate. The most successful programs use the expertise of the team of local stakeholders to create a program that is specific to your community. The team should consider and decide how to implement and integrate the "5 E’s" for Safe Routes to School, which include: Evaluation, Engineering, Education, Encouragement, and Enforcement.

It is at the state level that the growth and institutional success of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs will occur. As the gatekeepers for federal funds related to the federal SRTS program, the state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are responsible for dispersing funds to local programs in accordance with state policies and applicable federal laws and guidance. The federal program requires that all states have a full-time Safe Routes to School coordinator who is responsible for implementing the program.

Find out how you can take action in your state to ensure that the federal SRTS funds are spent, and on good projects.

State Policies: Best Practices:  State policies have a profound impact on the safety, convenience, and ability of children to be able to walk and bicycle to schools. Our detailed briefs will help you assess how these important policies might be improved within your state as they relate to Safe Routes to School issues.

Application Guidelines:  The federal funds for SRTS flow from the Federal Highway Administration to the State Department of Transportation (DOT). How the state DOTs set up their programs have a profound impacts on the quality of local SRTS programs and the overall number of students that are being served within the state. 

Complete Streets:  The planning, design, construction and maintenance of all roadway and transit facilities, as well as developments and new schools, should consider and include the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians from the inception of the project.

Curriculum and Training Programs:  Statewide curriculum and training programs provide for opportunities to integrate SRTS into school studies and other municipal activities.

Fine-Based Mechanisms:  Some states have successfully funded local SRTS programs through fined-based mechanisms such as double-fine zones, and/or additional fees for red-light runners.

Legislation:  Advocates can successfully work with state legislators to introduce legislation to create more funding and/or improved policies for SRTS at the state level

School Siting:  Only about 35% of students in the United States live within two miles of their school. Statewide policies on school siting, acreage requirements, joint-use, and renovations can profoundly impact the percentage of students who live within walking or bicycling distance of their school.

Strategic Highway Safety Plans:  Each state DOT is required to develop a data-driven Strategic Highway Safety Plan for programming their Highway Safety Improvement fund. Some of this funding can be spent on bicycle and pedestrian safety for school children.

Wellness Policies:  Federal policies mandate that each school receiving federal aide for school lunches develop a wellness policy that focuses on nutrition and physical activity. Some states have developed sample wellness policies; this provides an important avenue for promoting Safe Routes to School and institutionalizing the program at state and local levels.

A toolkit for individuals

The path to better bicycling often starts when concerned citizens recognize the need to get involved. Here are some simple steps you can take to improve riding conditons in your community.

Ride your bike and represent bicycling

Enjoy riding and be an ambassador for bicycling. Roads and trails full of happy, healthy cyclists are the best advertisement. Spread the word about the benefits and fun of bicycling.

• Ride your bike whenever you can. If you usually only ride for recreation, try commuting or riding for errands.
• Share the love. Introduce the joys of bicycling to a friend, family member, or neighbor. Take them under your wing and help them get started.
• Ride to school with your child and/or kids from your neighborhood.
• Thank local retailers and other bike businesses that support bicycle advocacy.
• If your workplace or employer is not supportive of bicycle commuting, tell them why they should be. Encourage them to install bike racks, showers, and lockers.
• Volunteer to support any kind of bicycling project in your community.

Connect with local advocacy

Supporting local bicycle advocacy groups and initiatives is an effective way to improve bicycling in your community.

• Join local, regional, and state bicycling organizations (e.g., commuter, mountain bike, safety, or general advocacy groups). For a list, visit the Thunderhead Alliance website.
• Volunteer time with your local group, helping with office work, event coordination, trailwork days, or other duties as needed.
• Attend an advocacy group’s fundraiser.
• If there is no local advocacy group, create one. For tips on how to get started, visit the Thunderhead Alliance website.
• Get involved with local Safe Routes to School efforts.

Link to government and community leaders

Connecting with leaders in your community is key to staying informed and influencing decisions that affect bicycling locally, from park and trail access to road and path planning.

• Attend city council sessions and other public meetings. Speak up for bicycling.
• Get to know decision makers and community leaders. Take them on a ride.
• Encourage your mayor and city transportation leaders to apply for a Bicycle Friendly Community designation.
• Join the boards or advisory committees for local parks & recreation, transportation, open space, and planning.
• Stay tuned to key local and state legislation. E-mail or call your elected officials when a bicycling issue arises.
• At election time, know which candidates are bike-friendly and consider supporting them.
• Distribute Bikes Belong’s booklet—Bicycling - Moving America Forward—to your community leaders.

Get involved at the national level

Federal decisions shape bicycling on the local level, whether through federal transportation funding for bike paths and complete streets, or mountain bike access in national forests, parks, and scenic areas. Help influence federal policy by uniting with fellow bicyclists.

• Strengthen bicycling’s national voice by joining the League of American Bicyclists, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, or both.
• Attend the National Bike Summit (organized by the League of American Bicyclists) and lobby for bicycling.
• Write letters to your members of Congress about national issues and opportunities pertaining to bicycling.
• Donate to the Bikes Belong Foundation to support bicycle safety initiatives and programs for kids.