Below is a Program Spotlight Blog from one of Circulate's coolest staff members Juan Ramirez, Program Coordinator. In the blog below, he spotlights just one of the terrific series of projects Circulate has been working on to improve sustainable mobility throughout the San Diego Region.
Circulate San Diego recently completed the Lemon Grove Walks & Wheels to School Program, a 3.5 years Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Federally funded Non-Infrastructure project. The program that implemented SRTS education, encouragement, enforcement, engineering, and evaluation activities in five elementary schools and one middle school, serving over 3,000 students in the City of Lemon Grove.
This SRTS program aimed to increase the number of students who walk and/or bike to school and to create an increase in positive attitude towards walking and biking to school. The project focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety by implementing a comprehensive education and awareness strategy to encourage more children and their parents to walk to school. This project also focused on expanding outreach, conducting training programs, and implementing encouragement activities.
Throughout the project, the City partnered with CirculateSanDiego to provide technical assistance and outreach on all aspects of the program development and execution. Key project activities included the formation of a SRTS Steering Committee, formation of SRTS Coalitions at each school, pedestrian/bike education courses, SRTS Workshops, Walk/Bike audits, Suggested Routes to School Maps, training and education for parents and staff, National Walk to School Day activities, formation of walk/bike groups.
Project Highlights:
- Over 2,000 students received a pedestrian safety training
- 49 bicycle education instruction
- Regular Walk to School Days schools
- Volunteers continue to be eyes on the street to encourage walking to school
- Hundreds of parents participated in workshops and trainings
- Reports and Parent Suggested Routes to School Maps were created for every school.
To see the final report for the project please click here.
