Safe Routes to School Network

What has MoBikeFed been doing for you lately? Here is a partial list:

Federation: $13.5 million in bike/ped funding, Complete Streets, Bicycle Missouri license plate, legislative success

• Bike/Ped Priority Projects List, organized by MoBikeFed, brought $13.5 million in new bike/ped funding.
   
• The number of Complete Streets policies in Missouri has quadrupled over the past two years.
  

The keynote presentation in this month's Missouri Safe Routes to School Coalition Teleconference was John Benson of the City of Raytown talking about "Making Raytown a bicycle and pedestrian friendly city."

The presentation is a model for other city across Missouri.  It shows a number of ideas and techniques any city can use to turn the city around and help it become more bicycle and pedestrian friendly over time. Below are the notes from John's presentation.

Making Raytown a bicycle and pedestrian friendly city

John Benson, Interim Community Development Director, City of Raytown

Recent developments in Raytown for bicycling and walking:

A great new event is coming up during National Bike Month this year: National Bike to School Day, May 9th.

Sarah Shipley of the  Missouri Safe Routes to School Coalition gave a presentation on organizing and planning a Bike to School Day event in your community or at your school.  

To help you get off to a good start in creating your own Bike to School Day, Here are the notes from her presentation.

The Missouri Safe Routes to School Network meets monthly via teleconference the fourth Tuesday of each month at 9:30am.

With International Walk to School Month wrapping up, and a record number of Walk to School events in Missouri this year, our topic this month is a very relevant one: How to transition from a single Walk to School Day event to making systematic change in getting more kids to bicycle and walk to school more often on a regular basis.

That means both encouragement and programs for kids to change their habits and routines to walk more often where possible, but also using Walk to School events to instigate change in the environment around the school to make it safer and easier for students to bicycle and walk to school.

File: 

PedNet-walking-school-bus-presentation-Missouri SRTS Network-2011-10.pdf

Released September 28th, 2011

We just had a successful International Walk to School Day in Missouri.  Thousands of students walked to school today as part of organized Walk to School events, and more events will be happening throughout October, International Walk to School Month.

Lots of students, parents, and teachers were re-introduced to the joy and simplicity of walking to school--like we did when we were kids.

So what's next?  Can we make walking to school an every day habit for kids--or even a once or twice a week habit?

Here are some resources to help you take the next step:

• Start a Walking School Bus in your neighborhood--it's easy, simple, and fun
• Start a Bike Train--the neighborhood bikes to school
• Examples of Walking School Buses and Bike Trains--how they work in real neighborhoods

Did you notice anything missing on your walk to school?  Sidewalks that need fixing--or that are just missing--crosswalks that need to be repainted or made in the first place? How about a busy street that needs a crossing guard?

Walk to School Month is coming up in October, and Walk to School Day October 5th.

Need help planning your Walk to School event?

Want to share what you're doing with other Walk to School organizers across Missouri?

Join us for a series of FREE teleconferences on planning and sharing ideas about Walk to School Day events:The Missouri Safe Routes to School Network is organizing a series of Mutual Aid Teleconferences with people from across Missouri who are planning Walk to School Day events: