Fresno Unified working to create safer routes to school for students

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A pilot program now in its second year is gaining momentum as Fresno Unified looks to improve the infrastructure and traffic safety surrounding city schools.

On Friday, a small team from Design Toole along with members from Fresno Unified's Safe Routes to School program went on a walk audit.

The group canvased the half-mile perimeter of Fremont Elementary, a school with 480 students, from preschool through sixth grade located in central Fresno.

Those walk audits part of a pilot-program to prioritize improvements to traffic safety at all of the 106 school sites within the District.

"We started this effort two years ago and it was really due to an uptick in incidents where we were having students, and even parents hit on their way to school," explained Amy Idsvoog with Fresno Unified.

Two years ago, we had 17 incidents where students were hit including one fatality with one of our students at Hoover."

Through the help transportation consulting firm, Toole Design, nine Fresno Unified schools were assessed to determine infrastructure improvements.

"The curb ramps are not ADA-compliant, so this curb ramp is going at an angle right into the street," said Lauren Pepe, a planner with Toole Design.

Bike safety top of mind for Fremont's Vice Principal Abigail Smurr, who cycles to work every morning.

She advocated for her school to receive a walk audit.

"I do think it is vital because a lot of our students walk to school here. There are other regional schools that get picked up here, but primarily it is a walking school," Smurr explained.

With walking comes crosswalk safety.

The district's Safety Office partners with Safe 2 School, a nonprofit that trains crosswalk volunteers.

Currently, there are more than 150 volunteers stationed at elementary and middle school sites.

Out of those 106 sites, only 45 schools are protected by crosswalk volunteers.

"If I've got kids that are in this neighborhood, they're crossing potentially two or three crosswalks," said Idsvoog. "No one's ever stationed here."

Fresno Unified says it is suffering from a crosswalk voluteer shortage.

Now, it's solution is found right here in this crosswalk street sign.

It weighs about 30 pounds and costs about a $100 a piece.

The district says it is the solution to keep both students and parents safe during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up at Fremont Elementary.

"No matter how they get to school, we want to make sure they have clear path and a safe path to get to school," said Idsvoog.

Fresno Unified will hold three community outreach meetings.

The first will take place next Tuesday at King Elementary.

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