Media Contact:  Dena Iverson at (202) 741-0922

WASHINGTON, DC — Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso and District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Interim Director Frank Seales Jr. are pleased to announce that 13 DC elementary and middle schools have been chosen to participate in the “Safe Routes to School” Pilot Schools Program.

The Safe Routes to School Program was created through a partnership between DDOT and DCPS to create more safe, convenient and fun routes for students to get to school on foot or by bike.  The program focuses on the five “E’s” including Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Engineering and Evaluation. With national focus on promoting walking and biking to school, the program provides opportunities for children to be healthier, become educated about transportation alternatives to decrease traffic while participating in environmentally friendly activities.

DDOT and DCPS launched the DC Safe Routes to Schools Pilot School Program in March and worked with other partner organizations to select DC Public Schools to receive assistance in a number of areas including: pedestrian safety education, addressing safety problems, planning walking and bicycling events and contests and working with police to enforce traffic laws.  The program is administered through the Federal Highway Administration and includes $5 million over a 5-year period.

The pilot was originally intended for eight schools, but DDOT and DCPS opted to provide improved safety to all 13 schools that applied to participate in the pilot program.

2008 Safe Routes to School Recipients

Ward	School	Type	Grade Level
1	Bancroft Elementary School E.L. Haynes Public Charter School	Public Charter	PK-6 PK-6
2	Montgomery Elementary School	Public	PS, PK-4
3	John Eaton Elementary School Ben Murch Elementary School Oyster/Adams Bilinguarl School (Oyster Campus)	Public Public Public	PK-6 PK-6 PK-3
4	J.G. Whittier Elementary School	Public	PK-7
5	DC Preparatory Academy	Charter	PS-8
6	Amidon Elementary School Capitol Hill Cluster School Two Rivers Public Charter School	Public Public Charter	PK-5 PK, 3-8 PS-6
7	KIPP DC-Benning Road Campus	Charter	PK, K, 5-8
8	Patterson Elementary School	Public	PK-6

DDOT, with assistance from consultants, will provide each of the 13 schools with the following:

• Help with the development of a Safe Routes to School Plan that covers each of five E’s.
• Pedestrian and bicycle safety training in the classroom.
• Increased law enforcement from the Metropolitan Police Department within the school zone.
• Safe Routes to School ideas from other schools around the United States.
• Technical assistance with the implementation of education, enforcement, evaluation and encouragement programs.
• Planning and possible implementation of roadway improvements to increase the safety of children walking and bicycling to school.
• Small prizes to be used as incentives to encourage students to walk and bicycle to school.

For more information on the Safe Routes to School Program go to DDOT’s web site at ddot.dc.gov and click on “Safety Programs” and then “Safe Routes to School.”