The Region Nine Development Commission in Mankato, Minnesota received a 2014 Excellence in Regional Transportation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for Safe Routes to School Planning in Rural Districts. Winners will be honored at the 2014 National Rural Transportation Peer Learning Conference, Dec. 3-5 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The NADO Research Foundation and RPO America program recognizes notable projects and practices in rural and small metropolitan areas that help meet regional needs through program areas such as bicycle and pedestrian planning, air quality, equity, project implementation, safety and transit.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation contracts with Region Nine and other Development Commissions statewide to facilitate Safe Routes to School programs. Region Nine has completed Safe Routes to School plans in Mankato, Lake Crystal and Le Sueur, and it is now working on plans in North Mankato, Eagle Lake, Le Center, Montgomery, Lonsdale, New Ulm, Madelia, St. James, Blue Earth and Fairmont.
Safe Routes to School is an international program that promotes walking and biking to school while teaching children both bicycle and pedestrian safety. The program also works to improve the air quality around schools, decrease traffic congestion near schools, increase physical activity of children and strengthen community involvement.
“Region Nine is honored to receive this award in recognition of our Safe Routes to School planning that we have been leading in our region since 2012,” said Nicole Griensewic Mickelson, executive director of Region Nine. “Safe Routes to School plans help to develop a culture and environment where walking and biking is a safe, and more appealing, part of everyday life.”
On the East Coast, Margaux Mennesson of the SRTS National Partnership shared some lessons learned in rural New Jersey about Safe Routes to School in her recent blog. Though New Jersey is usually considered urban, the state also features large rural areas with small towns and open spaces.
Mennesson noted that in rural areas such as Mount Holly and Ogdenburg, the distance between home and school is often too far for students to walk or bicycle, which means most rural districts rely heavily on busing and/or parent drop-off. In such areas, how can schools participate in programs like National Walk to School Day?
Principal Carla Chiarelli of Sacred Heart Elementary School in Mount Holly enlisted the help of Cross County Connection SRTS Coordinator David Calderetti to devise a plan to use a remote drop-off location for a walk-to-school-day activity. The effort kicked off on Walk to School Day in 2012 and was a huge success. Since then, the school has organized several satellite Walk to School Days to raise awareness for health and social issues, including Hurricane Sandy relief and breast cancer.
In 2013, Ogdensburg School was eager to participate in International Walk to School Day. Due to lack of connectivity and infrastructure like sidewalks, getting students to school safely was looking to be a challenge, said Mennesson. Then Andrew Lappitt , the Safe Routes to School Coordinator with TransOptions attended Ogdensburg’s Back to School Night to inform parents and students of the upcoming Walk to School Day. Lappit explained the concept of a walking school bus and asked parents where the best “walking school bus stops” could be located. He also recruited parents as volunteer chaperones to escort each group to Ogdensburg School.
In October 2013, Ogdensburg celebrated Walk to School Day with four walking school buses involving about 100 students. Ogdensburg School continues to celebrate Walk to School Day on a monthly basis, according to Mennesson.
