Council to vote on Safe Routes to School Travel Plan

NORWALK — Norwalk City Council is scheduled to vote on the Safe Routes to School Travel Plan at its meeting on Tuesday night. Among other things, the plan calls for: • initiating an educational campaign that encourages walking and biking, expanding Safety Town beyond kindergarten; • implementing an annual bicycle rodeo program to educate children about bicycle safety and improve their riding ability; • maintaining and enhancing the visible presence of law enforcement along major walking/biking routes; • participating in International Walk to School Day in October and National Bike to School Day in May; • targeted crime and speed enforcement during arrival and dismissal periods near school buildings; • forming a team that would focus on the recruitment/retention of school crossing guards; • relocating a crossing guard from the Main Street/Mack Street intersection to the Main Street/Foster Street intersection; • and creating a community safety team with parents, local business owners and law enforcement. As for infrastructure recommendations, the plan calls for: constructing a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) equipped pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Christie Avenue/Warren Drive and Benedict Avenue; constructing an RRFB equipped pedestrian crossing on the north leg of Christie Avenue and Norwood Avenue; completing the sidewalk from Norwalk High School around the athletic fields north of the high school and connecting to the path leading to Norwalk Middle School; and constructing an RRFB mid-block crosswalk across West Washington Street approximately 150 feet west of North Hester Street. The plan was created by community stakeholders and the Safe Routes to School Team, which included Norwalk City Schools Superintendent Brad Cooley, schools Director of Operations Dan Bauman, schools Director of Support Services Cory Schmidt, Public Works Director Aaron Osborn, Police Chief Dave Smith, Norwalk Safety Services Director Mike White, and others. Osborn is the lead contact for the plan. "The vision of the Norwalk City Schools Safe Routes to School Team is to optimize and maximize the number of students that walk or bike to school and to promote safety, wellness, and sustainability among the student population and broader Norwalk community," the plan states. Safe Routes to School is a program of the Ohio Department of Transportation. It provides resources, technical assistance and project funding to encourage and enable students in grades K-12 to walk or ride their bike to school, according to the ODOT website. The program is funded at $5 million annually for projects in 5 categories: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement, and evaluation. Up to $500,000 in funds are available for infrastructure projects within two miles of schools, while up to $120,000 are available for non-infrastructure activities such as education, encouragement, enforcement, or evaluation, the state's website says. According to the Safe Routes to School Travel Plan Draft, Norwalk parents were surveyed for their attitudes about allowing their children to walk or ride their bikes to school. The top reasons high school parents were not allowed to walk or bike to their school were: the distance from home to school, the safety of intersections, safety of walkers related to light condition, weather, and student extra-curricular activities. Parents of middle schoolers cited the following reasons for not allowing their kids to walk or ride a bike to school: the distance from home to school, safety of intersections, length of time required to walk to school, amount and speed of traffic along walking routes, and weather. As for intermediate school, parents cited distance, speed of traffic, extra-curricular activities, safety of intersections, and weather. Parents of elementary schools cited those same reasons, but added safety from crime or violence to the list not along with having a group of children walking together. Council members interviewed by the Reflector Monday expressed support for the plan. Council member Steve Schumm said he applauds the group that took the time to create the Safe Routes to School Draft. "The safety of children is of paramount importance and anything we can do to take care of the safety of the school routes, I'd be in favor of," Schumm said. Council member Matt Doughty echoed Schumm's comments. "It's one of those common sense things," Doughty said. "Once the city approves the plan, we can apply for grants based on what we feel is the most important. It's a good program all the way around." Council member Tom Dunlap said the plan will fine tune some things that are already working. "It's a good plan to keep kids safe," Dunlap said. "Our police department already does a wonderful job so this will just enhance that. All you have to do is be in a school zone anywhere in this town and you're going to see a patrol car driving by."