Education | Encouragement | Enforcement | Engineering | Evaluation
About
Tigard is home to the Safe Routes to School program (SRTS) for the Tigard-Tualatin School District (TTSD). Our goal is to provide education and encouragement at schools and to drive infrastructure improvements throughout the city to increase active travel opportunities. We believe that walkable neighborhoods are strong neighborhoods! SRTS is a framework for parents to join with teachers, school administrators and city officials to encourage active transportation to and from school. Although driving to school is sometimes the only option for families, we know that car trips create congestion, carbon emissions, and parking challenges – all while limiting children from exercising their bodies and minds.
Our SRTS Coordinator works with 17 TTSD schools. The goal is to initiate Safe Routes to School programs at the schools where there is not already some kind of presence; and to broaden and deepen the programming at the schools already involved in the initiative.
There are a lot of options for utilizing healthy and active forms of getting to and from school:
Safety in Numbers: get a group of kids from the neighborhood to walk or bike together.
One Step at a Time: drive part of the way and then walk the rest, to get the feel for walking to school on a comfortable route.
Pedestrian Safety Lessons: this is a great time to go over pedestrian safety skills with your child.
Travelling to school safely is everyone’s priority and the Safe Routes to School Program is here to help!
Get Involved!
Encouragement Events
Walk+Roll to School Day – Wednesday October 6, 2021
Join all TTSD schools and students from around the world as we celebrate Walk+Roll to School Day! Walk or roll to school and receive fun goodies!
All students and families are encouraged to walk or roll to school on October 6th! Contact your school for more information. Events are organized by Tigard and Tualatin schools in partnership with the Safe Routes to School Program and the Tigard-Tualatin School District.
Walk+Roll to School Day raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community.
Bike Rodeos - TBA
Kids and families are invited to join our 2022 Bike Rodeos (to be announced)
Bike Rodeos are an opportunity to learn about, and practice, safe bicycling skills. Bicycle Rodeos include a bike safety inspection and a series of skills stations directly related to everyday bicycling situations. Participants practice starting and stopping, the safe way to exit a driveway, how to look for traffic, negotiate an intersection, and avoid common road hazards.
Participants can bring their own bike and helmet or use a bike from our fleet and get a free helmet!
Tips to Increase Walking & Biking
Walking School Bus
A walking school bus is a group of children walking to school with one or more adult. It can be as informal as two families taking turns walking their children to school to a structured route with meeting points, a timetable, and a regularly rotating schedule of trained volunteers. Find out more or view the Walking School Bus Video.
Park & Walk
Sometimes students live outside a comfortable walking distance from school, but parents still want help relieve the congestion of traffic around schools and students still want to be able to walk. A great option is to Park & Walk — where parents drive (or carpool with others) partway to school and then their students walk the rest of the way. You can really Park & Walk from anywhere, but some ideas include city parks, church parking lots, or other meeting spots. You can even get a group to meet at the central location for kids to walk together.
Action Plans
What is an Action Plan?
The City of Tigard is working with parents, school staff, and the school district to develop school specific Action Plans. Action Plans identify the key barriers to walking and biking and then prioritizes strategies to address these barriers. Strategies can be encouragement events, education, engineering/ infrastructure, and enforcement.
What are your barriers?
In order to develop an Action Plan that will fully address the barriers to walking and biking to school, we need to hear from you!
Safe Routes to School Yard Signs
The City of Tigard’s Safe Routes to School Program is providing FREE yard signs to residents who want to encourage safe driving in their neighborhoods. You can pick one up for free at one of the following locations:
More information:
Unfortunately, local recyclers do not accept corrugated plastic yard signs. If you no longer want the sign in your yard, please let someone else use it, or return it to one of the pick-up locations.
Questions?
Contact Safe Routes to School Coordinator
E-mail: SafeRoutestoSchool@tigard-or.gov
Made possible with support from Metro and the Federal Transit Administration
What's New!
Walk+Roll to School Day – Wednesday October 6, 2021
Join all TTSD schools and students from around the world as we celebrate Walk+Roll to School Day! Walk or roll to school and receive fun goodies!
All students and families are encouraged to walk or roll to school on October 6th! Contact your school for more information. Events are organized by Tigard and Tualatin schools in partnership with the Safe Routes to School Program and the Tigard-Tualatin School District.
Walk+Roll to School Day raises awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community.
Bike Rodeos - TBA
Kids and families are invited to join our 2022 Bike Rodeos (to be announced)
Bike Rodeos are an opportunity to learn about, and practice, safe bicycling skills. Bicycle Rodeos include a bike safety inspection and a series of skills stations directly related to everyday bicycling situations. Participants practice starting and stopping, the safe way to exit a driveway, how to look for traffic, negotiate an intersection, and avoid common road hazards.
Participants can bring their own bike and helmet or use a bike from our fleet and get a free helmet!
503-347-5297 | Email
Tigard's Safe Routes to School Program is made possible with support from Metro and the Federal Transit Administration
Traffic Safety Concern?
If you have a concern about a traffic safety issue within Tigard city limits, please submit a traffic complaint form that will be sent to Tigard’s Traffic Enforcement Unit.
Walking School Buses – Start One Today!
A walking school bus is a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. The flexibility of the walking school bus makes it appealing to communities of all sizes with varying needs.
Start Simple!
Remember the program can always grow; it often makes sense to start with a small bus and see how it works. Choose a group of parents and children in your neighborhood who are interested.
Have Fun!
Walking School Buses have many benefits:
Email Me
