Solano Transportation Authority Safe Routes to School

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About Us

The Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program encourages students to walk and bike to school and supports these activities with educational events throughout the year. The program brings together city planners, traffic engineers, police and public health experts to make the routes to our schools safer and less congested.

Parents are encouraged to get involved by volunteering for a walking school bus or bicycle train and helping out with an educational event.

The Solano Transportation Authority (STA) launched the County’s SR2S program in 2008 in response to the growing childhood obesity epidemic, student travel safety concerns, growing air pollution and traffic congestion near schools. The program has expanded to include all of Solano County schools in the Fall of 2010. The goals of the program are to:

• Increase the number of children who walk and bike to school
• Reduce traffic congestion and air pollution around the school
• Improve children’s health by increasing physical activity

The 5 E's

Safe Routes to School is made up of five interrelated elements. When combined, they form the backbone of a successful program. These five elements, called “The Five E’s”, are:

1. Engineering – Building safety improvements on the ground
2. Education – Teaching both parents and students about safe walking, biking, and driving
3. Encouragement – Changing your travel habits is hard; let us help!
4. Enforcement – Reinforcing good safety habits and discouraging bad ones
5. Evaluation – Finding out what works, and what doesn’t, in your community

Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be highlighting all the treatments, improvements, and programs contained within the Five E’s of STA’s Safe Routes to School program. We’ll share with you how you can get involved, how your school can get involved, and how your community can get involved. We’ll solicit your input and listen to what you think your community needs most. We’ll let you know about upcoming events being held in your community. In short, we want to be your one-stop-shop for all things Safe Routes.

Planning, Partnerships, and Funding

STA Safe Routes to School Plan (2008)

On February 13, 2008, the STA Board adopted the STA's Safe Routes to School Plan and authorized STA staff to create a Safe Routes to School Program in Solano County.

The STA's SR2S Plan process included over 100 committee members and over 450 parents, teachers, students, and neighbors at 29 schools across the county. Each city developed a local SR2S adopted by each city's council and school board. These local plans are incorporated into the STA's countywide SR2S plan.

The STA's SR2S Plan is organized as follows:

• Executive Summary (1MB, PDF)
• Introduction
• Why a Safe Routes to School Plan?
• Countywide Planning
• Countywide Priority Projects & Programs
• Local Planning

Download the Executive Summary (1MB, PDF) of the Solano Transportation Authority's Safe Routes to School Plan.

Download the entire Solano Transportation Authority's Safe Routes to School Plan (8.1MB, PDF, Adopted February 13, 2008).

Countywide Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee

Since 2008, the STA SR2S Program has been guided by the Countywide SR2S Advisory Committee, responsible for guiding the STA’s Safe Routes to School Program and recommending projects and programs for funding countywide to the STA Board. Committee members include:

• City of Fairfield Traffic Engineer, Garland Wong
• Solano County Superintendent of Schools, Jay Speck
• Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, Jim Antone
• Vallejo USD Assistant Superintendent, Mel Jordan
• Suisun City Police, Commander Tim Mattos
• Benicia Police, Scott Przekurat
• Pedestrian Advisory Committee Rep., Mike Hudson
• Bicycle Advisory Committee Rep., Mike Segala
• Solano County Public Health, Robin Cox

Find past and future SR2S meeting agendas on the STA’s Calendar.

Program Funding & Partnerships

Since FY 2008-09, the STA’s SR2S Program has secured a total of $2.6 M, obtained through various grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the STA’s discretionary funding. These grants will expire by the end of FY 2012-13.

$600,000 of which has been spent so far between radar speed signs, bicycle & pedestrian improvements near schools, and education and encouragement events for schools. The STA partners with the Solano County Department of Public Health’s Health Promotion and Education Bureau to provide education and encouragement services to schools.