Significant Findings

S IG NI FI CA NT FIN DI NG S

OBSERVATIONS AND WAL KING AUDIT

 Drop-off loop in front of elementary school entrance has busy, and sometimes less than orderly, traffic that can pose a possible danger to students walking / biking to and from school who must traverse the area during both morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal. Parents picking up and dropping off students in this area were also observed parking in no parking zones.

 During afternoon dismissal, the high school dismisses 10 minutes after the elementary school, with school buses leaving 15 minutes after the elementary school dismissal. This allows elementary school students walking and biking home to leave school grounds and the surrounding area before a second rush of traffic hits the streets of the city.

 While most children were seen using the crosswalks and sidewalks, some were still seen not using crosswalks.

 The New York Mills School is well-sited within the City of New York Mills and contiguous with neighborhoods and a mostly new, rebuilt sidewalk network.

 The New York Mills School sits directly adjacent to the very active Lund Boat factory with facilities bordering school grounds and to the south across Gilman Street. The High School entrance leads directly out onto the parking lot on the east side of the school with no clear logical walkway heading due east through the parking lot to route pedestrians to destinations east of school like the

Kelava Apartments on Walker Avenue or other popular student destinations on Miller Street.

 Miller Street had a noticeable amount of motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic particularly after dismissal as students visit stores on Miller after school. However, Miller Street is in poor condition and does not have sidewalks or curbs.

 Driver speeds were notably faster in the afternoons compared to the morning, with some high school students observed driving at high speeds.

 The BNSF Railway line and US Highway 10 both create significant barriers to walking and biking in

New York Mills.

 Much of the New York Mills sidewalk network was rebuilt during a major street reconstruction project in 2015.

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PARENT SURVEY AND STUDENT TRAVEL TALLY RESULTS

 When compared to the 2013 national SRTS combined walk and bike mode share numbers of 15.2 percent in the morning and 18.4 percent in the afternoon, the percentages of elementary students walking and bicycling to and from the New York Mills School (four percent morning, five percent afternoon) are below average. The Student Travel Tallies for both elementary and secondary / high school students returned similar walking and biking mode share numbers.

 Even when only students who live within a perceived one-mile distance from the school are considered, only 15 percent of these children walk and/or bike to school in the morning. This number stays the same, at 15 percent, in the afternoon. One mile is an appropriate distance for most students attending the New York Mills School to walk and/or bike to school according to the

MnDOT Walk / Bike Zone concept.

 According to the Parent Survey, the school bus was the most frequently used mode of travel to and from school, followed by family vehicle.

 Distance was the main reason some parents do not allow their children to walk or bicyc le to and from school, followed by weather.

 Safety factors, such as traffic speed and volume were chosen more frequently than crime or violence as barriers to children walking or biking to school.

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