The Safe Routes to School Program

The City of Perrysburg Administration and the Perrysburg School District have recently begun a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative.  SRTS is a state, national and international movement to make it safe, convenient and fun for children to walk or bike to school.  The statewide program is administered through the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). 

Perrysburg is creating a School Travel Plan to help assess the needs of our community and create a safe means for children to walk or bike to school.  As a part of the program, ODOT is providing Perrysburg with the engineering component of the School Travel plan (STP).   ODOT is also providing additional funding to help create the Perrysburg School Travel Plan.  Perrysburg has hired DGL Consulting Engineers to assist the City and the Schools in preparing our STP.

The benefits of SRTS are many.  When routes are safe, students can get the regular exercise they need for good health by walking or biking to school.  Studies have shown that physically active kids have improved mood and concentration.  It has also been shown that physical fitness related to better test scores on some standardized tests.  We want our students to safely get the physical activity they need.

The health and safety of children is a concern we all share.  Many of you know how congested the school areas get at the beginning and end of the school day.  The Task Force will follow the SRTS process and identify solutions to provide safer travel for our students.  Some of the activities that are required to complete our STP are parent/classroom surveys, a walking audit and development of encouragement and educational programs in our school and community.