(October 3, 2012) – Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) urges drivers to be on alert this morning, International Walk to School Day. Among the thousands of children walking to school throughout Maryland will be Piney Branch Elementary students in Takoma Park, Montgomery County. The National Center for Safe Routes to School program will visit the school and present the Takoma Park Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program with a special national award for its program to encourage children in grades K-8 to walk and bike to school to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety.
“Walk to School Day provides the perfect opportunity to remind drivers there is never a contest between a pedestrian and a vehicle,” said Maryland State Highway Administrator Melinda B. Peters. “As drivers, we have a significant role in helping school children who walk and bike to school to arrive safely. Please stay alert, obey posted speed limits, especially during the early morning and evening hours when it is still dark outside and visibility is limited.”
Encompassing five area schools, Takoma Park’s SRTS program has received a national special recognition award for effectively establishing the SRTS brand in school-based programming, and its city-wide 5K road race, 5K walk and youth and fun runs. Award applicants were reviewed and selected by a committee composed of representatives from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), the National PTA, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
The Safe Routes to School program brings together parents and school administrators and teachers, along with other community groups and agencies to improve the safety of children who walk or bicycle to school. Exercise bolsters children’s health by encouraging physical activity, and enhances the environment by reducing traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution near elementary and middle schools.
SHA manages the Maryland Safe Routes to School program, using federal funding. The grants are awarded annually to local government and non-profit organizations on a competitive basis based on need and problem identification. In total, $16 million has been invested in the program primarily through local jurisdictions and non-profits to enhance the safety of neighborhoods around schools throughout Maryland since the program’s launch in 2007. Local jurisdictions are encouraged to apply by calling the Maryland State Routes to School coordinator at 410-787-7620. For more information, log onto
www.roads.maryland.gov/Index.aspx?PageId=376#SRTS.
Tips for drivers and pedestrians:
For Drivers:
• Stop for pedestrians at crosswalks – it’s Maryland State Law. Crosswalks exist at all intersections – even if they are unmarked.
• Remember pedestrians have the right of way at crosswalks; motorists must yield to them when turning. Stop for pedestrians when making a right-turn-on-red or left-turn on full green, leaving enough room at intersections so that pedestrians can cross safely.
• Vigilantly watch the roadway at all times, and always follow the speed limit, which may be lowered in designated school zones.
• Drivers need to remember the unpredictability of children and be on the lookout for all pedestrians.
• Remember, make sure you and your passengers are buckled up properly. Seat belts are your number one defense in a crash.
For children walking and biking to school:
• Cross the street at marked crosswalks and intersections whenever possible.
• Always stop at the curb or the edge of the road and look left, then right, and then left again before crossing. Continue looking in this manner until you are able to cross safely.
• With your parents, choose the quickest and safest route with the fewest street crossing.
• Wear reflective material...it makes you more visible to street traffic.
• If biking, always walk your bike across intersections and wear a helmet.
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