Safe Routes to School: Spruce Elementary School

San Francisco, CA (September 2021)

Project Description

In September 2021, members of the Spruce Elementary School community of South San Francisco, along with the San Mateo County Departments of Education and Health, hosted a virtual walk audit and healthy design workshop. These events were facilitated by Ann Banchoff, other Our Voice partners, and Mark Fenton, a public health, planning, and transportation consultant, with the intent of developing a programmatic, infrastructure project and policy recommendations to increase the safety of walking and bicycling to school. This accompanies an end goal of increasing the number of students walking and biking to school while simultaneously reducing the amount of vehicular traffic during pick-up and drop-off times. 

Guiding Question 

What makes it easy or hard to walk or bike to school? ¿Qué hace que sea fácil o difícil caminar o ir en bicicleta a la escuela?

Insights

23 elementary school students from Spruce Elementary School in San Mataeo county collected 94 photos and recorded 78 narratives about aspects of their school environment that made it easy or hard to walk or bike to school.

Spruce Elementary School students reviewed collected data and catagorized them into 9 themes:

  • Sidewalk and pathway conditions
  • Sidewalk and pathway connectivity
  • Traffic signs, Lights, and controls
  • General security and safety
  • Crossings and crosswalks
  • Bicycle accommodation and facilities
  • Vehicle speeds
  • Vehicle behaviors
  • Other

 

Activities and Outcomes

Strategies and Solutions Identified by Citizen Scientists

  • Launch a community education and information campaign to encourage safer behaviors
  • Affirmatively and consistently encourage more walking to school to reduce motor vehicle traffic at or surrounding the school.
  • Formalize drop–off and pick-up procedures, and redesign Tamarack Lane to create a safer drop-off and pick-up environment.
  • Install missing curb ramps and add curb extensions at critical intersections near the school
  • Make needed improvements during routine painting, paving, and maintenance activities.

 

People and Collaborators

Project Lead(s): 

  • Ann Banchoff

 

Collaborating Organization(s) / Institutional Partner(s):

  • Spruce Elementary
  • Safe Routes to School
  • The San Mateo County Health Department: Public Health, Policy, and Planning
  • San Mateo County Office of Education
  • Mark Fenton

Our Voice Impact

"This experience has changed my life.  I see inadequacies everywhere I go as it relates to pedestrian access and safety.  I even stop [at] construction sites to remind them to be considerate of the handicapped in our community.  Thank you all so much for this awareness and empowerment to require change."

~ Pam Jiner, GirlTrek Advocacy Leader, Denver CO