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As Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs have expanded in Massachusetts and across the country, many new activities and approaches have been introduced to promote walking by elementary school students. The 5 E’s form a comprehensive strategy to create supportive social and environmental conditions for walking:
A sample of WalkBoston’s SRTS programs corresponding to the 5 E’s is provided below. Please call or write our office (617.367.9255 or info@walkboston.org) to find out more about our programs and opportunities for assistance. |
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To build it, you must first teach it.
SRTS education programs include lessons and activities for students, parents, neighbors, school staff and community officials (including police and public works employees). Education programs connect walking with a wide range of ideas and issues such as health, science, math and the environment. Some of WalkBoston’s programs are described below. See also our Products and Publications and Advocacy pages.
- Pedestrian Safety Training for Second-Graders—WalkBoston pioneered pedestrian safety lessons using real outdoor environments near schools. During the lessons, children are led by trained adults on 30-minute outdoor walks to learn vital safety skills and increase awareness of potential dangers. Download
A WalkBoston webinar presentation of the safety training program walks step-by-step through the program. Download
- Environmental Safety Walk [Grades 5-8]—This unique safety program teaches children how to look for features in the built environment that help or hinder safe walking, and to record their findings with words and pictures. Trained walk leaders use a student-friendly version of the Walkability Audit Guide. Download
- SRTS Health, Environment and Science Curricula—The 15 Safe Routes to School lesson plans teach students how walking is good for their bodies, their health and the environment. The lesson plans are for Kindergarten through Grade 5 students and provide lessons in Health, Math, Social Studies and Science/Technology. The lessons are specifically designed to satisfy Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks requirements and include hands-on print and Internet lesson plans. Download
- Pedometer Walks teach children about walking by counting steps and relating them to distances and fitness goals. Recording and converting of the steps also teaches math skills.
- Walk Across Your City, State or Country—A challenge is set for children to walk a geographical distance (such as the Great Wall of China). They count steps with pedometers, convert the steps to miles, and chart the distance walked on a map. The first student or class to arrive at the destination wins awards.
- Walking Clubs—Clubs meet before or after school to encourage participants to become “school experts” on walking and to explore different destinations. The clubs can also be used for homework topics like vocabulary and math.
- Walking Tours—WalkBoston leads tours and collaborates with community and historical organizations to organize tours for school groups in Boston. Teachers sign up to bring their class to and from the tour site, where they are met by a tour leader and taken on a themed tour of a particular area.
- School Staff Walks—Staff need exercise as much as students, and walking is an easy and inexpensive way to fit exercise into each day. WalkBoston helps schools set up walking challenges and other activities that engage staff in walking to reduce stress, increase fitness and promote school community and collaboration.
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If you organize it, they will walk.
Fun walking events and activities are a great way to get a new walking program off the ground and to persuade parents and students to try walking to school. These examples range from one-day events to every-day activities and vary in the level of organizing necessary to pull them off successfully.
Walk to School Events
- International Walk to School Day—Every October, thousands of children across the globe walk to school to celebrate the activity. Throughout Massachusetts, parents and children walk in parade-like celebration, carrying banners, signs, and singing songs. They end with a small party at the school to commemorate the event and encourage future walking. Join in the fun, gather resources and register at International Walk to School.
- Walking Wednesdays or Trekking Thursdays—One- or two-day a week activities help families to get started and reward them for success in reaching a goal. Provide families with a map of common walking routes from which to choose
- Walking School Bus—Like a regular school bus, the walking bus stops to “pick up” students at regular places and times along a route to school, and then proceeds to school as a group. Walkers may be given a map and schedule to follow. Parents may volunteer to lead the group once or several times a week. While these are more challenging to start than informal walking events, they can result in the most substantial change in overall walking behavior at a school. The website of Active & Safe Routes to School of Ontario has resources on establishing a Walking School Bus program.
After-School/Weekend Walking Events
- Polar Bear Walk—After classroom lesson on the connection between pollution, global warming and the loss of polar bear habitat. Children and their families joined to walk together on a snowy Saturday morning to connect walking with reducing pollution and taking care of the earth. The walk ended with hot chocolate and small prizes.
- Boston First Night Grand Procession—This citywide New Year’s Eve event is held every December 31st and WalkBoston hosts a “walking float” for school participants. Families and children enjoy the chance to walk the one-mile parade route ending at the Boston Common, which is filled with free festivities. This is one way schools can use existing events to promote walking.
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If you build it, it should be safe.
Engineering involves looking at the “built environment” around schools and improving safety by making changes that aid walkers. SRTS efforts focus first on addressing and changing the elements of the environment that are most practical and affordable. In some districts, more generous programs have allowed significant new facilities such as trails or traffic signals to be installed. Some of the elements of the built environment to consider are described below.
- School drop-off and pick-up procedures—The congestion caused by cars, buses and other traffic arriving at schools can be hazardous to walkers. WalkBoston helps to analyze the situation and suggest new parking and idling regulations, new arrival and departure routes, and ways to communicate these changes and procedures to parents and the community.
- Crosswalks are often the simplest and least expensive signal to drivers and pedestrians about how an intersection works – and they can improve safety for both. Creating a new crosswalk in the right place can alleviate many of the daily aggravations between walkers and drivers.
- Speed warnings and reminders—Drivers are less likely to ignore school zones when there are new, clear and reflective signs. Signs that monitor speed make it easier to track speeds near schools.
- Curb painting—can improve safety by signaling to drivers where they can and cannot drive, drop or pick up children, or idle or park.
- Removing snow and debris—Snowy and icy sidewalks pose a challenge to Massachusetts pedestrians. Most cities and towns hold property owners responsible for clearing sidewalks next to their property, yet sidewalks often remain blocked and dangerous days after a storm. See more information and our reports and recommendations.
Tools to help you advocate for a safer walking environment
- A More Walkable Community—This pamphlet is chock full of quick fixes for crosswalks, WALK signals, sidewalks and streets. It also includes basic guidelines for larger advocacy objectives. Download
- Ped Advocacy 101—Sometimes achieving a solution is as easy as knowing the right things to look for and safety changes to ask for. This slide show provides citizens with an easy way to learn about the elements of a good pedestrian environment. Many of the elements can be achieved at minimal cost and within a short time period. Contact info@walkboston.org to arrange a presentation in your community. Download
- Safety Audits—Trained WalkBoston staff can assist school staff, parents and students to review pedestrian safety around a school and along common walking routes. The results of an audit are very useful in communicating the needs of walkers to families, police, community officials and anyone interested in making sure children are safe. Download a school-related audit form or contact info@walkboston.org to learn more about safety audits.
- Reporting Form—This form makes it easy to identify and note issues or problems with sidewalks, intersections, signals and crosswalks, then bring them to the attention of your public works or transportation department. Download.
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If you build it, watch over its proper use.
If traffic laws have been ignored over a long period of time, poor habits set in that are difficult to change. Enforcement of existing regulations and laws can be the “ticket” to encourage good driving behavior and re-establish order around schools.
- Reward and celebrate—Providing rewards and/or some type of celebratory acknowledgement of good behavior can enhance respect for school zone regulations, and sends a message that driving behavior is being watched.
- Leaflet morning drivers—A simple, friendly education campaign using leaflets to reach out to drivers can remind them that young children are walking and that drivers need to help keep them safe. If engineering changes have been made, such as new crosswalks or signs, this is a way to alert drivers to the new measures.
- Student sign campaigns—A great way to teach students and the community about safety is to hold a sign-making contest for children to create messages to drivers about slowing down or watching for walkers. The signs are posted along walking routes for drivers to read and enjoy (and hopefully heed).
- Warn—Reaching out to drivers with friendly warnings and/or official ticket warnings is a good first step in enforcement of driving laws. It signals to drivers that they are being observed and at risk of more serious punishment for future infractions. This is best done in combination with a neighborhood and family outreach campaign about school walking and safety.
- Ticket—Schools may request local law enforcement officials to issue tickets to drivers near schools or along routes to school. This will encourage drivers to obey speed limits and other restrictions, if only to avoid a fine or other penalty. Ticketing is usually undertaken only after public information campaigns have been instituted.
- Community safety campaigns—Schools need community support to ensure that children are safe on neighborhood streets and in the school vicinity. Safety campaigns alert the public about school efforts to promote walking, and ask for cooperation in keeping children safe (by slowing down, adhering to drop-off and pick-up procedures, or clearing sidewalks of debris or snow, for example). See Enforcement for more information.
- Driver Complaint Form—This Registry of Motor Vehicles form can be used to report drivers who are improperly operating their vehicles (going through pedestrian crossings, speeding, etc). Download
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If you build it, see if it is used and enjoyed.
Evaluating your walking program and its components helps assure it reaches its desired goal. An evaluation can help you to direct resources appropriately, make adjustments, and communicate about your program to funders and others. There are varying levels and types of evaluations available.
- Student Arrival and Departure Tally Sheet—Classroom teachers use this form provided by the federal SRTS Clearinghouse to do a quick show-of-hand survey to find out how students get to school. Download
- Parent Survey—This form provided by the federal SRTS Clearinghouse, is being used around the country to survey behavior and attitudes about the journey to school. Download
- Additional tools including parent surveys and evaluation worksheets and tips can be found at the National Center for Safe Routes to School website.
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A great deal of good information about SRTS is available on the Web. Some of our favorite websites are:
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