City of Davis Walk & Bike Audits at Patwin, Pioneer and North Davis Schools

You are invited to attend the City of Davis Safe Routes to School Walk & Bike Audits at:

• Patwin Elementary on Tuesday, April 9^th from 7:45 – 10:30 AM
• Pioneer Elementary on Thursday, April 11th from 7:45 – 10:30 AM
• North Davis Elementary on Friday, April 12^th from 7:45 – 10:30 AM

At the audits, teams will observe traffic patterns during the morning drop-off and develop recommendations to improve walking and bicycling conditions for students around schools. We will also use results of the audits to develop suggested Walk & Bike to School Maps. Please plan to join us, as your familiarity with the school campus and neighborhood is critical to developing a complete and detailed story of the student experience at your school.

We hope that you will join us and explore how to make walking and bicycling safer, easier, and more accessible for youth and families. The schedule for the audits, information about the project, and an interactive map where you can show us your route to school and provide community feedback are all available at www.street-smarts.cityofdavis.org/saferoutes.

Background on Safe Routes to School

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is an international movement to create safe, convenient, and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk to school.  In 1969, nearly 50% of students walked or biked to school. Today, that number has dropped to 13%. While more children in Davis use active forms of transportation than the national average, the rates of childhood obesity and inactivity are overwhelming. Parents consistently site traffic hazards as the largest barrier to biking or walking. These are environmental issues that can be addressed given the right tools. Safe Routes to School programs are built on collaborative partnerships that include educators, parents, students, elected officials, engineers, city planners, business and community leaders, health officials, and bicycle and pedestrian advocates.

The Walk and Bike Audits are fully funded through a Caltrans SRTS grant which provides funding to increase numbers of children in grades K-8 who can safely walk and bike to school.

Please join us as we work together to create an important roadmap for building better and safer modes of travel for our children.