At a time when many New Jersey municipalities struggle with rising costs and shrinking budgets, raising funds for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) projects can be a hard sell without the promise of federal grants. But even within a tight budget, SRTS programs can achieve significant results when local leaders find new ways to work with existing resources, explore new partnerships and keep on the alert for alternative funding sources.

 

Coordinating Efforts within Your Community      
When developing an SRTS program, what often first comes to mind are sidewalk improvements, traffic-calming projects and similar infrastructure-heavy solutions. While construction work often involves significant expense, some projects can be completed at relatively low cost. For example, when municipalities, counties and the state perform road resurfacing and routine maintenance work, the roadways are often restriped. This can be a great opportunity to work with the agency in charge to implement low-cost traffic-calming measures using paint.Effective use of paint can realign or reduce the width of a driving lane, provide on-street parking, or add a bike lane or shoulder. Well-designed striping can reduce vehicle speeds and provide more space for cyclists.

 

Routine road maintenance projects can also provide an opportunity to add or rehabilitate existing

crosswalks. The government entity in charge of the project can be encouraged to include high-visibility, zebra-striped crosswalks with stop lines. Additional striping or paint treatments can catch the eye of approaching drivers, drawing their attention to the crosswalk.

 

New paint treatments do not have to be limited to resurfacing and routine maintenance projects. For instance, “paint the pavement” projects can be organized with municipal approval on local streets. This involves painting a high-visibility mural on the street surface that alerts drivers to the fact that there are people in the area. While enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood, painted streets cue drivers to slow down and drive more attentively.

 

Coordinating Efforts with Other Communities
Regional approaches to SRTS can be an excellent way to get more bang for the buck.  One potential area is sharing the cost of training crossing guards. New Jersey law requires at least two hours of classroom training and 20 hours of supervised on-the-job training by an experienced adult crossing guard or police officer. Teaming up with other communities to train crossing guards can save time and money, as well as free up resources to develop better and more consistent training programs.

 

Municipal collaboration can also save money by consolidating buying power