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Southland Safety Project Launches
South Suburban Mayors team up with Chicagoland Bicycle Federation

Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Safe Routes to School is partnering with the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association on a Southland Safe Routes to School program to reduce auto traffic by 20 percent at 10 schools.

Over a two-year period, the Southland Safe Routes Implementation Team will provide pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure improvements along with educational and encouragement programming to convert car travel to active transportation.

CBF will provide evaluation services, education and encouragement programs, beginning with the creation of school travel profiles, which includes observing school pick-up and drop-off, mapping routes, collecting traffic counts, speed and crash data, determining numbers of walkers and bikers, auditing the pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure around schools (sidewalks, street crossings etc.), and understanding parent attitudes around active transportation.

“The school travel profile helps schools determine what the barriers are to walking and bicycling so that they can begin to develop solutions and write a plan,” explained CBF Safe Routes to School Director Melody Geraci.

Ten schools in five communities were selected for the school travel profile stage: Memorial Junior High and Lansing Christian in Lansing; Diekman Elementary, Dolton; Sandburg, Riley and Kich elementary schools in Harvey; Central Park Middle and Kolmar and Springfield elementary schools in Midlothian; and Sixth Grade Education Center, Crete.