NORTH UNION LOCAL SCHOOLS

Transcription

1 NORTH UNION LOCAL SCHOOLS SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN November 2015 OHIO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN

2 SECTION 1: OUR SCHOOL(S) 1A. Identify Target Schools School District School Name School Address North Union Local Schools North Union Elementary School 420 Grove Street Richwood, Ohio Grades Served K-5 North Union Local Schools North Union Middle School Mulvane Road Richwood, Ohio Your School s Students Average Daily Student Enrollment Black, non- Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native Asian or Pacific Islander Hispanic Multi- Racial White, non- Hispanic Economically Disadvantaged Limited English Proficient Students with Disabilities 674 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 98% 51.1% N/A 15.7% N/A 347 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 96% 48.7% N/A 16.6% N/A Data from the Ohio Department of Health s A Report on the Body Mass Index of Ohio s Third Graders for the North Union Local School District is included in Appendix A. 1B. Community Stakeholders and the Safe Routes to School Team School Representative(s): Name address 5 E Role: Brian Nauman, North Union Maintenance/Transportation Brenda Krebehenne, North Union Schools District Office brnauman@nu-district.org bkrebehenne@nu-district.org Encouragement Education Tami Huckaba, Secretary thuckaba@nu-district.org Education Community Representative(s): Name address 5 E Role: Sondra Bateman, Secretary sbateman@nu-district.org Education, Encouragement Local Government Representative(s): Name address 5 E Role: Scott Jerew, Village of Richwood Mayor scottjerew@kalemktg.com Education, Encouragement Migrant

3 Education Representative(s): Name address 5 E Role: Richard Baird, North Union Superintendent rbaird@nu-district.org Evaluation Vickie Hoffman, North Union Elementary Principal vhoffman@nu-district.org Education, Encouragement Health Representative(s): Name address 5 E Role: Doug Matthews, Union County Health Department doug.matthews@uchd.net Education, Encouragement Shawnna Sue Jordan, Union County Health Department Shawn Sech, Union County Health Department shawnna.jordan@uchd.net shawn.sech@uchd.net Education, Encouragement Encouragement Public Safety Representative(s): Name address 5 E Role: Chief Monte Asher, Richwood Police Department Lt. Marcus Ballinger, Richwood Police & Fire Departments chiefasher@frontier.com mballinger@frontier.com Enforcement Other: Name address 5 E Role: Craig Mescher, Village of Richwood Consulting Engineer cwm@accessengllc.com 1C. The lead contact for our Plan is: Name: Doug Matthews Affiliation: Union County Health Department Phone Number: ext address: doug.matthews@uchd.net Mailing address: 940 London Avenue, Suite 1100 Marysville, Ohio Education, Enforcement Engineering 2

4 SECTION 2: OUR SRTS VISION Our SRTS Vision: Successful SRTS programs benefit from the school and community working together toward a common vision. Vision statements can be a single statement, a list of goals or a short paragraph. There is no correct or incorrect vision statement. In 100 words or less, explain your team s vision for your SRTS program in the space below. The vision of the North Union SRTS program is to teach children walking and biking techniques that also meet the vision of the school district for students to have R.A.R.E. characteristics (be respectful of others, believe in themselves, be accountable for their actions, and strive to do their best). Additionally, they wish to improve the routes for students to walk and bicycle to school. 3

5 SECTION 3: CURRENT STUDENT TRAVEL NORTH UNION ELEMENTARY 3A. How many students live within walking and bicycling distance of school? (Distances are cumulative; meaning that within a ½-mile of school would include students within a ¼-mile as well.) North Union Elementary School: Distance From School Number of Students % of Student Body Within a ¼-mile of school 0 0% Within a ½-mile of school 25 3% Within 1 mile of school % Within 2 miles of school % 4 Mapping student addresses. A map showing the school attendance boundary, school site and dots indicating where students live is included is Appendix B. 3B. How many students are currently walking and bicycling to school? What are the primary walking and bicycling routes? North Union Elementary School: Number of students (morning trips) Number of students (afternoon trips) Primary walking / bicycling routes Walk Bike School Bus Family Vehicle Carpool Public Transit Other 0% 0% 59% 39% 2% 0% 0% <1% 0% 70% 28% 2% 0% 0% 3C. Are there any school or district policies that impact students walking or bicycling to school? District Bus Policies Policy: The district provides bussing for all students, regardless of where they live. How it affects student travel modes (3-5 sentences): Students are provided a means of transportation to/from school, so finding alternate means (such as walking and bicycling) are not necessary. N/A

6 School Travel Policies Policy: While there is no written policy against it, the school discourages walking and bicycling to school as there are no safe paths for students to take. How it affects student travel modes (3-5 sentences): Students who do not ride the bus must be driven in a personal vehicle. 3D. School Arrival and Dismissal Process. Using prompt questions provided below, describe key school arrival and dismissal procedures at your school. Do school buses and parent vehicles use the same driveway for arrival and dismissal? Yes, all vehicles use the same driveway. No, there are separate driveways for family vehicles and school buses. Do all students use the same entrance to the school building in the morning? Yes, all students enter the building at the same location. No, students can use different entrances. Students who ride the bus enter through the front doors while students who are dropped off by a parent enter through the side doors off the drop-off loop. Are all students released at the same time during dismissal? Yes, all students are released at the same time. No, we use a staggered release process (walkers are released first, bus riders second, etc.). Is school staff involved in either arrival or dismissal? Yes, we have school staff help students enter and exit the campus safely. No, school staff is not involved in either arrival or dismissal. Teachers monitor the bus pick-up and parent pick-up; the principal oversees the dismissal process. Are there any adult crossing guards located along student walking routes? Yes, we have at least one adult crossing guard that helps students on their walking routes. No, we do not have any adult crossing guards serving our school. Are there police officers that help with arrival or dismissal procedures at this school? Yes, we have at least one police officer helping direct traffic around our school. No we do not have police officers who help direct traffic around the school. One officer is present at the school site for arrival and dismissal (if available) to monitor traffic flow and speeding in the area. Are students involved in any arrival or dismissal process (i.e. student safety patrol)? Yes, we have a student safety patrol. No, we do not have a student safety patrol. 5

7 3E. Parent Attitudes towards walking and biking. Using the Parent Survey Summary Data Report generated by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, indicate the top 5 reasons impacting the decisions of parents who currently DO NOT allow their children to walk or bicycle to school. Reasons for not allowing children to walk or bicycle to school: Distance (76%) Amount of Traffic Along Route (54%) Speed of Traffic Along Route (54%) Weather or Climate (48%) Sidewalks or Pathways (42%) Safety of Intersections and Crossings (42%) 3F. Safety Issues and Concerns. Summarize traffic safety issues and concerns that are gathered anecdotally from the team, parents and the community at large. Record your summary in the space below in 100 words or less. 6 Many parents commented about the lack of sidewalks along their child s route to school, especially leading to the school itself. Distance is another concern as many families live far from the school. Some parents were also concerned with letting their child walk due to their age and the lack of supervision. A number of parents indicated that if they lived closer to the school and if there were sidewalks along their routes to school, that they would let their child walk or bike to school. Relevant traffic crashes. There were 0 crashes within 2 miles of the school (from ). The crashes resulted in 0 injuries and 0 fatalities. The number of crashes that involved bicycles was 0. The number of crashes that involved pedestrians was 0. 3G. Walking and bicycling encouragement activities at the school. Identify and describe activities at your school that support or encourage walking and bicycling. Activity Walk to School Day Stranger Danger education How it encourages walking or bicycling (1-3 sentences) The school holds a Walk to School Day twice a year (in October and May) where students who participate are dropped off by their bus at the Municipal Building and walk as a group to the school. Once a year, a presentation on stranger danger is given to the whole school so students are aware of what to do if they are approached by a stranger.

8 SECTION 3: CURRENT STUDENT TRAVEL NORTH UNION MIDDLE 3A. How many students live within walking and bicycling distance of school? (Distances are cumulative; meaning that within a ½-mile of school would include students within a ¼-mile as well.) North Union Middle School: Distance From School Number of Students % of Student Body Within a ¼-mile of school 0 0% Within a ½-mile of school 11 3% Within 1 mile of school 79 22% Within 2 miles of school % 7 Mapping student addresses. A map showing the school attendance boundary, school site and dots indicating where students live is included is Appendix B. 3B. How many students are currently walking and bicycling to school? What are the primary walking and bicycling routes? North Union Middle School: Number of students (morning trips) Number of students (afternoon trips) Primary walking / bicycling routes Walk Bike School Bus Family Vehicle Carpool Public Transit Other <1% 0% 59% 38% 3% 0% 0% 7% 0% 58% 31% 4% 0% 0% Pathway behind the school to High School and Franklin Street 3C. Are there any school or district policies that impact students walking or bicycling to school? District Bus Policies Policy: The district provides bussing for all students, regardless of where they live. How it affects student travel modes (3-5 sentences): Students are provided a means of transportation to/from school, so finding alternate means (such as walking and bicycling) are not necessary.

9 School Travel Policies Policy: While there is no written policy against it, the school discourages walking and bicycling to school as there are no safe paths for students to take. How it affects student travel modes (3-5 sentences): Students who do not ride the bus must be driven in a personal vehicle. 3D. School Arrival and Dismissal Process. Using prompt questions provided below, describe key school arrival and dismissal procedures at your school. Do school buses and parent vehicles use the same driveway for arrival and dismissal? Yes, all vehicles use the same driveway. No, there are separate driveways for family vehicles and school buses. Do all students use the same entrance to the school building in the morning? Yes, all students enter the building at the same location. No, students can use different entrances. Students who ride the bus enter through the front doors while students who are dropped off by a parent enter through the back doors off the drop-off loop. Are all students released at the same time during dismissal? Yes, all students are released at the same time. No, we use a staggered release process (walkers are released first, bus riders second, etc.). Is school staff involved in either arrival or dismissal? Yes, we have school staff help students enter and exit the campus safely. No, school staff is not involved in either arrival or dismissal. Teachers monitor the bus pick-up and parent pick-up; the principal oversees the dismissal process. Are there any adult crossing guards located along student walking routes? Yes, we have at least one adult crossing guard that helps students on their walking routes. No, we do not have any adult crossing guards serving our school. Are there police officers that help with arrival or dismissal procedures at this school? Yes, we have at least one police officer helping direct traffic around our school. No we do not have police officers who help direct traffic around the school. One officer is present at the school site for arrival and dismissal (if available) to monitor traffic flow and speeding in the area. Are students involved in any arrival or dismissal process (i.e. student safety patrol)? Yes, we have a student safety patrol. No, we do not have a student safety patrol. 8

10 3E. Parent Attitudes towards walking and biking. Using the Parent Survey Summary Data Report generated by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, indicate the top 5 reasons impacting the decisions of parents who currently DO NOT allow their children to walk or bicycle to school. Reasons for not allowing children to walk or bicycle to school: Distance (80%) Speed of Traffic Along Route (45%) Amount of Traffic Along Route (40%) Sidewalks or Pathways (40%) Weather or climate (40%) 3F. Safety Issues and Concerns. Summarize traffic safety issues and concerns that are gathered anecdotally from the team, parents and the community at large. Record your summary in the space below in 100 words or less. Most parents indicated that they live too far from the school for their child to walk to school. A number of parents were also concerned with the lack of sidewalks along their child s route to school. Parents are also concerned with letting their child walk to school alone because they can be too impulsive and also due to the concern of drug activity and sex offenders in the area. Relevant traffic crashes. There were 0 crashes within 2 miles of the school (from ). The crashes resulted in 0 injuries and 0 fatalities. The number of crashes that involved bicycles was 0. The number of crashes that involved pedestrians was 0. 3G. Walking and bicycling encouragement activities at the school. Identify and describe activities at your school that support or encourage walking and bicycling. Activity Walk to School Day Walking Club How it encourages walking or bicycling (1-3 sentences) The school holds a Walk to School Day twice a year (in October and May) where students who participate are dropped off by their bus at the Municipal Building and walk as a group to the school. Students can walk around the gymnasium (or outside on nice days) in the morning before school. 9

11 SECTION 4: KEY ISSUES IMPACTING SAFE WALKING AND BICYCLING TO SCHOOL Top 5 Issues impacting student ability to safely walk or bicycle to your school. North Union Elementary School Issue/Description 1. Issue: Less than 50% of students live within two miles of the school. Many parents are not comfortable letting their young children walk this far (or farther) to get to school. 2. Issue: A number of parents don t want to let their children walk to school because of the amounts of traffic along the routes they would take. 3. Issue: A number of parents don t want to let their children walk to school because of the speeds of traffic along the routes they would take. 4. Issue: Many parents don t want their children walking due to lack of sidewalks along the routes to school. 5. Issue: Some parents are concerned about how safe it is for their children to walk along some of the routes to school because they feel some of the roadway crossings are unsafe and there aren t crossing guards to help children cross. North Union Middle School Issue/Description 1. Issue: Less than 50% of students live within two miles of the school and many parents are not comfortable letting their children walk this far (or farther) to get to school. 2. Issue: A number of parents don t want to let their children walk to school because of the speeds of traffic along the routes they would take. 3. Issue: A number of parents don t want to let their children walk to school because of the amounts of traffic along the routes they would take. 4. Issue: Many parents don t want their children walking due to lack of sidewalks along the routes to school. 5. Issue: Parents are concerned about how safe it is for their children to walk to school because of the fear of drug activity and sex offenders along the routes to school. 10

12 SECTION 5: RECOMMENDED SRTS COUNTERMEASURES 5A. Non-infrastructure Countermeasure Recommendations For each E, list and describe strategies that your team has identified. In 1-2 sentences, explain the need or Issue, then briefly describe the countermeasure EDUCATION COUNTERMEASURES EDUCATION Issue Because children currently don t bike, they are unaware of proper biking behaviors. Because children currently don t bike, they are unaware of proper biking behaviors. Countermeasure Restart the Safety Town program and offer to all incoming kindergarten students. Start a Bike Rodeo program for 3 rd graders to teach them proper bicycling techniques. Parents don t want their children walking or biking to school unsupervised. Because children currently don t bike, they are unaware of proper biking behaviors. Parents are concerned with their children s safety when walking or biking to school. Parents don t want their children walking or biking to school unsupervised. Train parents and educators about starting a Walking School Bus and/or Dot-to-Dot program (through ODOT). Utilize ODOT s Every Move You Make, Make It Safe campaign to educate students (and parents) about the proper ways to walk and bicycle to school, as well as the benefits of doing so. Hold a Personal Safety Education class for parents where local law enforcement officers can hear parents concerns and tell them how to address them. A similar class can be done for children. Host a SRTS Meeting to inform parents/ neighbors/etc. about the goals of the North Union SRTS program. Medium and long term strategies (those that your team will undertake beyond 12 months): 1. Continue to incorporate pedestrian and bicycle education activities into the elementary and middle school curriculum. 2. Continue to offer Safety Town and Bike Rodeo programs to students. 11

13 ENCOURAGEMENT COUNTERMEASURES ENCOURAGEMENT Issue Parents don t want their children walking or biking to school unsupervised. Parents don t want their children walking or biking to school unsupervised. Countermeasure In addition to participating in Walk to School Day, start participating in Bike to School Day activities. Start a Walking School Bus and/or Dot-to-Dot program. Either program will provide adult supervision for children walking to/from school. Children live far from school, so walking or bicycling to school isn t encouraged. Develop mileage clubs which create competition between classes, grade levels, and/or schools based on how far they have walked to and from school. Medium and long term strategies: 1. Continue to participate in Walk and Bike to School Days. 2. Continue to offer walking clubs and mileage club competitions and develop additional contests for students to participate in that offer prizes to students (such as new bike helmets). ENFORCEMENT COUNTERMEASURES Issue Parents are concerned with speeding along the routes to school. Parents are concerned with speeding and safety of crossings along the routes to school. School staff members assisting with dismissal aren t highly visible to vehicles. ENFORCEMENT Countermeasure Enforce School Zone speed limits along Grove Street and Mulvane Road. Send Adult Crossing Guard representative(s) to ODOT s Adult School Crossing Guard Training Program and start a crossing guard program with posts at key locations near the schools and in town. Purchase safety vests and other necessary equipment for staff members who assist with crossing students and assisting with traffic flow (all users) around the school. Medium and long term strategies: 1. Continue to have officers present at the school site during arrival and dismissal. 12

14 EVALUATION COUNTERMEASURES EVALUATION Issue Follow-up on SRTS program effectiveness. Countermeasure Conduct Parent Surveys annually to track the program. Follow-up on SRTS program effectiveness. Conduct Student Travel Tallies seasonally (fall / winter / spring) to see when encouragement techniques should be further employed. Medium and long term strategies: 1. Continue to conduct Parent Surveys and Student Travel Tallies. 13

15 5B. 12-Month SRTS Non-Infrastructure Activity Calendar. Non-Infrastructure Countermeasure Jun 2016 Jul 2016 Aug 2016 Sep 2016 Oct 2016 Nov 2016 Dec 2016 Jan 2017 Feb 2017 Mar 2017 Apr 2017 May 2017 Restart Safety Town program. PLAN Lead: Scott Jerew, Education Start a Bike Rodeo program. Lead: Brenda Krebehenne, Education Attend ODOT s Walking School Bus training. Lead: Tami Huckaba, Education Utilize ODOT s Every Move You Make, Make It Safe campaign. Lead: Vickie Hoffman & Sondra Bateman, Education Hold Personal Safety Education classes for parents and students. Lead: Vickie Hoffman & Lt. Ballinger, Education Host informational SRTS meeting. Lead: Vickie Hoffman & Sondra Bateman, Education Participate in Walk and Bike to School Days. Lead: UCHD, Encouragement Start a Dot-to-Dot and/or Walking School Bus program. Lead: Brian Nauman, Encouragement Develop mileage clubs. IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN 14 Lead: Sondra Bateman, Encouragement IMPLEMENT

16 Non-Infrastructure Countermeasure Jun 2016 Jul 2016 Aug 2016 Sep 2016 Oct 2016 Nov 2016 Dec 2016 Jan 2017 Feb 2017 Mar 2017 Apr 2017 May 2017 Enforce School Zone speed limits. PLAN Lead: Chief Asher & Lt. Ballinger, Enforcement Send Adult Crossing Guard(s) to ODOT training. Lead: Chief Asher & Lt. Ballinger, Enforcement Purchase safety equipment for arrival/dismissal workers. Lead: Chief Asher & Lt. Ballinger, Enforcement Conduct Parent Surveys annually. Lead: Richard Baird, Evaluation Conduct Student Travel Tallies seasonally. Lead: Richard Baird, Evaluation IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT PLAN IMPLEMENT 15

17 5C. Infrastructure Countermeasure Recommendations Map ID Location Issue Countermeasure Timeframe Priority (% Impacted) Jurisdiction Responsible Estimated Cost* Possible Funding Source Status A A North Union Elementary School North Union Middle School Lack of bicycle accommodations. Lack of bicycle accommodations. B Grove Street Lack of pedestrian accommodations. C Grove Street Poor pedestrian accommodations. D E Grove Street & Lynn Street Richwood Lake Park / Vets Field Lack of pedestrian accommodations. Amount of vehicular traffic at school. Add bicycle racks in front of the school. Short Term High (100%) North Union Local Schools Add bicycle racks in front of the school or by the entrance off of the loop drive. Add sidewalks along the east side of Grove Street from Veterans Way to the southern school drive and continuing along the south side of the school drive to the school (approximately 1,100 feet). Include ladderstyle crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signage at the beginning of the sidewalk (across Veterans Way, connecting to the existing sidewalk south of Veterans Way) and at the end of the sidewalk (where it crosses the driveway to the existing sidewalk at the school). Fill in the sidewalk gaps along the east side of Grove Street between Veterans Way and Elm Street (approximately 800 feet). Enhance this crossing by painting ladderstyle crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signage at this intersection. Consider including a pedestrian beacon at this location. Use the park as a remote drop-off and pickup area. Sidewalks can be installed along the north side of Veterans Way to the lake (approximately 400 feet) and parents can head north on Lynn Street/ Veterans Way and drop their children off where the sidewalk starts. A Walking School Bus and/or Dot-to-Dot program can be used to provide added adult supervision on the walk to school. Short Term High (100%) North Union Local Schools Short Term High (31%) North Union Local Schools Medium Term High (31%) Village of Richwood Village of Richwood Short Term High (30%) Village of Richwood Medium Term High (100%) Village of Richwood Low ($1,000) Low ($1,000) Medium ($45,500) Medium ($32,000) Low ($18,000) Low ($16,000) SRTS Funds North Union Local Schools SRTS Funds North Union Local Schools SRTS Funds North Union Local Schools Village of Richwood SRTS Funds Village of Richwood SRTS Funds Village of Richwood SRTS Funds Village of Richwood 16

18 Map ID Location Issue Countermeasure Timeframe Priority (% Impacted) Jurisdiction Responsible Estimated Cost* Possible Funding Source Status F G Pathway behind schools to High School Grove Street & Elm Street Poor pedestrian accommodations. Lack of pedestrian accommodations. The existing multipurpose pathway between the elementary/middle school site and the high school site provides a connection for students who could walk north along Franklin Street to get to school. However, this pathway has low spots that often flood after it rains. The low spots in the pathway should be enhanced to eliminate flooding issues. Enhance this crossing by painting ladderstyle crosswalks and pedestrian crossing signage at this intersection. Consider including a pedestrian beacon at this location. This crossing could provide a connection from Grove Street to the multipurpose pathway/sidewalk connection to Ottawa Street (proposed in Table 5D). Medium Term Long Term Total estimated cost for recommended infrastructure countermeasures: $154,000 Medium (28%) Medium (29%) North Union Local Schools Village of Richwood Medium ($22,500) Low ($18,000) SRTS Funds North Union Local Schools SRTS Funds Village of Richwood *Estimated Cost includes construction costs only. Engineering design & survey, construction engineering, environmental work, right-of-way acquisition (if necessary), and miscellaneous costs for maintenance of traffic and mobilization for the contractor have not been included. 17

19 5D. Safe Routes for Non-Drivers Map ID Location Issue Countermeasure Timeframe Priority Jurisdiction Responsible Estimated Cost* Possible Funding Source Status H Between Grove Street & Ottawa Street Lack of pedestrian connection. Build a sidewalk or multi-purpose pathway between Grove Street and Ottawa Street, on the west side of the Richwood Greene housing complex and Marcy Industries properties (approximately 1,300 feet). This pathway would provide a more direct connection for students who live south of Grove Street and west along Ottawa Street. A crossing should be provided where the pathway ends along Grove Street, at the Grove Street/Elm Street intersection (Item G). Long Term Low (20%) Village of Richwood Total estimated construction cost for recommended Safe Routes for Non-Drivers countermeasures: $56,250 High ($56,250) Village of Richwood *Estimated Cost includes construction costs only. Engineering design & survey, construction engineering, environmental work, right-of-way acquisition (if necessary), and miscellaneous costs for maintenance of traffic and mobilization for the contractor have not been included. 18

20 SECTION 6: PUBLIC INPUT A public presentation to explain and answer questions about the North Union STP was held on August 24, 2015, at North Union Elementary School as part of their open house to begin the school year. Key feedback from that meeting is outlined below; materials from the meeting are included in Appendix C. Public Input Process: Set up display at the Richwood Farmer s Market Date: Monday, August 24, 2015 Target Audience: Community members Key Input Received: A booth with information on the North Union STP was setup at the Richwood Farmer s Market on Monday, August 24 from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Community members were able to stop by the booth at their leisure to learn about Safe Routes to School in general and hear what recommendations had been made for North Union Elementary and Middle Schools. A handout explaining Safe Routes to School was also available. All feedback received throughout the evening was positive. 19

21 SECTION 7: FINAL PLAN ENDORSEMENT The endorsement and pledge of support for the North Union SRTS Safe Routes to School Travel Plan is included in Appendix D. 20

22 APPENDIX A: OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 3 RD GRADE BMI REPORT The North Union Local School District is located in Union County. The prevalence of overweight or obese 3 rd graders in the county is 30-39% (based on the Ohio Department of Health s A Report on the Body Mass Index of Ohio s Third Graders ).

23 APPENDIX B: MAPPING

24 North Union Elementary - North Union Local - Union Co k HAMILTON RD (CR-275) SWARTZ RD (CR-325) PRICHARD RD (CR-326) BOUNDARY RD (CR-286) SR-37 LE MASTERS RD (CR-175) KIRBY RD 37 SNARE RD (CR-277) MULVANE RD k MULVANE RD (CR-274) LANDON PIKE LANDON RD GROVE ST (CR-276) SR-47 WOODS RD (CR-269) MILLER RD (CR-307) SR W OTTAWA ST E BLAGROVE ST E OTTAWA ST (CR-265) 47 HOSKINS RD (CR-265) RACE RD (CR-188) FRANKLIN ST TAWA RD (CR-264) GRAHAM RD (CR-272) KINNEY PIKE (CR-262) SR-37 k School Students Roads by Type Interstate Route US Route State Route Freeway Ramp County Roads Township Roads Radius (Miles) City Boundary County Boundary State Boundary Date: 5/9/2013 Total Enrollment = 714 q Feet ,500 3,000 4, Minutes to Walk

25 North Union Middle - North Union Local - Union Co LE MASTERS RD (CR-175) WOODS RD (CR-269) Mulvane Rd, Richwood, OH n PRIC H ARD RD (CR-326) HAMILTON RD (CR-275) SWARTZ RD (CR-325) SR-37 BOUNDARY RD (CR-286) 37 KIRBY RD SNARE RD (CR-277) MULVANE RD n MULVANE RD (CR-274) LANDON PIKE LANDON RD MILLER RD (CR-307) GROVE ST (CR-276) SR-47 SR-47 W OTTAWA ST E BLAGROVE ST E OTTAWA ST (CR-265) HOSKINS RD (CR-265) 47 RACE RD (CR-188) FRANKLIN ST TAWA RD (CR-264) GRAHAM RD (CR-272) KINNEY PIKE (CR-262) SR-37 n School Students TRANS_ROUT IR US SR RA County Roads Township Roads Radius (Miles) City Boundary County Boundary State Boundary Date: 7/31/2015 Total Enrollment = 356 q Feet ,400 2,800 4, Minutes to Walk

26 Legend! (! ( Elementary School Students Middle School Students Proposed Sidewalk Potential Connection Priority Corridors 1/4-mile Buffer 1/2-mile Buffer 1-mile Buffer North Union Elementary & Middle Schools Proposed Countermeasures O Feet 1,000

27 APPENDIX C: PUBLIC MEETING MATERIALS

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29 Safe Routes to School North Union Elementary and Middle Schools What is Safe Routes to School? The Ohio Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The program supports projects and programs that enable and encourage walking and bicycling to and from school. A School Travel Plan (STP) is the written document that outlines a community s intentions for enabling students to engage in active transportation (i.e. walking or bicycling) as they travel to and from school. It is a requirement for funding requests made through the ODOT SRTS program. The STP identifies barriers to active transportation and recommends solutions to address them using the five Es: Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation. School Travel Plan Development Development of the STP began with the creation of the local SRTS Planning Team. The local team includes representatives from the Village of Richwood, the North Union Local School District, North Union Elementary and Middle Schools, the Union County Health Department, and members of the community. Together, the local SRTS team and the ODOT consultant evaluated the existing walking and bicycling conditions throughout the village through parent surveys, student travel tallies, walk audits, and meetings with the local SRTS team. All of this information was used to come up with the recommended infrastructure and non-infrastructure countermeasures. Priority Corridors Priority corridors are routes where a significant number of students are currently walking and biking, or where they could potentially walk and bike. The priority corridors were identified by looking at student locations, the presence of sidewalks, and the presence of crossing locations within one mile of each school. Next Steps Public comments will be incorporated into the STP before it is finalized. The final plan will include a list of non-infrastructure countermeasures with a recommended timeline for implementation; it will also include a list of infrastructure countermeasures with recommended prioritizations as to what should be implemented first. The plan will be complete once members of the team endorse it, showing their commitment to Safe Routes and their support of the recommended countermeasures.

30 SRTS Countermeasures Non-Infrastructure Countermeasures Non-infrastructure countermeasures include all of the education, encouragement, and enforcement activities intended to affect student or driver behavior, as well as evaluation activities that monitor the impacts of the SRTS program once implemented. Education programs target children, parents, caregivers, and neighbors, teaching them how to walk and bicycle safely and informing drivers on how to drive more safely around pedestrians and bicyclists. Education programs can also incorporate personal security issues, as well as health and environment messages. Examples of education programs are Safety Town programs, bike rodeos, and hosting SRTS meetings. Encouragement activities promote walking and bicycling to school to children, parents and community members. Events such as Walk to School Day, contests such as a Frequent Walker/ Bicyclist challenge, or on-going programs such as a Walking School Bus or Bicycle Train can promote and encourage walking and bicycling as a popular way to get to school. Enforcement strategies increase the safety of children bicycling and walking to school by helping to change unsafe behaviors of drivers, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists. A community approach to enforcement involves students, parents or caregivers, school personnel, crossing guards and law enforcement officers. Examples of enforcement strategies are enforcing school zone speed limits and having an adult school crossing guard program. Evaluation is an important component of SRTS programs that can be incorporated into each of the other Es. Collecting information before and after program activities or projects are implemented allow communities to track progress and outcomes, and provide information to guide program development. Continuing to conduct the parent surveys and student travel tallies are evaluation techniques. Infrastructure Countermeasures Infrastructure projects, or engineering projects, include operational and physical improvements that establish safer and fully accessible pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. All infrastructure projects must improve conditions for students walking or bicycling within two miles of the target school. These improvements focus on reducing motor vehicle speeds and conflicts with pedestrians and bicyclists, and establishing safer and fully accessible crossings, walkways, trails, and bikeways. Bicycle racks should be placed in a safe, visible location at each school in order to promote and accommodate children who wish to ride bikes to and from school. Sidewalks are one of the most effective countermeasures that increase safety for pedestrians; however, they can be costly to build. An ideal sidewalk includes a grassy, tree-lined buffer between the sidewalk and the street and a minimum width of 5 feet for optimal pedestrian comfort. Crosswalks with signage should be used to identify all street crossings. Ladder-style crosswalk markings should be used for better visibility and OMUTCD-compliant signage should be installed to identify the crossing location. Remote drop-off/pick-up locations can decrease vehicular traffic at the school, making it safer for students to walk and bike around the school. These also provide a location where students who live farther away can be dropped off and still walk to school.

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