Youth Safety and Mobility

RELATED TOPICS: Health, Vision Zero, Community Engagement

Trips to and from schools account for a significant amount of travel in a community. Addressing youth mobility by increasing opportunities to walk and bike to school safely benefits not only children by promoting physical activity, but also the community by developing safe active transportation environments for all. This need stretches beyond the trip to school to a variety of places where children frequently walk and bike. In many communities, the school zone and other areas where children walk and bike are starting places to address wider safety issues like speed.

Planning and designing communities for youth involve infrastructure designed for the specific needs of children. Education is also a key component, where training programs teach bicycle and pedestrian safety as children develop, as is enforcement in areas like schools zones where children frequently walk and bike.

Resources

National Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day
National Center for Safe Routes to School
Provides resources on planning events for Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day along with ideas for year-round walking programs.

Vision Zero for Youth
Vision Zero for Youth
Provides strategies for prioritizing youth pedestrian and bicyclist safety with the broader goal of improving safety for all road users.

Re-envisioning School Streets: Creating More Space for Children and Families
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Describes scenarios for limiting and prohibiting motor vehicle access on a street adjacent to a school including examples from around the globe.

Safety-Based Prioritization for Youth Pedestrian Travel Planning: Applying Systemic Pedestrian Safety Analysis to Youth Travel
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Applies the steps outlined in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Report 893: Systemic Pedestrian Safety Analysis to present a process for assessing high risk locations for youth pedestrian crashes specifically.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Safer Journey
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Provides age-specific video lessons to teach bicycle and pedestrian safety skills either in the classroom or in a one-on-one setting.

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Examples

Pueblo of Jemez Creates Community-Informed Traffic Calming Solutions
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Documents safety improvements near a school in the Pueblo of Jemez, NM, that used innovative solutions to address walking and biking challenges on earthen roads.

Detroit Creates Connections at a Crossing
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Describes how a quick-build project in Detroit, Michigan, improved safety for students walking to school by reducing the turning radius at a key crossing and adding community murals.

Creating Connections: Opportunities for Safe Routes to School Programs to Support High School Students with Disabilities
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Explores how Safe Routes to School programs can support high school students with disabilities, featuring examples from Minnesota and Oregon.

Atlanta Uses Quick-Build Projects to Engage Community and Improve Road Safety for Young Pedestrians and Bicyclists
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) and Vision Zero for Youth
Details a quick-build walk/bike lane near a middle school in the City of Atlanta and offers insights that can inform other communities interested in using quick-build approaches to support community engagement and advance road safety.

Vision Zero for Youth Demonstration Project: Year One Report
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Summarizes work, findings, and deliverables from the first year of the Vision Zero for Youth Demonstration Project work plan (October 2019-September 2020).

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