SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLANNING FRAMEWORK SRTS TEAM Successful SRTS programs recognize each community as being unique and emphasize the importance of including a diverse range of community representation on the team. The Glyndon SRTS team included representation from the Glyndon-Felton Elementary School and DGF Public School District (an administrator, board member, teacher and parent), the City of Glyndon, Glyndon Police Department, Clay County, Fargo-Moorhead Council of Governments, Minnesota Department of Transportation – District 4, PartnerSHIP 4 Health, and residents of the City of Glyndon. The team members were directly involved in the planning process, with many having the knowledge and skills needed to implement the plan recommendations. After delivering the plan, WCI will continue to provide ongoing technical assistance to aid in plan implementation.
SRTS PLANNING PROCESS The SRTS planning process got its start in the Fall of 2013 when Glyndon Councilman, Joe Olson contacted Wayne Hurley, Planning Director at WCI inquiring how to improve the safety of students around the Glyndon-Felton Elementary School. Hurley guided Councilman Olson and the City of Glyndon to apply for a MnDOT SRTS planning assistance grant which was then awarded to the city in the Spring of 2014. With the assistance and expert staff at WCI, the SRTS team came together to review the school and community profiles, provide input on the barriers, outline the vision and goals, assist in data collection, and to develop and review the recommendations. As part of the planning and outreach process, the community was invited and encouraged to provide feedback on the community’s strengths, barriers and opportunities (a kind of SWOT Analysis tailored to planning).
In addition to gathering community input, the team conducted an assessment of the community’s current conditions and policies in order to identify opportunities to advance walking and bicycling to school or programs that support active transportation. The team conducted observations to understand how many students walk and bike to and from school, what routes are the most traveled, their behaviors as pedestrians and bicyclists, and the interactions between pedestrians and motorists. In addition, the team conducted a separate walk-audit of the entire community to survey its geography and infrastructure. During the walk-audit, the team recorded sidewalk conditions, child-friendly opportunities to cross streets, along with vehicle speeds, and potential trail and sidewalk connections.
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