Jacob English, owner of Mountain Road Cycles, recently visited Chagrin Falls Middle School to conduct a bicycle education course during students' physical education classes. During the introductory program, students learned about gears, brakes, maintenance, safety checks and road skills. Afterward, students practiced their bike riding skills using bikes donated by Safe Routes Chagrin.
CHAGRIN FALLS--Out of 13,500 Safe Routes to School programs nationwide, Chagrin Falls stood out on the national platform as this year’s James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award recipient.
The award, granted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, is the highest honor a Safe Routes to School program can receive. Safe Routes Chagrin is only the seventh program in the nation to receive this honor since the award was founded in 2007.
Along with programs throughout the country, Safe Routes Chagrin works to encourage students to safely walk or bike to school instead of hopping on a bus each morning.
2012 James L. Oberstar award applicants were reviewed and selected by a committee comprising representatives from various organizations, such as the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the National PTA.
Safe Routes Chagrin stood out primarily because it increased the number of Chagrin Falls student bicyclists and walkers by 50 percent since 2009. By 2011, more than 180 Chagrin Falls middle and intermediate school students chose to travel to school by foot or bike.
The program was also recognized for improving safety for students through volunteer crossing guards, increased speed enforcement and ongoing safety education. Additionally, Safe Routes Chagrin was applauded for its impact in creating new partnerships among community stakeholders while making active transportation an integral part of the Chagrin Falls School District’s culture. With the help of Safe Routes Chagrin, students engage in district-endorsed events such as Walk to School Day, which has grown to more than 800 student participants. Other events endorsed by the district and village include Bike to School Day and the Chagrin Falls Police Department’s Bike-a-Palooza bike rodeo.
This year, students will take part in “Walk and Roll Wednesdays,” during which they will log miles walked during recess and during their commute to and from school.
Also new this year is the incorporation of bike safety and skills training in the middle and intermediate schools’ physical education classes. Safe Routes Chagrin supported this new curriculum by providing the district with a portable bike trailer and a set of 35 new Giant brand bicycles, a set of resources valued at $15,000.
Last fall, Safe Routes Chagrin also made $150,000 in infrastructure improvements to areas surrounding the Chagrin Schools, including new bike and pedestrian paths and bike racks. A large portion of Safe Routes’ funding was made possible with federal money.
Chagrin Falls Mayor Tom Brick said Safe Routes Chagrin is “a truly cooperative, community endeavor.”
“By improving communication and making some fairly straightforward changes, like adding sidewalks to connect students in the north part of the village to their schools and providing volunteer crossing guards, we have strengthened what was already a very accessible and walkable community,” he said.
An awards ceremony will be held Oct. 19 to honor Safe Routes Chagrin. Further details regarding the ceremony, including a time, are still being determined and will be announced by the Chagrin Schools in the near future.
