Stop + Walk encourages parents driving to school to drop-off or pick-up their children 2-4 blocks away from school. This allows students to walk the rest of the way and get some exercise. Stop + Walk targets traffic congestion around schools. By having more students walk to school, we decrease traffic congestion and pollution around the school and increase physical activity and student safety. More information is at http://www.saferoutesportland.org
By backing in, the open car door prevents kids from running into the street/parking lot because it directs them to the curb, assuming that a curb is immediately behind the space. Parents leaving the parking space can see other drivers and kids who might be in the street or infront of the vehicle.
The appropriate people to speak with will depend on who has responsibility for maintaining the road segments where you believe crosswalk needs to be installed. In some states the roads within a municipality's boundaries are the sole responsibility of the municipality, in other locations the major roads within a municipality are owned and maintained by the state's department of transportation (DOT).
What began as a sidewalks infrastructure project along routes to schools in Coeur d’Alene blossomed into something bigger when the city used a small non-infrastructure grant for education and encouragement efforts.
Brevard Elementary School students and recreational walkers in the 7,000-person community in Brevard, NC, will benefit from the Gallimore Road multi-use path to be constructed with a $250,000 Safe Routes to School (SRTS) infrastructure grant awarded in 2008 to the city from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
Below are several sample plans from various states that might be of use.
Connecticut has a sample Safe Routes to School Master Plan available online.
In 1995, the Auburn School District linked concerns about the high cost of transportation and increased childhood obesity to create cooperation that has led to 20 percent of its district's students walking to school.
