Executive Summary

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y

The purpose of this Safe Routes to School (SRTS) plan is to guide school officials, city staff, parents and educators in their efforts to make it easier, safer and more comfortable for students to walk and bicycle to and from school. Physical inactivity and increased levels of obesity are considered a public health crisis and walking or biking to and from school is an easy way for children to get the regular physical activity they need to combat this problem. Physically-active kids have fewer chronic health problems. They also have improved mood and concentration, a stronger self-image and more self-confidence which are all critical for succeeding in school and in life.

SRTS programs require community involvement and can improve the community’s quality of life well beyond that of students attending school. The SRTS planning process began in August of 2014 with a kickoff meeting. The SRTS team envisions a community connected by sidewalks and crosswalks where it is safe for children to walk and bicycle to school and where community members are educated and aware of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The City of Ogema and Waubun-Ogema-White Earth (WOWE) Public School District makes the community uniquely suited to implement the identified recommendations. The recommendations in this plan address the five “E”s of education, encouragement, enforcement, engineering and evaluation, which is the standard strategy in SRTS planning. Also addressed are possible issues of equity. This needs to be considered as the community may have been historically underserved, have greater needs and/or have been more negatively affected by transportation planning decisions of the past. Today, they are left to deal with the resultant transportation infrastructure now found in their local community. After the SRTS planning document is approved by both the City of Ogema and WOWE Public School Board, the City and/or School District may seek out funding and resources to implement the identified recommendations.

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