The City of Bloomington partnered with University Elementary School to launch the planning process for the Safe Routes to School program, which aims to improve school transportation safety and accessibility, according to a Sept. 9 press release.
Bloomington previously used the program for six elementary schools in 2013, including Arlington Heights Elementary and Binford and Rogers Elementary. Bloomington Long Range Planner Cole Jackson said the program is an extension and priority of the city’s larger safety plan: Safe Streets for All.
Safe Streets for All is a planning effort that began in fall 2023 and aims at eliminating all traffic fatalities or serious injuries on local roadways by 2039.
The program will focus on a different school each year, with University Elementary School chosen for this year’s partnership, according to the Safe Routes to School website.
“It's got some challenges for road safety, and so we wanted to address this one as it is high priority,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the planning process for the program has begun, with “surveys, activities, and public meetings” to be scheduled for students, families, school staff and community members, according to the release.
Jackson said parents can expect to receive surveys through emails from the school.
“We'll have meetings with and at the school as this progresses, and in the end, there'll be like a plan that everyone can sort of review and make comments on,” Jackson said.
At the end of the planning process, parents and students can expect both near-term and long-term infrastructure improvements based on the needs expressed during the planning process, according to the release.
According to the Safe Routes to School program’s website, the city created the program, last used in Bloomington in 2013, to increase activity and engagement among kids while reversing morning traffic from driving children to school.
Safe Routes to School programs began emerging in the late 1990s, with Congress passing Safe Routes to School funding through a federal transportation bill called SAFETEA-LU in 2005, according to the program's summary, ending in 2012.
More recently, Congress has made the Transportation Alternatives program, which helps fund walking and biking facilities, community improvements and safe routes to school projects. For the 2026 fiscal year, there is $1.498 billion in estimated individual State Transportation Alternative apportionments.
The site also mentions benefits of the plan, including safe travel options, decreasing air pollution around schools, creating more connected neighborhoods and improving school performance through exercise and higher concentration.
The program for University Elementary hopes to add new sidewalks, crosswalks and other missing infrastructure to slow traffic and increase walking safety, Jackson said.
“I think students are some of the most vulnerable people who are going to be using the road, whether they are walking or biking or even just in cars,” Jackson said. “And so, this is a great way of reducing risk to some of our most vulnerable people.”
Each year, a school will partner with the city to create a customized safety plan, with additional support and resources to help the program. All schools are invited to participate in Safe Routes to School activities each year, with annual events, classroom curriculum, activities and other education on student transportation safety.
Students can also join the Walking School Bus or Bike Bus programs, which are groups of students who walk or bike to and from school with adult supervision each day. Bloomington also hosts three annual safety awareness events, which all Bloomington schools are encouraged to participate in.
Bloomington’s Communication Director, Desiree DeMolina, said in an email to the Indiana Daily Student that the program is an opportunity to work alongside the community to make safety improvements.
“The trip to school helps set the tone for a child’s day, and every child should be able to make that trip safely and with confidence,” DeMolina wrote.
The Monroe County Community School Corporation did not respond to requests for comments. Transportation safety concerns can be reported online at uReport.
