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Date: 5/31/2022
AMHERST – Amherst Regional Public Schools (ARPS) are exploring the possible implementation of a program called Massachusetts Safe Routes to School in partnership with the town of Amherst Transportation Advisory Committee.
Safe Routes to School is a federally funded program by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Safe Routes to School works to increase safe walking, biking and rolling paths to public schools. The department says its goal is to use a collaborative, community-based approach that bridges the gap between health and transportation.
“In the summer of 2021, Lucy Friedman-Bell from Safe Routes to School reached out to me about the possibility of starting a program in Amherst,” said ARPS Director of Communications and Operations Debbie Westmoreland. “However, with all of the challenges of returning to in-person learning after a year of remote learning due to COVID[-19], we simply were not able to get the program started at that time. Then on April 19, 2022, Wildwood parent Christine Lindstrom, who had recently been appointed to the Amherst Transit Advisory Committee, reached out to me after speaking with Ms. Friedman-Bell about the possibility of implementing Safe Routes to School. That outreach restarted the conversation.”
As of January 2022, Safe Routes to School has expanded to over 75 towns and cities throughout the state. They have partnered with around 1,000 schools already.
The district posted a survey to gauge the community’s interest in Safe Routes to School. Westmoreland said 58 percent of respondents said their child or themselves if they were a staff member would be highly likely to “walk, bike or roll” to school if Safe Routes to School was implemented. Another 36 percent reported being somewhat likely to use the program. 59 percent of respondents said the convenience of being able to walk or bike instead of taking other transportation was the one reason why they would use the program.
“The survey officially closes May 18, but we have had 133 responses, which is quite a good response rate for a survey on such a specific topic,” Westmoreland said. “We had responses from stakeholders at every one of our schools and for every grade level, with 62 individual respondents providing their name and contact information because they are interested in volunteering to work on Safe Routes to School in some way.”
Westmoreland said the Safe Routes to School program’s first step is site evaluations for the district to help determine the best route. As they continue moving forward with a Safe Routes to School program, the district is seeking volunteers to help plan and operate special events and educational projects in the future.