Safe Routes to School

2024 Art Contest

Entries for 2024 are now closed. Please check back soon for contest results!

Questions may be directed to Nicole Perry, Clackamas County Safe Routes to School Coordinator at nicoleperry@thestreettrust.org.

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Working with communities and schools to support safe walking, rolling and bicycling for k-12 students

SRTS program goals include:

Build program awareness and promote active transportation
Expand bicycle, pedestrian, and driver education
Collaborate with partners while evaluating the process

Upcoming activities and programs include:

Youth Bike Safety Day
Walk and Roll encouragement activities
Annual poster art contest
Educational opportunities and funding information
School action plan creations and updates

What is Safe Routes to School?

Safe Routes to School makes communities safer, healthier, and more fun by combining route improvements, traffic enforcement, safety education and activities to encourage students to walk or roll to schools. We work with communities and schools to build a comprehensive program using the "6 Es":

Equity

Assurance that all residents have access to and can take advantage of the resources provided through the program, including low-income and multi-cultural communities. See Metro Strategic plan to advance racial equity, diversity and inclusion.

Education

Community members can learn how to get safely to school, transportation options available and how to be safe walking, biking, and driving on our the roads.

The Street Trust has information on bicycle and pedestrian safety education, as well as other programs such as the JumpStart bike fleet.

Engineering

Engineering addresses the physical environment around schools to create safe and accessible places for walking, biking and rolling.

ODOT lists multiple program opportunities for infrastructure improvements.

Encouragement

Ongoing special events encourage parents and children to walk, bike, skate, scoot or roll to school. Some of the current programs include Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day.

Walk + Bike Challenge Day and Month are fun ways to celebrate actively getting to school.

Enforcement

Safer traffic conditions help parents feel comfortable about their children walking and biking to school. Enforcement can work to ensure traffic laws are obeyed around schools using various methods, including enforcing traffic violations, enforcing speed limits and yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks.

AAA has School Safety Patrol membership information and descriptions of student, teacher and parent roles and the Oregon Department of Education provides information on the purpose and operations of traffic patrols and crossing guards at schools

Evaluation

In order to implement and build upon a SRTS program, data collection using various methods, such as parent surveys, student in-class tallies and other effective strategies, is important to help track trends and monitor program outcomes. Evaluation resources include:

The National Center for SRTS has forms, data collection guidelines, data center and automatically-generated reports.

Get involved!

To learn more about how you can support Safe Routes to School, contact:

Nicole Perry, Clackamas County SRTS Coordinator, at nicoleperry@thestreettrust.org
Scott Hoelscher, Clackamas County Senior Transportation Planner at 503-742-4533 or scotthoe@clackamas.us

Completed Action Plans

Clackamas County Resources

SRTS Program Handbook
SRTS Tip Sheet - Be Safe Walking, Biking, & Driving in School Areas
Final Report for 2016-2019 ODOT funded SRTS program

Benefits

Healthy Living
Walking, biking, and rolling are great ways to get more physical activity.

Better Educational Achievement
Students who are active in the morning arrive at school focused and ready to learn.

Cleaner Air and Water
Walking, biking, and rolling are sustainable modes of transportation that don't produce air pollution.

Less Traffic
More students walking, biking and rolling to school means less congestion around schools, which is safer and healthier for everyone.

Increased Social Interactions
Walking, biking, and rolling get families outside and talking with their neighbors.

Cost-Effective
Walking, biking, and rolling are inexpensive ways to get around and require little upfront or maintenance costs.

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Other Resources

National Center for Safe Routes to School
Training opportunities, program materials, and tools for collecting data and can generate automatic reports.
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Expertise, a national support network, and know-how to help make communities and schools safer, healthier, and more active.
Oregon Safe Routes to School
Information about different programs, resources, events, and funding opportunities.
Safe Routes to School Pacific Northwest Regional Framework
This regional government framework for SRTS provides an assessment of existing initiatives and recommended actions to make walking and biking to school easier across the Portland metropolitan area.
The Street Trust
An advocacy organization that promotes healthy and thriving communities where it is safe and easy for people to bike, walk and ride public transit with information about walk and bike events, curriculum, rules of the road, and safe streets advocacy opportunities.
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)
Information on grant opportunities for infrastructure and non-infrastructure programs.
SMART Transit, Wilsonville
City of Wilsonville effort to increase use of walking, biking, scootering, skating and transit (active transportation) for transportation to and from school at Wilsonville schools.

Success Stories from Clackamas County

Bilquist Elementary and River Grove Elementary

Pedestrian education at Bilquist Elementary (North Clackamas School District) and River Grove Elementary (Lake Oswego School District) gave 150 second graders safety tips about managing themselves as walkers on the first day and then put that into practice on a community walk the second day.

Oak Creek Elementary

Oak Creek Elementary in the Lake Oswego School District held a bicycle safety event that included lessons about turning, spacing, shifting, and rider control. A mechanic was on hand to do bike checks and adjustments. The 12 student participants and several parent volunteers concluded the two-day workshop with a ride around the neighborhood.

Oak Creek School

Lot Whitcomb Elementary

In collaboration with Clackamas County and the neighborhood Community Planning Organization (CPO), Lot Whitcomb Elementary School in the North Clackamas School District developed a SRTS Action Plan in 2016. The Action Plan included priority infrastructure projects within the school walk zone and served as a basis to successfully apply for funding through the statewide infrastructure grant program established by Keep Oregon Moving (House Bill 2017). The new crosswalk at SE Fuller Rd and SE Causey Ave. was one of only 24 awards from 112 applicants from across the state during the first grant cycle in 2018.

Lot Whitcomb School

2022 Poster Contest Winners

During the Spring of 2022, over 60 elementary and middle school students submitted artwork with the theme We Are All In This Together. Entries included original hand drawings and computer generated artwork. Winners were based on originality, visual design, composition and clear communication of contest theme. Awards were handed out in three age groups: K–2, 3–5 and 6–8 (1st place: $100 gift card, 2nd place: $50 gift card, 3rd place: $25 gift card). These winners will be featured through the Clackamas County Arts Alliance Exhibit program at a public building in the fall of 2022.

Questions or more information
Contact Nicole Perry, Clackamas County SRTS Coordinator
503-318-2489
nicoleperry@thestreettrust.org