Hood River’s drafted Safe Routes to School Project Identification Plan is now in the public comment phase. The draft plan identifies safety projects around May Street Elementary and Hood River Middle schools.
Public comment, open through Sunday, January 30th, can be made directly on the drafts with these links:
English version Spanish version
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is an important part of the Hood River City Council Work Plan. The primary goal of the project is to create “neighborhood to school” connections for students who walk and ride bikes to school.
The Oregon Dept. of Transportation works to encourage local agencies to reduce barriers for pedestrian and bicycle access to schools. At the local level, the City of Hood River partners with the Hood River County School District, Hood River Valley Parks & Recreation, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District and Columbia Area Transit to help make families’ commutes to school safe and enjoyable.
Since 2018, several projects were initiated and are now complete. In 2021, the City of Hood River and its partners teamed up Portland-based planning firm Alta Planning and Design to create and adopt this actionable city-wide Safe Routes to School recommendation packet.
A community wide survey and walk audit were completed and StoryMaps list the community’s top concerns and input. Also last year, the City’s Transportation System Plan was amended to include changes and additions the list of pedestrian and bicycle projects.
The Story Maps share more details about the Safe Routes to School programs and funding.