is working.
(Photo © J. Maus)
Here’s some good news to start off the weekend…
The Portland Bureau of Transportation announced today that more than 40 percent of students in their Safe Routes to School program walk or bike to school — which is more than twice the national average.
According to the 2009 National Household Travel Survey, the national average for kids walking and biking to school is 11 percent. PBOT also touts that the 40 percent figure is up from 31 percent since the program began counting trips back in 2006.
The City’s Safe Routes to Schools program and curriculum currently reaches over 80 schools throughout the city. That program teaches kids basic biking and walking safety education and includes guided bike rides, access to a fleet of bikes and helmets and participation in encouragement programs.
Portland’s Safe Routes program also includes engineering projects like bike parking, crosswalk improvements, and more. Bolstering their efforts to make school trips safer is PBOT’s Neighborhood Greenways program, which has completed more than 30 miles of family-friendly bikeways in the past two years alone.
By January 2012, 50 percent of Portland households will be within a half mile of a neighborhood greenway.
A big part of keeping the roads near schools safe is making sure traffic laws are enforced. To that end, PBOT is working with the Police Bureau to put a special emphasis on enforcement at the beginning of the school year (between September 6th through the 16th).
Learn more about PBOT Safe Routes program at SafeRoutesPortland.org. To help our local Safe Routes programs thrive, come to Sugar Wheel Works’ ‘Live the Revolution’ benefit event this Friday (9/16).