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Snow Blocking Sidewalks

A major impediment to students walking and bicycling to school is sidewalks that are not regularly cleared of snow. This means many kids (not to mention the runners in our community) are forced to walk in the street in the winter. Any ideas on how to address this issue????

Encouraging Bicycling

82% of parents surveyed said they support bike access to the Middle School. What ideas do you have to improve safety and access for bicyclers? If we can address the safety issues, then we can approach the school about changing the policy to allow bicyclers. Is this a sub-committee you'd like to be involved with?

Walk to School Day -- October 7, 2009

We'd love to hear your ideas on how we can make Walk to School Day a fun and safe educational event for students at the Intermediate School and Middle School. Can you help with either school's event?

Safety of Intersections & Crossings

85% of parents with kids living within a mile of the school responded that they do not allow their child to bike or walk because of concerns about intersection safety or dangerous crossings. What ideas do you have to improve intersection safety? Is this a sub-committee you'd like to join?

We don't talk about it much

We don't talk about it much, but maybe we should.

As we seek to make our children more aware of traffic dangers, some feel we need to increase awareness of other dangers as well. In particular, some parents have suggested we remember the two attempted child abductions which occurred along the periphery of the Intermediate School last Spring.

In response to such feedback, the Safe Routes to School team is considering is a program called radKIDS. Per their literature:

"Other safety programs give children general guidance rules, show videos or simply "talk" to the children. radKIDS® is dedicated to providing our children with a hands-on, activity-based physical skill development program to empower our children with options, not fear." http://www.radkids.org/.

To implement a radKIDS program in Chagrin Falls would cost approximately $12,000. Assuming we receive the maximum funding opportunity of $300,000 this fall, the radKIDS portion would be 4% of the total.

What are your thoughts on this type of training? Should it be something the Safe Routes to School team explores?

Biking to the Middle School?

I spoke recently with a Middle School student who told me some of his friends used to ride their bikes to school, but eventually gave up because "they make it too hard." Does anyone reading this have kids who bike to the Middle School now? Or kids who used to? Or kids who would like to, but don't?

The Chagrin Falls Safe Routes to School team is just beginning to explore how we might make biking to the Middle School easier and safer. One idea we're considering would involve creating a bike path -- perhaps along the Rec. Center edge of the Middle School/High School campus. Of course, the Rec Center would be intimately involved in any such projects. At this point, we're in the brainstorming stage, and wondering what you think.