Students begin their walk to school on October 12 in Rainier Beach. Photo credit: Seattle Mayor's Office Summary:
- Today, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell joined SDOT Director Greg Spotts, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones, National Center for Safe Routes to School Director Nancy Pullen-Seufert, and students and parents for a walk to Dunlap Elementary School in Rainier Beach on Walk to School Day (October 12).
- The walk was part of the overall Walk to School Month which runs throughout October. Check out some photos of today’s walk in this blog post!
- We’re also excited to announce that we recently won a national award (the U.S. Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award), alongside Seattle Public Schools, for our programs to promote safe travel to school by biking, walking, and rolling.
- This includes our Safe Routes to School program that builds travel safety projects near schools each year.
- It also includes the Let’s Go safety education program that teaches safe walking and biking to thousands of Seattle elementary and middle school students each year in Physical Education (PE) classes.
- You can read our recent blog post with more highlights as the school year kicked off last month.
Students and parents at Dunlap Elementary School and South Shore PK-8 in Rainier Beach were joined for a walk to school this morning by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, SDOT Director Greg Spotts, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones, and National Center for Safe Routes to School Director Nancy Pullen-Seufert.
We always enjoy getting out directly in the community and attending these walks while striding alongside Seattle’s future leaders! Check out photos below of the walk.
“It is an honor to be recognized for our investments in safe routes to school and Seattle’s safety education program for public school students. While I’m proud of the improvements we’ve built so far, you can be assured that we will not be resting on our laurels when it comes to safety. Tragically, the number of people killed in car crashes has increased in recent years, and we must redouble our commitment to the goal of ending traffic deaths and serious injuries on city streets by 2030. While some say that this goal is too ambitious, there is no number of deaths which we can consider an acceptable goal, other than zero.”
– Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell
“I am thrilled the National Center for Safe Routes to School has recognized Seattle’s work to improve safety for students walking, rolling, and biking to school, and am committed to working even harder in the future to support this goal. Since coming to Seattle, I have joined families and teachers on neighborhood walks and bike rides around schools. While people appreciate the safety upgrades we’ve built so far, they’ve also shown me that there is still a lot of work to do so that every family has a safe path to school.”
– Seattle Department of Transportation Director Greg Spotts
“Seattle Public Schools is proud to be one of the only districts in the country with such a robust bike skills program! We have many students whose first chance to ride a bike is in our elementary physical education classrooms. Our teachers help students become more comfortable with biking. These students get to experience the freedom and confidence that comes from learning how to safely ride a bike. That work – paired with safer streets for pedestrians and bicyclists – makes walking and biking to school a healthy and viable option for more families.”
– Dr. Brent Jones, Superintendent, Seattle Public Schools
Here’s more on the national award we recently received:
“The National Center for Safe Routes to School is pleased to name the City of Seattle the 2022 recipient of the U.S. Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award. Seattle, through the impressive work of the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Public Schools, distinguished itself as a leader in youth walking and biking safety.
The Award Committee was impressed by the creation of School Streets and Stay Healthy Streets that prioritize people rather than cars, citywide speed reductions and traffic calming measures, and creating a community-engaged equity plan specifically for the Safe Routes to School Program. Seattle Public Schools also plays a critical role in assuring that every elementary and middle school student receives walking and biking safety education.”
– The National Center for Safe Routes to School
“Seattle is working hard to prioritize safe walking and biking for the city’s youth. This award recognizes the commitment of Seattle’s local government, its transportation department and public school system to lead community-engaged, equity-focused efforts geared toward making a great impact on walking and biking safety for its youngest residents.”
– Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School and Senior Research Associate at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center