About Cupertino Safe Routes to School

Mission Statement

Create a safer environment for Cupertino students and families to travel to and from school actively.

Background 

The City of Cupertino is localizing the larger National Safe Routes to School Program and mirroring effective model programs that have successfully reduced traffic accidents and increased the number of students who walk or bike to school. Studies show that as much as 30% of morning traffic can be generated by parents driving their children to school. This is problematic because traffic-related accidents are the leading cause of major injury for children ages 1 to 17. By attempting to shift the way that kids travel to and from school, Cupertino Safe Routes to School aims to make Cupertino a safer place for our students.

Cupertino Safe Routes to School combines infrastructure improvements, bicycle/pedestrian education, and encouragement events to remove barriers that might prevent students from traveling to and from school actively. Our team examines conditions around schools and develops projects and programs that improve safety, increase accessibility, and reduce traffic. We provide bicycle and pedestrian education to students to teach them how to safely get around. Then we encourage them to use their skills and improved infrastructure to walk, bike, or scooter to school. The primary goal of this program is to make active transportation a safer and more appealing transportation choice.

The Framework of E's

Cupertino Safe Routes to School works to create a safer environment for students to travel to and from school actively. We utilize a suite of activities and programs that can be customized by parent champions to best fit the specific needs of individual schools. These activities and programs can be organized into what is commonly referred to as the “Framework of E’s.” Cupertino Safe Routes to School utilizes this Framework of E’s to successfully achieve program goals.

Engineering
We design infrastructure improvements to increase the safety of all roadway users throughout the City.

Education
We provide classes, workshops, and activities that teach students, parents, and community members safe walking and bicycling life skills.

Encouragement
We collaborate with schools to hold events, activities, and contests that generate interest in walking and biking to school, reward participation, make walking or biking to school fun, and promote the personal health benefits associated with active transportation.

Evaluation
We track program performance through regular counts, surveys, and other data collection methods to determine the program’s impact on student travel behavior.

Enforcement
We work with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office to deter the unsafe behavior of drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. We also work to educate all roadway users on traffic laws and how to follow the appropriate drop-off and pick-up procedures.

Equity
We acknowledge that Cupertino is a diverse community and students face different challenges and barriers to traveling to and from school. Cupertino Safe Routes to School incorporates equity to ensure that Safe Routes to School initiatives are benefiting all demographic groups. We aim to establish an environment where Cupertino Safe Routes to School resources and programs reach all members of our community.

Engagement
We engage with our many partners to ensure a robust, successful Safe Routes to School program. Our program partnerships are the foundation of the program.

A History of Cupertino Safe Routes to School

Check out this video on the goals of Cupertino Safe Routes to School!

Safe Routes to School - An International Movement

Why

Safe Routes to School is an international initiative targeted at improving the health and well-being of children by increasing the number of students who walk or bike to school.

Safe Routes to School programs promote community, environmental responsibility, physical health, student safety, and academic performance!

A History of Safe Routes to School

"The safe routes to school (SRTS) concept began in the 1970s in Odense, Denmark, rooted in concern for the safety of children walking and bicycling to school (European Union Target, 2005).

The SRTS concept spread internationally, with programs developing in other parts of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The Bronx, a borough of New York City, started the first SRTS program in the United States in 1997. In the same year, the State of Florida implemented a pilot program. In August of 2000, the U.S. Congress funded two SRTS pilot projects through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Within a year of the launch of the pilot projects, many other grassroots SRTS efforts began throughout the United States.

Success with the pilot projects generated interest in a federally funded national program. In 2003, advocates convened meetings with experts in pedestrian and bicycle issues to talk about SRTS issues and ideas for developing a national program. Momentum for a national SRTS program in the United States continued to build as several states developed their own programs.

Congress created the Federal-Aid Safe Routes to School Program in 2005 through comprehensive transportation legislation, ultimately resulting in nearly $1 billion in funding. Subsequent transportation legislation, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) passed in 2012 making Safe Routes to School (SRTS) activities eligible to compete for funding alongside other programs, including the Transportation Enhancements program and Recreational Trails program, as part of a new program called Transportation Alternatives." - National Center for Safe Routes to School

Other Bay Area Safe Routes to School Programs

Interested in learning which communities have a successful Safe Routes to School program?

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