AKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. DISTRICT-WIDE TRAVEL PLAN January 2015 OHIO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL DISTRICT-WIDE TRAVEL PLAN

Transcription

1 AKRON PUBLIC SCHOOLS DISTRICT-WIDE TRAVEL PLAN January 2015 OHIO SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL DISTRICT-WIDE TRAVEL PLAN

2 Acknowledgements The district-wide School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools was prepared by TranSystems Corporation with assistance from MurphyEpson in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Transportation, Akron Public Schools, City of Akron, Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS), and staff members from other agencies and organizations that volunteered their time to develop and finalize this district-wide School Travel Plan for a large school district. A special thanks to the leaders and members of the Akron Safe Routes to School. The Akron Safe Routes to School would like to extend a special thanks to the following people for their help and support related to Safe Routes to School and the School Travel Plan for Akron: David W. James, Superintendent of Akron Public Schools Acknowledgements School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Akron Public School Board of Education Lisa Mansfield Board of Education President and Specialty Schools Liaison Bruce Alexander Board of Education Vice President; Legal Contracts and Board Policy Co-Chair; and Buchtel Cluster Liaison Patrick Bravo Board of Education Member; Finance and Capital Management Co-Chair; and East Cluster Liaison David Lombardi Board of Education Member; Legal, Contracts and Board Policy Co- Chair; and North Cluster Liaison Tim Miller Board of Education Member; Finance and Capital Management Co-Chair; and Ellet Cluster Liaison Veronica Sims Board of Education Member; Policy and Student Achievement Co-Chair; and Garfield Cluster Liaison Rev. Dr. Curtis T. Walker, Sr. Board of Education Member; Policy and Student Achievement Co-Chair; and Kenmore Cluster Liaison i

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction...1 Safe Routes to School Program... 1 Akron School Travel Plan... 1 Body Mass Index for Ohio s Third Grade Students : Target Schools and SRTS...2 Akron Public Schools SRTS Coordinator... 2 SRTS Members... 2 Consultant Members... 3 Community Participants and Partners... 3 Target Schools : Public Involvement...4 Public Involvement Process... 4 Vision... 4 Table of Contents School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools 3.0: Existing Conditions...9 City Context... 9 School District... 9 Body Mass Index for Ohio s Third Grade Students... 9 Schools Included in the APS STP... 9 Crash Statistics School District Policies, Plans, Accomplishments Local Government Policies, Plans, and Programs : Issues and Countermeasures Issues Countermeasures Priority Corridors Support for SRTS Student Safety and Comfort SRTS Program Sustainability : Prioritized Strategies Notes on Prioritization, Timeframes, and Estimated Cost School/City Policies Non- Countermeasures Countermeasures : Endorsements ii

4 Attachments: Attachment 1: Attachment 2: Attachment 3: Appendices: Appendix A: Appendix B: Appendix C: Appendix D: Appendix E: Appendix F: Appendix G: Appendix H: Appendix I: Engineering Countermeasure Descriptions Priority Corridors and Engineering Countermeasures by School Planning-Level Cost Estimates School Demographics Kick-off Meeting Materials Principal Surveys Walk Audit Information and Local Walk Audit Notes Crossing Guard Survey Parent Survey Summary Travel Tally Summary ODOT Student Maps Prioritization Matrix Table of Contents School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools iii

5 INTRODUCTION Safe Routes to School Program The Ohio Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The program supports projects and programs that enable and encourage safe walking and bicycling to and from school. A School Travel Plan (STP) is a requirement for funding requests through the ODOT SRTS program. An STP is the written document that outlines a community s intentions for enabling students to engage in active transportation (i.e. walking or bicycling) as they travel to and from school. Serving as foundation for an SRTS program, the STP can be updated and modified as needed to comply with community values and goals. The plan is created through a team-based approach that involves key community stakeholders in both identifying barriers to active transportation and, using all Es, a set of solutions to address them. The five Es are Engineering, Enforcement,, and Evaluation. Engineering refers to infrastructure projects that improve the pedestrian and bicycle environment within two miles of a school. The other Es refer to non-infrastructure programs that are intended to affect student or driver behavior to result in more walking and biking to school. Akron School Travel Plan Introduction School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools The Akron STP follows ODOT s draft guidelines for large school districts. Large school districts are defined by ODOT as those with more than 15 kindergarten through 8 th grade (K-8) schools. In prior years, ODOT s funding process restricted applications for STP development to four schools at a time. ODOT observed that large school districts did not apply for SRTS grant funding at a rate proportionate to their representation in the state. The Akron STP is the third of a series of three district-wide STPs for large school districts in Ohio and one of the first nationwide. Body Mass Index for Ohio s Third Grade Students A review of the Report on the Body Mass Index of Ohio s Third Graders, conducted by the Ohio Department of Health, found that childhood obesity is one of the most important public health issues in Ohio with more than 30 percent of children and adolescents classified as overweight or obese. In a study, it was reported that 30.9% of third grade students living in Summit County, where Akron Public Schools are located, have a prevalence of being overweight or obese. A map showing the percentage of overweight and obese third graders by county can be found in Appendix A. Through physical activity, such as walking or biking to and from school, or educating youth about the importance of an active lifestyle, ODOT s Safe Routes to School Program hopes to foster awareness and prevention to combat this serious public health issue. 1

6 1.0: TARGET SCHOOLS AND SRTS TEAM Akron Public Schools SRTS Coordinator Following the model established with the Cincinnati STP, a full-time SRTS Coordinator is in place to guide the development of the process locally. Andy Davis, a traffic engineer with the City of Akron s Engineering Bureau, and Sam Trecaso, a graduate student at the University of Akron are the SRTS Akron Co-coordinators. ODOT is funding their position for the length of the STP process. SRTS Members Target Schools and SRTS School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Tom Bennett City of Akron David Celik ODOT Laurel Celik, BSN RN NCSN School Health RN Akron Public Schools, Akron Children's Hospital Jerry Egan American Planning Association, Akron Chapter Debra Foulk Akron Public Schools David Gasper City of Akron A. Harris Summit County Public Health Bob Hasenyager Summit County Public Health Courtney Hudson Safe Kids Summit County, Akron Children's Hospital Phyllis Jividen Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) Ilene Katz Jewell Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron Marilyn Keith Akron City Council K. Kiehl Akron Public Schools Lisa Mansfield Akron Public Schools T. Miller Ohio Erie Canal Kate Moening Safe Routes to School National Partnership Victor Pinheiro University of Akron Chad Root ODOT Sgt. Jeff Shaffer Akron Police Department Chris Surma ODOT SRTS District Coordinator Rich Swirsky Akron City Council Jennifer Teller Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron Heather Trnka Safe Kids Summit County, Akron Children's Hospital Julie Walcoff ODOT SRTS Program Manager L. Williams Ohio Erie Canal Heather Wuensch Safe Kids Summit County, Akron Children's Hospital 2

7 Consultant Members David F. Shipps, AICP TranSystems Corporation (Project Manager) Stephanie Tresso MurphyEpson (Public Involvement Lead) Community Participants and Partners City of Akron Safe Kids Summit County Safe Routes to School National Partnership AMATS Akron City Council Akron Police Department Akron Public Schools Target Schools University of Akron Akron Children's Hospital Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron American Planning Association, Akron Chapter Akron Community Foundation Akron Area YMCA Target Schools and SRTS School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools The APS district includes 41 schools that serve students ranging from kindergarten to 8 th grade. Many of these schools serve grades PK-8. Schools that only serve grades 9-12 are excluded from this STP since they are not the focus of the Federal SRTS program. Specific demographic information from the Ohio Department of Education for each school included in the plan is located in Appendix A. The majority of the schools are neighborhood cluster schools which draw from the area around the school. Five schools are specialty schools which draw students from across the district via a lottery. Figure 1 displays a map of APS s schools. Figure 1: Akron Public Schools 3

8 2.0: PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT Public Involvement Process This section summarizes input received through the public involvement process from steering committee members, school leadership, parents, and APS partners (i.e., organizations that can help with implementation of this travel plan). Steering Committee Input The project team conducted a kick-off meeting with the APS SRTS team on October 18, At the meeting attendees discussed the general planning process, the travel plan methodology for large school districts and next steps. A public kick-off was held on November 8, 2013 at Helen Arnold Community Learning Center. The agenda and meeting minutes from the kick-off meeting are in Appendix B. Vision The Akron SRTS team adopted a vision statement for the School Travel Plan. The Akron Safe Routes to School program, working with Akron Public Schools, strives to establish a world-class, student-focused community-based learning system and to create a community that supports and enhances safe walking and biking to school by focusing on equity through engineering, enforcement, evaluation, education and encouragement. Public Involvement School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools The Akron SRTS program has three goals: School Input Go Safe Here. Go Safe There. Go Safe Everywhere. The Akron SRTS collected input from APS schools through an online school survey and schoolspecific walk audits. Online School Survey Principals An online survey was developed specifically for completion by principals. Distributed in late 2013, the principals survey was completed by 38 out of the 41 schools. Each principal provided a list of barriers to walking and biking, common walking and biking routes, and other information related to encouraging or promoting walking and biking. Some of the highlights from these responses are included in the sections that follow. A table listing each school s responses is provided in Appendix C. 4

9 Student Travel The survey asked school leadership to estimate the percentage of students who travel to and from school by walking, bicycling, riding in a car, riding in a school bus, and riding a METRO bus. Figure 2 shows the average percentages reported for each mode, based on estimates from school leaders. Figure 2: Principals Responses: Average Percentage of Students' Mode To/From School 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% 38.6% 36.4% 23.6% 0.9% 1.6% Walk Bike Car Bus METRO % Students Barriers to Walking and Bicycling to/from School The survey asked school leadership to rank 11 potential barriers to walking and bicycling to school. The barriers most commonly ranked first were: Public Involvement School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Concern about violence or crime. Distance. Safety at intersections and crossings. Convenience (i.e. parents find it more convenient to drive their children to and from school). The barriers most commonly ranked second were: Safety at intersections and crossings. Convenience (i.e. parents find it more convenient to drive their children to and from school). Speed of traffic along key student walking and bicycling routes. Volume of traffic along key student walking and bicycling routes. Students lack pedestrian and/or bicycle safety skills. School Policies The survey asked school leadership whether the school had adopted a policy prohibiting walking and bicycling. A biking or walking prohibition may be in place because of concern about safety. Through education and infrastructure improvements, the SRTS team will work with school leadership to encourage students to walk and bike to school safely rather than prohibiting the modes of transportation altogether. 5 One school reported prohibiting walking.

10 Five schools reported prohibiting bicycling. SRTS Strategies and SRTS Programs The survey asked school leadership which common SRTS strategies the school had already and which common SRTS strategies the school would be interested in implementing in the future: The most commonly reported SRTS strategies schools have already included: pedestrian safety education (15 schools), observation of school arrival and dismissal (14 schools), personal security education (13 schools), education regarding the health benefits of walking and bicycling to school (10 schools), bicycle safety education (8 schools), and carpools (8 schools). The most commonly reported SRTS strategies schools would like to implement in the future included: personal security education (15 schools), assessment of walkability and bikeability in the area around the school (15 schools), parent surveys through the National Center for Safe Routes to School (14 schools), International Walk to School Day (13 schools), mileage clubs or contests (13 schools), and no phone zone campaigns to discourage cell phone use while driving (13 schools). The survey also asked school leadership whether the school was planning to implement an SRTS program and nine schools indicated that they were. Walk Audits Public Involvement School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Walk audits were conducted at 38 of the 41 APS schools beginning in November 2013 and continued through the remainder of the school year. Each walk audit included members of the Akron SRTS along with principals and interested parents. The primary goal of the walk audits was to analyze the schools walking and biking environments. The consultant team also taught several individuals how to conduct walk audits. The training will allow the Akron SRTS to conduct future walk audits at additional schools around the district. The following APS schools were included in the initial walk audits in November 2013 with the consultant team: Barber Crouse David Hill Findley Firestone Park Glover Hatton Helen E. Arnold Jennings Kent McEbright Portage Path Schumacher The Akron SRTS conducted additional walk audits in the spring of 2014 at the following schools: Akron Opportunity Center Bettes Betty Jane Case East Forest Hill Henry L. Robinson Hyre Innes John R. Buchtel Judith A. Resnik Lawndale 6

11 Leggett Litchfield Mason Miller South NIHF STEM Pfeiffer Rimer Ritzman Sam Salem Seiberling Smith Voris Windemere A meeting was held with the local school principal or other school representative prior to the walk audits. The purpose of the meeting was to: Identify barriers on the planned walk audit route prior to observation in the field. Identify barriers beyond planned walk audit route. Identify non-infrastructure barriers or other concerns of the principal or school representative. Discussion of how walking and biking safety is currently taught to students and communicated to parents. Begin to understand the unique neighborhood community surrounding each school and how this relates to safe walking and biking for students. The walk audits included observing arrival and/or dismissal, conditions along adjacent roadways, and taking notes and photographs of existing bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and likely barriers to walking and bicycling to school. The information collected contributed to the countermeasures recommended in 4.0: Issues and Countermeasures. Written notes for the walk audits are included in Appendix D. Crossing Guard Survey Public Involvement School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools The Akron Planning also conducted a crossing guard survey during the school year. Eighty-four crossing guards completed the survey. Their top three concerns are crosswalk lines and the need to repaint them, cars speeding through and near school crosswalks and cars not stopping at crosswalks, traffic signals or stop signs. The survey and a summary of the responses are in Appendix E. Parent Input The National Center for SRTS parent survey was sent out district-wide to approximately 13,000 student households in Fall Nearly 2,400 surveys were returned. The surveys provided a base of information regarding existing conditions and barriers (real and perceived) to walking and biking. The Akron SRTS intends to administer this survey annually to evaluate the effectiveness of their SRTS programs and general walking and biking concerns. The overall Parent Survey Summary is located in Appendix F. The top issues parents identified as affecting their decision to allow their child to walk to or from school were violence/crime (68%), distance (66%), weather/climate (58%), speed of traffic along route (55%) and amount of traffic along route (54%), tied for fifth place was safety of intersections and crossings (54%). In the parent comments, the top issues were crime and safety concerns with registered sex offenders along routes to school mentioned specifically several times; distance from school; age of students; 7

12 bullying; and lack of lighting were other non-infrastructure concerns. Many of these concerns are items that SRTS programs address, even if the issue is a perceived issue. There are some specific locations where parents suggested adding a crossing guard, crosswalk, adding or repairing sidewalks, speed reduction and/or pedestrian signal upgrade. These were shared with the City of Akron and Akron Public Schools, as appropriate. In-class Student Travel Tallies The National Center for SRTS student travel tally was distributed district-wide in the fall of Completed tallies with more than 11,300 responses were returned from 35 of the 41 schools. Table 1 shows a summary of the morning and afternoon travel modes as indicated in the tallies. The Travel Tally Summary is located in Appendix G. Morning trips (16,394 students) Afternoon trips (15,428 students) Table 1: In-class Student Travel Tally Results Walk Bike School Bus Family Vehicle Carpool Public Transit Other 13% 0.2% 23% 55% 7% 0.7% 0.8% 17% 0.2% 24% 51% 7% 0.9% 1% Public Involvement School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools 8

13 3.0: EXISTING CONDITIONS City Context The APS district is located in Summit County in northeast Ohio. The district is entirely located within City of Akron, which is predominately an urban area and generally has a well-connected, existing pedestrian infrastructure. Most of the streets within a mile of APS s schools have sidewalks on one or both sides of the street. Additionally, crosswalks and pedestrian signals exist at most of the signalized intersections, although, in some cases these amenities are not across all legs of the intersection. A factor that limits walking and bicycling to and from school in Akron is its climate. The winter of saw school cancelled for several days due to impassable roads and sidewalks. The Akron SRTS team is considering several snow removal educational and encouragement countermeasures to address this issue moving forward. School District Existing Conditions School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools As of the fall of 2013, APS has 41 K-8 schools with an enrollment of ~15,000 students. The ethnic distribution is African-American (45.9%) and Caucasian (38.8%) students, followed by Multi-Racial (7.3%), Asian or Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%). It is of note that 5.5% of APS students have limited English proficiency. Eighty-five percent of students are eligible to participate in the federal free/reduced-price lunch program. APS provides transportation to all students in grades K-8 who live more than two miles from school via yellow bus. APS includes neighborhood and district-wide schools called specialty schools. Body Mass Index for Ohio s Third Grade Students A review of the Report on the Body Mass Index of Ohio s Third Graders, conducted by the Ohio Department of Health, found that childhood obesity is one of the most important public health issues in Ohio with more than 30 percent of children and adolescents classified as overweight or obese. In a study, it was reported that 30.9% of third grade students living in Summit County, where Akron Public Schools are located, have a prevalence of being overweight or obese. A map showing the percentage of overweight and obese third graders by county can be found in Appendix A. Through physical activity, such as walking or biking to and from school, or educating youth about the importance of an active lifestyle, ODOT s Safe Routes to School Program hopes to foster awareness and prevention to combat this serious public health issue. Schools Included in the APS STP A list of the 41 schools included in the APS STP is shown in Table 2. Additionally, ODOT s student location maps for each school are included in Appendix H. 9

14 Table 2: Schools Included in the APS STP Existing Conditions School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools School Grades Type Address Akron Opportunity Center 6-8 Specialty School 77 W. Thornton Street Total Students # Students in 1 Mile % Students in 1 Mile # Students in 2 Miles % Students in 2 Miles % % Barber CLC K-6 East Cluster 665 Garry Road % % Bettes K-5 North Cluster 1333 Betana Avenue % % Betty Jane CLC K-5 Ellet Cluster 444 Darrow Road % % Bridges Learning Center Case K-5 K-8 Specialty School Firestone Cluster Crouse CLC K-6 Buchtel Cluster David Hill CLC K-5 East Cluster 33 Dorcas Avenue 1393 Westvale Avenue 1000 Diagonal Road 1060 E. Archwood Avenue % % % % % % % % East CLC 7-12 East Cluster 80 Brittain Road % % Findley CLC K-5 North Cluster Firestone Park K-5 Garfield Cluster Forest Hill CLC K-5 North Cluster Glover CLC K-5 Garfield Cluster Harris K-5 North Cluster Hatton CLC K-5 Ellet Cluster Helen E. Arnold CLC K-6 Buchtel Cluster Henry L. Robinson CLC Hyre CLC 6-8 Ellet Cluster Innes CLC W. Tallmadge Avenue 1479 Girard Street 850 Damon Street 935 Hammel Street E. Cuyahoga Falls Avenue 1933 Baker Avenue 450 Vernon Odom Boulevard % % % % % % % % % % % % % % K-6 East Cluster th Avenue % % Kenmore Cluster Jennings CLC 6-8 North Cluster John R. Buchtel CLC 7-12 Buchtel Cluster Judith A. Resnik CLC K-5 Firestone Cluster Kent (Roswell Kent) 6-8 Garfield Cluster King K-5 Lawndale K-5 Firestone Cluster Kenmore Cluster Leggett CLC K-5 North Cluster Litchfield 6-8 Firestone Cluster 2385 Wedgewood Drive 1999 East Avenue 227 E. Tallmadge Avenue 1040 Copley Road 65 N. Meadowcroft Drive 1445 Hammel Street 805 Memorial Parkway th Street SW 333 E. Thornton Street % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % 630 Mull Avenue % % 10

15 School Grades Type Address Mason CLC K-6 East Cluster 700 E. Exchange Street Total Students # Students in 1 Mile % Students in 1 Mile # Students in 2 Miles % Students in 2 Miles % % McEbright CLC K-5 Garfield Cluster 349 Cole Avenue % % Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts 4-8 Specialty School NIHF STEM 5-8 Specialty School Pfeiffer K-5 Portage Path CLC K-5 Rimer CLC K-5 Kenmore Cluster Firestone Cluster Kenmore Cluster 1055 East Avenue 199 S. Broadway Street th Street SW 55 S. Portage Path 2370 Manchester Road % % % % % % % % % % Ritzman CLC K-5 Ellet Cluster 629 Canton Road % % Sam Salem CLC K-5 Kenmore Cluster Schumacher CLC K-6 Buchtel Cluster Seiberling K-6 East Cluster Smith K-5 Kenmore Cluster Voris CLC K-5 Garfield Cluster Windemere CLC K-5 Ellet Cluster Crash Statistics 1222 W. Waterloo Road 1020 Hartford Avenue 49 N. Martha Avenue 941 Chester Avenue 1885 Glenmount Avenue 2283 Windemere Avenue % % % % % % % % % % % % Existing Conditions School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools 11 Over a three-year period from 2011 and 2013, there were 560 crashes reported involving all pedestrians or bicyclists within two miles of an APS school serving kindergarten through 8 th grade students. When combined, the two mile areas for all 41 schools in the district includes over 90% of the City of Akron as well as portions of several adjacent cities including Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, and Tallmadge. Overall, 339 crashes involved pedestrians and 223 involved bicyclists resulting in seven deaths. Additionally, 472 of the crashes led to 499 injuries, with some crashes reporting up to three injuries. Five schools had 200 or more crashes within two miles of the school: Akron Alternative Academy and Akron Opportunity Center, Helen E. Arnold CLC, Harris Elementary, King Elementary, Leggett CLC, and NIHF STEM. An additional 17 schools had between 100 and 200 crashes occur within two miles. While 560 pedestrian and bicycle-related crashes may seem like a high number, it is important to remember that this is an urban area where higher populations lead to initially higher numbers of walkers and cyclists. Walking and bicycling are great modes of transportation for children for many reasons, and are safe in most cases. Travelling from one location to another poses some degree of inherent danger regardless of mode, but the crash numbers do show that more work needs to be done as it is essential to make streets safe for children who walk, bike, and also ride in vehicles. Safe Kids Summit County also is conducting a bike helmet usage and crash review study. It will be complete in early 2015.

16 School District Policies, Plans, Accomplishments This section summarizes school district policies and plans that impact school travel, and outlines the APS SRTS Program s accomplishments to date. School district policies are organized by category. Program accomplishments to date are organized by E (, Enforcement, Evaluation, and Engineering). School District Policies Walking and Bicycling Policies APS does not have a formal policy either encouraging or discouraging walking and bicycling to school. APS has hosted International Walk to School Day events at Helen Arnold on November 13, 2013, as well as Findlay, Helen Arnold, King, Sam Salem, and Sieberling on October 8, Bike to School Day events took place on May 21-22, 2014 with a bike rodeo at Resnik and Buchtel Schools. The Board of Education supports the creation of a district-wide school travel plan by its acceptance of the ODOT grant and funds to create the STP. Wellness Policy APS has a wellness policy that includes daily physical education and activity levels for all students. It is in the process of being updated, and there is an opportunity to add Safe Routes to School language into the policy. Regarding Pedestrian and Bicycle Accommodation on School Campuses As APS has renovated its schools, bicycle racks are a part of the standard design of new and renovated school facilities. However, some schools discourage bicycling due to racks location and/or environment and concerns about students bicycling to school safely and bicycles getting stolen. Existing Conditions School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Liability Policies APS does not require waivers for students who regularly walk and bicycle to school. However, students who participate in special walking and bicycling activities, such as Walk to School Day, bicycle rodeos, walking school buses, and bicycle trains, will need parental permission to participate. APS requires background checks for adults who volunteer with their programs when unsupervised by APS staff. Background checks are not required of adult volunteers supervised by APS staff. Personal Security Policies At the policy level, APS addresses the issue of personal security while walking and bicycling to school through its district-wide Code of Student Behavior, which requires students to: obey laws, respect other people and other people s property. These are considered Level 3 behaviors and if violated require a Mandatory Recommendation for Expulsion and the implementation of corrective strategies. The Board-approved Code of Student Behavior also has "zero tolerance" of violent, disruptive or inappropriate behavior by its students. Theft of personal property (including bicycles) is a Level 2 violation of Code 19 in the APS Student Discipline Code. Level 2 violations require a Mandatory Out of School Suspension and the implementation of corrective strategies. 12

17 Busing Policies APS does not routinely provide busing to K-8 students who live within two miles of school. The Ohio Department of Education regulations prohibit school bus drivers from picking up or dropping off students at locations that are not assigned stops. Consequently, school bus drivers cannot drop students off at a remote drop off/park and walk locations as part of a walk or bike to school event. School District Accomplishments The following list is of current list of activities and accomplishments within the district. The schools where they were and corresponding E are noted with each accomplishment. Existing Conditions School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Grants International Walk to School Day Completed at the following schools during the and school years: Findlay, Helen Arnold, King, Sam Salem, and Sieberling.. Father s Day Walk All 32 APS elementary schools participated in the walk that was held on September 18. National Bike to School Day with a Bike Rodeo Completed at the following schools during the school year: Resnik and Buchtel. Piloted Walking School Bus program at Findley Elementary during the school year. Operation Lifesaver Conducted at three schools in the fall of 2014: East CLC and Middle School and Case Elementary. Adult Crossing Guards In the school year there were 127 adult crossing guards located working at 32 schools that are part of this STP. Enforcement Parent surveys Conducted in Fall Evaluation Student travel tallies Conducted in Fall Evaluation Reviewed APS policies related to busing, walking, and bicycling to school Completed during the school year. Evaluation Reviewed City of Akron code and policies related to educating and encouraging students to walk and bicycle to school Completed during the school year. Evaluation ODOT SRTS Coordinator ODOT STP Development Applied to Akron Community Foundation for Millennium Grant for SRTS materials, awaiting notification Applied to Akron Children s Hospital Foundation for safety vests Beginning grant application process with Knight Foundation for SRTS programming The APS SRTS Program s future Es are outlined in the infrastructure and non-infrastructure countermeasures in this plan. Local Government Policies, Plans, and Programs This section summarizes the local government policies, plans, and programs that impact school travel. 13

18 Local Government Policies The City of Akron does not have a formal policy that requires every new roadway project to be evaluated for pedestrian and bicycle improvements; however, informally this is reviewed early in the planning process by city staff. The City of Akron requires the replacement of all storm drain inlets with bicycle-safe inlets during street rehabilitation as dictated in their Standard Construction Drawings. The City of Akron has standards for sidewalk construction in their approved Standard Construction Drawings that address ADA requirements. Local Government Plans Relevant city and regional plans include: AMATS Connecting Communities Initiative A Guide to Integrating Land Use and Transportation (9/2010) AMATS Bike Plan (2/2012) AMATS Crash Analysis for (9/2014) AMATS Transportation Outlook 2035 (5/2013) AMATS Regional Pedestrian Plan (12/2012) City of Akron 2009 Draft Bicycle Plan (not formally adopted) Local Government Programs Relevant local government programs include: Existing Conditions School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools City of Akron Sidewalk Program. Under this program, residents are able to petition problem sidewalk locations and get them replaced at standard assessment rates. The City of Akron has an annual resurfacing program, which is part of its capital budget. 14

19 4.0: ISSUES AND COUNTERMEASURES This chapter discusses issues that impact walking and bicycling at APS schools and proposes countermeasures for addressing them. The chapter is divided into three sections: Issues Support for SRTS includes the plans, policies, procedures, and stakeholder involvement. Student Safety and Comfort includes the safety and comfort of students as they walk and bicycle to school. SRTS Program Sustainability discusses sustaining the SRTS Steering Committee and the implementation of the countermeasures. The issues covered in this chapter were identified through discussions with the Akron SRTS, Principal Survey responses, Parent Survey responses, Student Travel Tallies, walk audits, evaluation of online and written documents detailing city and school district plans, policies, procedures, and programs, and evaluation of data provided by the state, AMATS, city, and school district. Countermeasures Issues and Countermeasures School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools A table of related countermeasures follows each issue discussion. The table includes both infrastructure and non-infrastructure countermeasures to emphasize the multifaceted approach necessary to address the identified issues. The table includes references, where appropriate, to Attachment 1, which provides additional detail on common SRTS countermeasures. A prioritized action plan which indicates the general schedule and key stakeholders needed for implementing each countermeasure can be found in 5.0: Prioritized Strategies. The column heading Es Addressed in the tables indicates which of the 5 Es ( Enforcement,, Engineering, and Evaluation) are supported by the proposed countermeasure. Priority Corridors Due to the geographic extent and number of schools covered, the plan focuses on location-specific issues and countermeasures along priority corridors. Priority corridors are defined as routes where a significant number of students are currently walking and biking, or could potentially walk and bike. The study team identified priority corridors by analyzing the spatial relationship between school locations, student addresses, sidewalks, and pedestrian crossing locations in GIS. The analysis was limited to a one-mile radius around each school. Decisive factors for this analysis included the presence of sidewalks and signalized locations for crossing higher volume streets. 15

20 Maps showing the priority corridors identified for the APS schools covered by this plan are included in Attachment 2 alongside countermeasures aimed at improving walking and bicycling conditions on the corridors. The three sections below present issues and countermeasures that do not directly relate to the location specific priority corridors either because they are district-wide in nature or because they relate to policies and programming. Support for SRTS This section covers issues and countermeasures related to the plans, policies, procedures, and involvement of constituencies whose support is needed to build the APS SRTS Program and improve conditions for walking and bicycling for APS students, including the City of Akron, Summit County, AMATS, APS, local schools, and parents. City Support for SRTS Many of the countermeasures recommended in this STP would have to be directly by the city or with the city s support and approval. Consequently, the plan s success depends on backing from the Mayor and City Council, coordination with city agencies, such as the Police and Public Service Departments, and alignment with the plans, regulations and programs that guide the inspection, maintenance, improvement, and regulation of city-owned streets and its neighborhoods. In addition, continued participation from Summit County Public Health and AMATS on the planning team will help with STP implementation. Issues and Countermeasures School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Table 3 provides a list of countermeasures intended to facilitate city support for the APS SRTS Program and implementation of the countermeasures recommended in this STP. Table 3: Countermeasures for City Support Countermeasure Es Addressed Countermeasure Type Develop a Complete Streets Policy that prioritizes pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure improvements near schools, includes education, encouragement and enforcement elements and incorporates the APS STP into the policy by reference or as an appendix. All School/city support Seek formal adoption of the APS STP by the City Council. All School/city support Continue the City s participation on the Akron SRTS. Participation from the Police and Public Service Departments is especially important. Continue participation from Summit County Public Health and AMATS on the Akron SRTS planning team. Invite city leadership, including the Mayor, City Council Members, and department administrators to participate in high-profile SRTS-sponsored activities, such as Walk and Bike to School Days. Look for opportunities to include APS STP infrastructure priorities in planned roadway improvement projects. All All All Engineering School/city support School/city support School/city support School/city support 16

21 Countermeasure Es Addressed Countermeasure Type Develop a Transportation Master Plan that includes language to prioritize bicycle and pedestrian improvements near schools, bicycle and pedestrian safety education for children and other SRTS-related bicycle and pedestrian activities. Develop a bicycle master plan that includes language to prioritize bicycle improvements near schools, bicycle safety education for children and other SRTS-related bicycle activities. Develop a pedestrian master plan that prioritizes pedestrian infrastructure improvements near schools and includes education, encouragement and enforcement elements. Develop and implement an adult cross crossing guard training program that incorporates student safety and walking and bicycling education. School District Support for SRTS All All All All School/city support School/city support School/city support School/city support Support from the APS Board and Administration are critical to continuing and expanding the SRTS program. The board sets the vision, mission, goals, and priorities for the district, and establishes policies that directly or indirectly influence the environment for walking and bicycling to APS schools, including policies on: Issues and Countermeasures School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Student transportation. Student conduct. School safety. Wellness. Parent involvement. School siting. School site design and maintenance. The Administration implements the Board s visions, goals, and policies through a variety of procedures and practices. The success of the APS SRTS Program depends on aligning policies, procedures, and practices at the district level to support safe walking and bicycling to and from school. The Board and the district have already taken several steps in this direction, including participation in Walk and Bike to School Days, Operation Life Saver, Adult Crossing Guards, and installing bicycle racks at renovated schools. Table 4 provides a list of countermeasures intended to continue and deepen the district s support for safe walking and bicycling to school. Table 4: Countermeasures for School District Support Countermeasure Es Supported Countermeasure Type Continue providing regular updates to the APS Board of Education regarding the progress of the SRTS initiative(s). All School/city support Obtain APS Administration s approval of STP. All School/city support Obtain APS Board of Education s approval of STP. All School/city support 17

22 Issues and Countermeasures School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Countermeasure Es Supported Countermeasure Type Request that members of the school board participate in SRTS activities (e.g. Walk and Bike to School Days). Amend the APS Wellness Policy to encourage walking and bicycling to school as way for students to obtain regular physical activity and reduce motor vehicle traffic and air pollution near schools. Educate administrators, principals, and staff about the policy change and implementation expectations. Provide resources and curriculum goals to help with implementation. Identify and task appropriate APS staff (school nurses, crossing guards and others) and/or SRTS members to distribute school walking and bicycling maps. Establish an SRTS presence on online. AMATS will host the page. This includes: 1) creating a SRTS program webpage and making it easy to find from the homepage; 2) adding the district-wide STP and school-specific SAPS to the website as they are completed; 3) adding SRTS content relevant pages on the website as appropriate. Modify the APS Transportation Director s job description to include responsibility for student pedestrian and bicyclist safety. All All School/city support School/city support School/city support School/city support School/city support Continue employing a full-time SRTS coordinator. All School/city support Review SRTS curriculum guides and determine how to integrate into school day and after-school instruction. Annually review the district s and participating schools policies to ensure they continue to encourage walking and bicycling to school. Local School Support for SRTS Local schools influence conditions for walking and bicycling in a variety of ways, including: All School/city support Policies and procedures related to walking and bicycling. Policies and procedures related to school arrival and dismissal. Communications with students and parents. Classroom instruction. Extracurricular activities. School-sponsored events. School wellness committees. A number of APS schools have already taken action to support safe walking and bicycling to schools through pedestrian and bicycle safety education, support for walking school buses, participation in Walk and Bike to School Days, Operation Life Saver, Adult Crossing Guards, and installing bicycle racks at renovated schools and other activities and programs. The countermeasures included in Table 5 are meant to maintain support for the APS SRTS Program at these schools and to expand support to additional schools. 18

23 Issues and Countermeasures School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Table 5: Countermeasures for Local School Support Countermeasure Es Supported Countermeasure Type Continue cultivating local school SRTS champions. All Include an SRTS champion on the Akron SRTS. All Establish fund to pay for local school SRTS materials, e.g., flyers, signage, whistles, vests, etc. Work with principals and staff to understand local concerns related to students walking and bicycling to school and determine how they can be addressed. Encourage local schools to adopt policies supporting safe walking and bicycling to/from school and to inform parents of these policies. Provide principals and SRTS champions with guidance regarding how to formulate and communicate these policies. Cultivate formation of local school SRTS committees. Provide principals and SRTS champions with guidance regarding who should be on the committee and how the committee should function. Potentially add SRTS program implementation to the responsibilities of the local school wellness committee. Educate principals regarding the academic benefits of physical activity. Educate principals regarding the APS Wellness Policy and Safe Routes to School implementation expectations. Provide resources and curriculum goals to help with implementation. Encourage school staff members to model active transportation behaviors. All All All Education Education School/city support Administer student travel tallies annually. Evaluation Create and distribute information on Akron Safe Routes to School to school administrators, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) leaders, leaders, Akron Council of PTAs, neighborhood groups, and parent volunteer groups. Parent/Caregiver Support for SRTS Parent or caregiver support is crucial for SRTS program success. Parents and caregivers decide how children get to and from school, model pedestrian and bicycle behaviors, and influence the travel environment near schools by following (or failing to follow) traffic laws and arrival/dismissal procedures. Parents and caregivers typically understand the barriers to walking and bicycling to school better than school or district staff, and are very often the ones who plan and implement SRTS activities. The SRTS coordinator has delivered presentations to parents and caregivers at back to school events and PTO meetings. The program has also encouraged parents and caregivers to participate in Walk and Bike to School Day events and provide feedback regarding barriers to walking and biking through the National Center s Parent Survey. The APS SRTS Program recognizes the importance of enlisting parent and caregiver support and understanding their concerns. As outlined in 2.0: Public Involvement, the top issues parents identified in the Parent Surveys affecting their decision to allow their child to walk to or from school were 19

24 violence/crime (68%), distance (66%), weather/climate (58%), speed of traffic along route (55%) and amount of traffic along route (54%), tied for fifth place was safety of intersections and crossings In the parent comments, the top issues were crime and safety concerns with registered sex offenders along routes to school mentioned specifically several times; distance from school; age of students; bullying; and lack of lighting were other non-infrastructure concerns. Table 6 includes countermeasures that continue and build upon these efforts. Issues and Countermeasures School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Table 6: Countermeasures for Building Parent Support Countermeasure Es Addressed Countermeasure Type Provide guidance to local schools on how to involve parents in the SRTS program and communicate with parents regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety issues. Continue making presentations at back to school events, PTA meetings, Akron Council of PTA's meetings, and others. Encourage inclusion of parents and caregivers on local school SRTS committees. Add a PTA and/or parent volunteer representative on the Akron SRTS. Send parents recorded voic s from APS recorded by the Superintendent and/or the Board President. Voic s might address SRTS activities, pedestrian/bicycle safety, pedestrian/bicycle policies, and other SRTS-related issues. Provide parents with an informational flyer or about the Akron SRTS program and what they can do to support it. All Education All, Enforcement Education Conduct parent surveys annually. Evaluation Create and distribute information on Akron Safe Routes to School to school administrators, Parent Teacher Association (PTA) leaders, Akron Council of PTA's, neighborhood groups, and parent volunteer groups. Work with Akron Children s Hospital to implement Respect anti-bullying programs at K-8 schools throughout the district. Documents like the National Center s Personal Security and Safe Routes to School also can help with guidance on this. Student Safety and Comfort This section covers issues and countermeasures related to the safety and comfort of APS students as they walk and bicycle to school. Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Education Young children may have difficulty judging such things as the speed of cars, when it is safe to cross, where to position themselves on the sidewalk while waiting to cross, and how to walk along the road. Pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure (e.g., crosswalks and bike lanes) is most effective when used properly. When everyone understands the rules of the road and uses facilities as they are intended, it is easier to predict each other s movements and make decisions that keep everyone safe. Parents who are 20

25 confident that their children have the skills needed to make smart decisions are more likely to encourage walking and biking to school. Safe walking and biking behavior comes from repeated skills practice rather than intuition. Pedestrian and bicycle safety skills can be introduced as early as kindergarten and developed throughout a child s school career. Middle, high school and college students can serve as role models for younger students and can help communicate pedestrian and bicycle safety messages. The APS SRTS program has initiated several programs that address pedestrian and bicycle safety education as outlined in 2.0: Public Involvement. Thirty-eight percent of Principal Survey respondents said they were currently implementing pedestrian safety education at their school and 20% said they were currently implementing bicycle safety education. Interest in pursuing pedestrian and bicycle education in the future roughly similar, with 28% of survey respondents indicating they would like to implement pedestrian safety education in the future and 26% percent of survey responses saying they would like to implement bicycle safety education in the future. The countermeasures recommended in Table 7 are aimed at continuing and expanding pedestrian and bicycle safety education efforts throughout the district. Issues and Countermeasures School Travel Plan for Akron Public Schools Table 7: Countermeasures for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Education Countermeasure Es Addressed Countermeasure Type Implement ODOT s Every Move You Make, Make It Safe campaign to educate students (and parents) about the proper ways to walk and bicycle to school, as well as the benefits of doing so. Research and implement bike and pedestrian safety education program for students. Consider different programs for different ages: bike rodeos, Safety Town for incoming Ks with Safe Kids and/or Akron Urban Initiative, How We Roll Youth, Bike 'n Roll, mileage clubs with incentives, Girls in Gear, reinstate 3rd grade seat belt safety program with additional walking and bicycling content, etc. Could be at lunch, during advisory class, during Akron Afterschool. Review SRTS curriculum guides and determine how to integrate into school day and after-school instruction. See Appendix C for a list of schools that have indicated an interest in pedestrian and bicycle safety education. Continue to provide Operation Lifesaver railroad safety education in classrooms and to parents. Host fix-it events at schools, where students can bring their bike to school and have it checked for safety and for minor repairs with Summit Cycling Center. Establish a monthly walk and bicycle to school day. Create a new mobile safety town with Safe Kids. 21