The Shaker Heights City School District and City of Shaker Heights are collaborating to develop safe ways for students to walk and bike to school. A public meeting to discuss the plan is scheduled for Thursday, June 18 at 7:00 pm at the Shaker High School Cafeteria, 15911 Aldersyde Drive.

The City has secured a $4,000 federal grant to identify barriers to walking and biking and to recommend potential solutions. This initial work is being carried out by a task force consisting of representatives of the School District, students, and the City’s departments of planning, police, engineering, health, and community life. The Task Force will continue to meet over the next six months and solicit community input to develop the school travel plan.

Once the plan has been developed and approved by the Ohio Department of Transportation, the City will be eligible to apply for $250,000 to pay for infrastructure improvements and $50,000 per funding cycle for other initiatives. Infrastructure improvements include sidewalks, crosswalks, signals, and trails. Other elements might include signage, “walking school buses” (a group of children walking to school with one or more adults), educational programs for students, and bike racks.

Safe Routes to School is a federally funded program to encourage and enable children in grades K-8, including those with disabilities, to walk or ride their bikes to school safely.

Areas included in the plan are the two-mile radius around each of four schools: Boulevard, Onaway, Woodbury and the Middle School. These areas were selected to serve the largest possible number of students and make the greatest impact on infrastructure within the limitations of the grant.

Additional information about the national program can be found at www.saferoutesinfo.org.

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