Did you know…
• The number of bike trips made by U.S. children declined by 63 percent from 1975 to 1995?
• Thirty years ago, 66 percent of children walked to school, today only 13 percent do?
• Being hit by a car is the leading cause of death of children ages 5 to 9?
• Nearly one in four kids is overweight or at risk of obesity?
• Upwards of 20 percent of morning rush-hour trips involve driving kids to school?
• Although less than two percent of American kids bicycle to school, very many want to?
In response to these statistics, the Chicago and Illinois Departments of Transportation have developed a Safe Routes to School program, including engineering, education, and encouragement initiatives. When kids get out of the back seat the health and safety of all residents are improved by cutting down on traffic and encouraging everyone to become more active.
(source: Chicago Department of Transportation)

Funding for Safe Routes to School initiatives through the Chicago Department of Transportation come from a variety of sources, including the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program, the Federal Safe Routes to School Program, and Federal Section 402 Funds through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

To help schools and communities implement Safe Routes to School activities, the Safe Routes Ambassadors have developed a toolkit for school administrators, parents and teachers:

SRTS Toolkit (2011)

SRTS Toolkit (2007)