Stowsentry.com - Officials study 'Safe Routes to School'

by Mike Lesko

Associate Editor

Stow -- Finding "Safe Routes to School," which city officials are trying to make into a reality, has many benefits, city officials said.

"It aims to increase physical activity through walking or biking to school, and decrease air pollution around the schools due to lots of cars and buses," Council Vice President Sara Drew said.

Officials discussed the program at City Council's May 24 Planning Committee meeting.

Rob Kurtz, assistant planning director, said it is a national program. While exact figures have not been determined, Stow could be in line to receive between $250,000 and $500,000 in grant money, which is what previous funding totals for similar grants have been, Kurtz said.

The money would be from the Ohio Department of Transportation, he said.

Kurtz said after city officials complete a school travel plan, they will determine this summer or fall what improvements and programs to apply for. He said he hopes to learn the results of the grant request in 2011.

Kurtz said the school travel plan would consist of:

* Analysis of the current travel environment [location and condition of walking/biking routes].

* Analysis of barriers to safe travel.

* Solutions on how to improve safe routes [infrastructure].

* Mapping of solutions.

* Action plan that lists strategies including infrastructure projects or other programs [education, enforcement] that will improve safe routes for children walking and bicycling to school.

"This will serve as the list from which we can apply for future Safe Routes to School grants," Kurtz said.

Suggested upgrades -- including sidewalk/path improvements, crosswalks and signalization -- were included in a report prepared by TranSystem, the traffic consultant retained by ODOT to complete a traffic report, Kurtz said.

The "Safe Routes to School" project has been ongoing for more than two years. Committee members include Drew, Kurtz, Stow-Munroe Falls Schools Supt. Dr. Russ Jones and Stow firefighter Sandy Ray.

"No one would ever require a child to walk or bike to school. That is a decision each family needs to make," Drew said.

"However, if the city and schools can work together to improve the infrastructure, safety skills and knowledge of students," Drew said, "then more families might make the choice to have their students walk or ride to school.

"If we can provide the tools that will encourage more families to make that decision, then the entire community will benefit," Drew said.

The program is for four Stow elementary schools -- Echo Hills, Highland, Fishcreek and Indian Trail -- plus Lakeview Intermediate School.

Kurtz said the plan did not include Woodland Elementary.

"According to ODOT, the maximum number of schools for this grant was four," Kurtz said. "Since Highland and Lakeview are on the same campus, they were considered as one school for the purpose of the grant.

"We applied for a planning grant for Woodland in 2009, but we were not approved," Kurtz said. "We could try again.

"I believe most of the grants were given for a school travel plan for one school, instead of multiple schools like Stow," Kurtz said.

Kurtz said that although it made sense to include Riverview Elementary School in Munroe Falls in the project, ODOT officials requested that the city of Munroe Falls apply separately for Riverview.

Kurtz said in June 2008, a total of 2,357 parental surveys were distributed in Stow and 463 responses were received. He said parents were concerned about the amount of traffic and its speed.

"Some parents said if those conditions improved, they would consider [allowing their children to walk to school]," Kurtz said.