Safe Routes to Schools

• Overview
• Town
• Ferry Hill
• Schools
• Burton

"Participating in a SRTS program can improve the health of our children & community. That's an encouraging outcome for a lifetime.
Walking, rolling & bicycling to school helps students:

• Reach the recommended goal of 60 minutes of physical activity every day
• Arrive at school energized & ready to learn
• Leave the car behind & reduce dependence on fossil fuels
• Take an active role in their well-being"  

-National Center for Safe Routes to School

At present the roads leading to the schools can be quite dangerous for children, and as a result, almost none currently walk or bike to school, even those who live nearby.

The 20 year master plan calls for a separated path that will stretch from McMurray middle school and Chautauqua elementary along Cemetery Rd, intersecting the Vashon Highway cycle path, and continue west along Cemetery Rd.  This busy intersection will have protected corners so all path users can cross safely.  A similar design is used for the intersection with 204th and Vashon Highway, near the high school.  Click the photo below to contrast before and after:

The plan for the new Performing Arts Center that Vashon Allied Arts

is building calls for a picturesque treed courtyard along Vashon highway (shown to the right).  The paths will create a buffer between the concert hall and the highway, making this a more pleasant area.  This plan also allows concert-goers to have a pleasant dinner in town then bike or walk along the path directly to the theatre, and provides an extra buffer between the Arts Center and the car traffic noise.

The plan uses existing pavement along Vashon Highway to create the bike path, and will slow storm run-off by removing pavement and replacing it with greenery in the divider that separates the path from the road.  This is a step in the right direction for the health of local streams, and decreases Vashon's carbon footprint and pollution by encouraging islanders of any age to travel comfortably by bicycle or on foot.

Currently Vashon High School boasts Vashon's only paved bicycle/pedestrian/equestrian path. Unfortunately it goes about 100 yards then fizzles out in a gravel parking lot.

The plan extends this path to intersect with the Vashon Hwy. route,  allowing commuting high school students and teachers to ride bicycles and Ebikes to and from school safely and comfortably.  The high school track team will make good use of the path on a regular basis, and the

annual run from one end of the island to the other will now have a dedicated path to use.  People heading to the pool will have a pleasant way to get there and back in the summer months.

Click on the photos to see them full size and contrast before and after photos:

For more information about the protected intersection design principles used to design these intersections, please watch the short video below:


Protected Intersections For Bicyclists from Nick Falbo on Vimeo.