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School Trek Puts Safety First
education, marshfield public schools, recreation, safe routes to school, transportation,
Many parents would love for their kids to walk to school, but city traffic poses too much of a concern for most. Enter the Marshfield Safe Routes to School program.
The effort began in 2007, when the city received a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to prepare a plan, which was done with the aid of a planning consultant and task force composed of parents, school system representatives, city officials and interested citizens.
The plan that was developed included a review of current policies and conditions, a biking and walking audit and a multi-user survey, as well as recommendations and an action plan, says Bonnie Curtiss, planner/zoning administrator for the city and a task force leader.
“The plan addresses five different elements and was prepared by looking at everything from the physical conditions to parents’ and kids’ attitudes that prevented them from walking or biking to school,” Curtiss says. “Then we actually recommended some steps to address those issues.”
Marshfield Safe Routes to Schools will be rolled out over the next three to five years, structured to attain both short- and long-term goals, she adds.
“Some will be engineering projects, whether that’s installing or improving sidewalks in areas around schools to compete a network,” she says. “But a lot will be educational initiatives, programs through schools and awareness programs in neighborhoods. It’s going to be a comprehensive approach throughout the community.”
Everything from repainting crosswalks for visibility to a mileage club for children to enroll for prizes is on the table, with more to come.
“There’s a lot to do,” Curtiss says, “and we’re relying on the task force, the schools, the police, Leadership Marshfield, parents and a lot of other interested parties and advocates to help get this done.”
Story by Joe Morris
