Safe Routes to Schools Movement
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is an international movement in more than 40 countries and all 50 states. They provide an opportunity to make walking and bicycling to school safer and more accessible for children, including those with disabilities, and to increase the number of children who chose to walk and bicycle. On a broader level, SRTS programs can enhance children’s health and well-being, ease traffic congestion near schools, improve air quality, and improve community member’s overall quality of life. Safe Routes to School programs share the following components, commonly known as the “5 E’s”: Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Engineering, and Evaluation.
History and Partners of SRTS in San Francisco
San Francisco’s Safe Routes to School program was initiated in the 2009-2010 school year at five elementary schools and expanded to a total of 15 schools for the 2010-2011 school year. The two-year program is funded with a $500,000 grant from the federal government and Caltrans. The program, which originated with Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Shape Up San Francisco project and the success of International Walk to School Day is led by the SF Department of Public Health with support from a broadly-based coalition, including the SF Bicycle Coalition; SF Unified School District; SF Municipal Transportation Agency; SF Police Department; and Department of Children, Youth and Families with additional support from the SF Unified School District Office of Sustainability and Presidio YMCA Bike Program.
Safe Routes to School Sites in SF
SRTS launched for the 2009-10 school year at five elementary schools: Bryant (Mission District), George Washington Carver (Bayview), Longfellow (Excelsior), Sunnyside (Sunnyside), and Sunset (Outer Sunset) that collectively serve approximately 1,800 students. In the 2010-2011 school year, we added an additional 10 schools: Buena Vista (Potrero Hill/Mission), El Dorado (Visitation Valley), ER Taylor (Portola), Fairmount (Noe Valley/Bernal Heights), Garfield (North Beach), George Peabody (Inner Richmond), Grattan (Cole Valley), Leonard Flynn (Bernal Heights/Mission), Marshall (Mission), and Ulloa (Outer Sunset).
We are pleased to announce that Shape Up SF has secured additional transportation funding to continue and expand the program from 2011-2013 with the following schools: George Washington Carver (Bayview), Longfellow (Excelsior), Sunnyside (Sunnyside), and Sunset (Outer Sunset) that collectively serve approximately 1,800 students. In the 2010-2011 school year, we added an additional 10 schools: Buena Vista (Potrero Hill/Mission), El Dorado (Visitation Valley), ER Taylor (Portola), Fairmount (Noe Valley/Bernal Heights), Garfield (North Beach), George Peabody (Inner Richmond), Grattan (Cole Valley), Leonard Flynn (Bernal Heights/Mission), Marshall (Mission), Monroe (Excelsior) and Ulloa (Outer Sunset).