California's Safe Routes to School Program

Abstract

In 1999, California implemented the first statewide Safe Routes to School (SR2S) construction program in the United States. The program funds traffic improvement projects designed to improve children's safety while walking and bicycling to school. This paper evaluates the impacts of 10 traffic improvement projects funded through the California SR2S program. Parent surveys and observations of vehicle and pedestrian traffic before and after project construction were used in the evaluation. The authors measured changes in perceived safety and safety-related behaviors associated with children's trips to school. Changes in the number of children walking and bicycling following these improvements were also measured. The results showed that 5 of the 10 traffic improvement projects demonstrated a near-term, observable, measurable impact. Sidewalk gap closures and replacement of four-way stop signs with traffic signals appeared to have the highest potential for success.