BALTIMORE, MD (August 30, 2007) – Standing with students from the William Paca Elementary/Middle School safety patrol today, Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and Deputy Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley gathered in Baltimore City to celebrate the launch of the Maryland Safe Routes to School Program. The City is one of 15 jurisdictions sharing a total of $3.67 million in grants.
“This round of Safe Routes to School grants is the first of many that we will deliver to make school communities safer for our children,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “Here at William Paca, seven children have been struck by vehicles over the past seven years, one fatally. The goal of this program is to put measures in place to prevent such tragedies in the future. By working together as partners in communities around the state, we are protecting our most vulnerable citizens.”
Several improvements greeted students this week at William Paca Elementary/Middle School because of the Safe Routes to School program. Nearly all the 745 students live less than a mile from the school and more than 90 percent of the students walk to school. Count-down pedestrian signals have been installed at the corner of Lakewood Avenue and Orleans Street, signs have been updated, and a temporary speed trailer alerting drivers to their speeds along Orleans Street have been placed.
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon said, “Baltimore is committed to the safety and health of our children. We are proud to be a partner with the State in supporting the Safe Routes to School program and look forward to adding these new measures of safety for all children who live in the City.”
The Safe Routes to School program brings together parents and school administrators and teachers, along with other community groups and agencies, to improve the safety of children who walk or bicycle to school. The program enables and encourages children in grades K-8, including those with physical limitations, to walk and bicycle to school. Through the promotion of walking, Safe Routes to School also bolsters child health by encouraging physical activity and enhances the environment by reducing traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution near elementary and middle schools.
“The O’Malley-Brown Administration is committed to improving the safety and health of Maryland’s children. With approximately 120 pedestrians killed by vehicles every year, improving pedestrian safety is a critical issue across the State. The Safe Routes to School program is a key tool to savings lives,” said Maryland Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley.
The program encourages children in grades K-8 to walk and bike to school and it funds education, engineering and enforcement initiatives to protect children in their daily treks. Lt. Governor Brown highlighted how the program has already enhanced pedestrian safety in and around William Paca Elementary/Middle School, one of seven schools benefiting from the $720,000 grant to Baltimore City. Partners from across the State joined in the celebration, along with local elected officials, community leaders and school representatives. By the end of this year, the State will award an additional $3.46 million in grants to local jurisdictions and non-profits to enhance the safety of neighborhoods around schools throughout Maryland.
The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration manages the Maryland Safe Routes to School program, which utilizes federal funding. The grants are awarded annually to local government and non-profit organizations on a competitive basis based on need and problem identification. Local jurisdictions are encouraged to apply for Safe Routes to School funding by calling the Maryland State Routes to School coordinator at 410-787-7620.
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