Safe Routes to School programs are a public health initiative in the United States and elsewhere designed to encourage more children to walk or cycle to and from school.[1][2][3][4]
In the US, a Safe Routes to School program was first formed and funded on the national level as part of the 2005 federal transportation bill known as SAFETEA-LU.[5]
Forty years ago, half of all students walked or bicycled to school. Today, fewer than 15 percent travel on their own steam. One-quarter take buses, and about 60 percent are transported in private automobiles, usually driven by a parent or, sometimes, a teenager. The change was primarily motivated by parents' safety concerns — a desire to protect their children from traffic hazards and predators. But it has had several unfortunate consequences.
The federally funded Safe Routes to School program has been working with communities to address problems that impede children from walking or biking to school.
Many programs across the country are funded by the federal Safe Routes to School program, which pays for infrastructure improvements and initiatives to enable children to walk and ride bicycles to school.
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