Everyone benefits when children walk or bike to school. Neighbors get to know each other and look out for one another. Drivers expect to see children walking and biking, and drive more carefully. There is less congestion around schools making the air fresher and the streets quieter. Children and families walking and biking to school help create a vibrant, connected, happy and healthy community.
Working with school communities and administration, MPS Safe Routes to School developed Active Routes to School maps. The routes take in account existing infrastructure, traffic volumes, where students live, and the routes communities prefer. MPS Safe Routes shared the maps with MPS Emergency Management Safety and Security, MPS Transportation, the City of Minneapolis Public Works and the City of Minneapolis Police Department. The City of Minneapolis consolidated these Active Routes Maps into one map for the entire city: The Minneapolis Walking Routes for Youth Map. As always, parents remain responsible for getting their children to and from school.
If you have questions or feedback about your route to school, please contact Jenny Bordon, 612-668-2827, jennifer.bordon@mpls.k12.mn.us.
Mapping Resources:
Minneapolis Walking Routes for Youth Map
MPS Safe Routes to School Toolkit contains a whole section on mapping (See sidebar "Getting Started." Follow link to toolkit)
Some people swear by Cyclopath out of the University of Minnesota for planning bicycle routes. Others love the Ride the City Minneapolis site with its safer route, safe route and direct route options.
Google maps has a walk and bike tab feature, which can be a great tool for initial planning for walking buses, bike trains, and walk and bike to school events. After identifying a route on the walk or bike tab, then test out the route by walking or biking it in person. Typically, the larger and younger the group, the slower the time.