Can vehicle speed and student safety ever be compatible?

Nearly 20 years ago, the first federally funded effort aimed at making it both safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school was enacted. Since then, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiatives have been implemented in hundreds of communities nationwide, many of which produced astounding results.

New York, for example, experienced a 44% decline in pedestrian injuries among school children in areas with SRTS projects, while 47 schools in California reported that SRTS infrastructure upgrades had led to a 75% reduction in collisions involving people of all ages walking or biking. Another recent study of 800 schools over a four-state area found an 18% increase in walking and biking in districts with SRTS infrastructure improvements.

So far, so good. But here’s the sad truth. While SRTS has proven to be a highly effective solution with tangible benefits whenever and wherever it has been implemented, traffic-related pedestrian fatalities and injuries continue to rise—an alarming number of which occur in school zones.   

To provide just a few examples since the current school year began:

• A week before Thanksgiving 2023, two children, ages 10 and 5, were hit and killed by a vehicle while walking to school in a suburban area outside of Washington, D.C.
• A 12-year-old middle schooler in Logan County, W.V., was killed after being struck by a vehicle while on the way to his school bus stop.
• In Frisco, Texas, a 15-year-old riding his bike was struck by a vehicle and killed directly in front of his school.

The Transportation Research Board reports that speeding vehicles are responsible for more than 25,000 children being injured and more than 100 student deaths annually while walking to and from school. And perhaps not surprisingly, half of all U.S. school zones have speed limits exceeding 20 miles per hour. Thirty percent lack marked crosswalks.

Other national agencies have reported similar statistics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, confirms that pedestrian injuries are among the leading causes of death for children aged 5 to 19 years old, while more than 6,000 pedestrians and cyclists under the age of 15 are injured in motor vehicle crashes annually, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

With those devastating statistics in mind, you would think that jurisdictions nationwide would be moving as quickly as possible to implement SRTS initiatives. And while many have, just as many have been slow to act due in large part to a lack of available funding to address the common barriers to walking or biking to school. These include incomplete or non-existent sidewalks and crosswalks, inadequate on-street bike lanes, and dangerous conditions caused by wide roads and high-speed traffic.

These conditions are particularly prevalent in lower income communities, where issues surrounding inadequate funding are exacerbated by difficulties in completing the SRTS grant application process, a lack of community engagement, and inadequate safety education initiatives to inform the public about SRTS benefits.

While barriers to walking and biking to school clearly won’t disappear overnight, elected officials in cities and counties nationwide must have a greater sense of urgency in prioritizing safe routes to school. Clearly, the statistics regarding pedestrian and bike-related accidents involving children are alarming in and of themselves. Beyond that, though, fear of navigating hazardous routes to school can contribute to a more sedentary lifestyle and associated health issues, such as obesity and cardiovascular disease. Over the past 30 years, childhood obesity in the U.S. has tripled while the number of children walking or biking to school has fallen to less than 13%.

SRTS initiatives also contribute to reductions in traffic congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while fostering a sense of community cohesion as neighbors come together to advocate for safer streets and healthier lifestyles. In short, SRTS represents an investment in a future that guarantees every child has access to education and opportunities for growth, laying a solid foundation for thriving communities.

With that in mind, government officials can introduce SRTS by ensuring that sidewalks wide enough for kids to walk together safely are available on all roads leading to schools. Marked crosswalks at all intersections near the school, meanwhile, can help to slow oncoming traffic, while designated bike lanes can encourage kids who live nearby to bicycle safely to school.

While these measures are both cost effective and relatively easy to implement, they need community involvement to be truly impactful. Jurisdictions must encourage parents and teachers to report hazards on school routes and help kids to cross nearby roads safely at marked intersections. Schools should also hold regular training assemblies to reinforce safety measures so that kids can recognize they too are responsible for road safety.

Beyond these basic steps, local and state agencies can implement a more comprehensive approach to SRTS, typically involving measures such as the following:

• Add speed bumps on roads near schools to slow traffic and install signage to remind drivers to be on the lookout for children walking or biking to school.
• Create safer intersections by installing stop signs, traffic lights or rectangular rapid flashing beacons to control traffic flow and allow pedestrians enough time to cross safely.
• Use speed feedback signs to reduce speed and advise drivers traveling over the speed limit to slow down.
• Install turn lanes where appropriate to provide physical separation between turning traffic that is slowing or stopped and adjacent thru traffic at approaches to intersections.
• Locate speed cameras in school zones to encourage motorists to slow down.

While SRTS measures may not be a cure-all, they will go a long way toward making it both safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school. The onus is on our schools, our elected officials, and indeed all Americans to decide whether we are prepared to make the kind of commitment that will protect our children, create safer communities, and ultimately save lives.

Wes Guckert, PTP, is president and CEO of The Traffic Group, a leading Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) traffic engineering and transportation planning firm serving clients nationally and internationally. He is also a fellow of ITE and on the National Small Business Leadership Council. For more information, visit: www.trafficgroup.com or email the author at [email protected].