Safe Routes

• Author: Nicole Steddom
• Pages: 161-165

161Part 3: Fill Regulatory Gaps

SAFE ROU TES

Nicole Steddom (author)

Jonathan Rosenbloom & Christopher Duerksen (editors)

INTRODUCTION

Creating protected walking paths to school, work, and nature is vital to

make walk ing and biking more attractive. W hen people walk more, they

are healthier, and they reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other

pollutants associated with driving gas-powered cars. is ordinance seeks

to increase walking by requiring or encouraging the development of “Safe

Routes.” Safe Routes is a national initiative focused on creating safe pat hways

for children to get to school by walking or biking.1 Building o the national

Safe Routes campaign, many municipalities have embedded safe routes into

their codes and creatively expanded wa lking and biking routes in order to

benet a broader array of citizens.

Local governments may design these ordinances to require the creation

of safe routes or they may create incentives to encourage developers and

home owners to incorporate safe routes into the properties. Many commu-

nities have realized the environmental benet of reducing the number of

vehicles on the road, and have simply required that developers provide trails

or other walkways to local schools.2 Other municipalities require developers

to perform a safe routes analysis, while others require schools to be built in

particular places or set maximum walking distances from neighborhoods

to schools.3 Some loca l governments have incentivized the creation of safe

routes by making them a requirement in order to receive certain incentives,

certicates of occupancy, or building approvals.4

EFFECTS

Creating safe routes to school, work, and nature encourages walking and

bicycling which not only improves citizens’ health, but it also serves to reduce

GHG emissions by giving safe alternatives to vehicula r transport. Safety is of