Please do not wait till the last minute to write your Safe Routes to School (SRTS) application. Planning for your proposal is necessary to prepare an application. Time and effort is required to gather all the data and stakeholders to present a sound and credible proposal.
Step 1: Identify a Problem
Are students at your school being injured by cars or by other people on the way to/from school? Is there a dangerous traffic condition near the school that you fear may cause injury or death in the future? Are students at your school overweight, obese, or developing diabetes or other diseases because they aren't getting enough physical activity?
To help you get started, contact a person who knows about SRTS "tools" - refer to SRTS Community Contacts. Ask this person if they will visit your site and perform an assessment - a 'walkabout' - to identify and document the problems. Consider using the "Walkability Checklist" and the "Bikeability Checklist" as guides for your walkabout (see www.walkinginfo.org and www.bicyclinginfo.org).
You can also use the list on this Web site's Links page to develop educational programs to help remedy the problem.
Step 2: Assemble a "Safe Routes To School" Team
Get together as many of the following as possible: principals, teachers, parent-teacher organization, other parent volunteers, city or county transportation engineers or planners, police officers, health/wellness professionals, students, community volunteers.
Identify who in the group will be the "champion" - the
person who will lead the effort - and who will write the SRTS application.
Meet with the SRTS professional (or whoever helped you perform the
walkabout) and agree on a strategy for your program.
Spread the word throughout your school and neighborhoods - explain your plan for making it safer for kids to bicycle and walk to school.
Step 3: Select SRTS "Tools" to Help Solve the Problem
Based on the specific problems you identified, choose as many of "The 5 Es" that will work at your site (see definitions of The 5 Es and examples of potential infrastructure projects). Remember that the more Es you use, the stronger your overall project will be.
Contact your city or county transportation or public works department about your desire to request SRTS funds to construct infrastructure. Another important person to contact is your ADOT District Engineer and District Traffic Engineer. These professionals will be able to tell you if such a project is appropriate and what addition steps you'll need to take in order make certain the project proceeds. Remember, the project might be eligible according to the SRTS program, but not necessarily according to city, county, and state guidelines.
Step 4: Write your Application
