SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD PROGRAMS AND SCHOOL WALKING ROUTE MAPS

Abstract

Over the last 50 years, the preferred mode of travel of school children across the United States has shifted away from walking and bicycling. In 1969, nearly 50 percent of children walked or biked to school, including 89 percent of those living within one mile of their destination. By 2009, fewer than 15 percent walked or biked, representing only 35 percent of those living within one mile of school (NCSRTS, 2011). This shift can be anecdotally related to a number of societal contributors, including dual-income parents who have less time to accompany their son or daughter to and from school and a reluctance by parents to allow their children to walk or bike to school because of concerns regarding child safety and security. As a result, the school transportation-related ramifications include increased traffic near schools and missed opportunities for physical fitness by children in a time of increased childhood obesity. While many methods and tools to facilitate walking and bicycling have been developed in recent years, this research project focused on documenting the status of two specific components of walking and bicycling to school efforts, namely crossing guard programs and school walking route maps. A state-by-state scan of crossing guard policies and walking route map guidelines was conducted for this study. It included an extended case study comparing Idaho and Washington, two neighboring states in the Pacific Northwest. The intent of this study was two-fold, namely to identify and document existing practices and to identify specific trends and anomalies. Many of the results were not unexpected: in the United States, there are no national crossing guard regulations, so each state determines its own legislative requirements. Although the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) is referenced in selected legislation, its limited guidance results in considerable variation in the requirements across the United States. Requirements for walking route maps are even less consistent; Utah and Washington are the only two states with walking route map legislation. While this study does not suggest crossing guard regulation uniformity or the universal adoption of walking route maps by all states, the wide range of practices and standards that was identified suggests that some states may benefit from the adoption or consideration of stronger policies that promulgate positive walking and bicycling behaviors in their local communities.