Next Steps

Safe Routes planning is meant to identify strategies that Parkers Prairie can use to continue this work towards creating a community where walking and biking to school is a viable and safe choice. It is important that this work be on-going in order to help create a cultural shift in the community to more fully embrace walking and biking to school. Where it is safe we want to encourage children to walk/bike, where it is not safe we want to work to make it safe.

Some recommendations for moving forward with this program are as follows:  Seek out appropriate funding sources to complete the engineering improvements outlined in this plan o Safe Routes to School funds o Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Funds o Minnesota State Highway Funds o DNR Trail Funding o Funding from organizations such as Bikes Belong o Local Funds  Identify projects that each school would like to take on in an effort to encourage a healthy, active lifestyle and increase walking/biking.  View bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure as an integrated part of Parkers Prairie’s transportation system.  Continue meeting as a SRTS team or task another team with completing noninfrastructure projects related to SRTS  Look into creating a paid position at the school o Apply for SRTS non-infrastructure implementation to help fund PARKERS PRAIRIE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PLAN