HomeMy WebLinkAbout20. 12-606
DECEMBER 11, 2012 12-606 RESOLUTION
(CARRIED___6-0___ LOST_______ LAID OVER_______ WITHDRAWN_______)
PURPOSE: SUPPORT THE OSHKOSH SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
PROGRAM
INITIATED BY: TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
WHEREAS the City of Oshkosh supports policies and programs that focus on
health and wellness and healthier community environments; and
WHEREAS the health and safety of children is of highest concern to the citizens of
the City of Oshkosh; and
WHEREAS walking and biking can help enhance the health and overall physical
activity of children, improve air quality and the environment, and reduce traffic congestion
and speed in and around school zones; and
WHEREAS Safe Routes to School is a national and international movement to
create safe, convenient, and fun opportunities for children to walk and bike to school; and
WHEREAS Safe Routes to School efforts help remove barriers to walking and
biking to school through improvement of infrastructure and facilities and the creation of
education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation programs; and
WHEREAS having safer routes to and from schools can decrease pedestrian and
bicycling related injuries, not just for students, but for the entire community; and
WHEREAS it is fitting that the City of Oshkosh recognize the importance of making
walking and biking to school a safe activity
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Oshkosh will participate in
and support the Safe Routes to School initiative in order to gain the benefits mentioned
above and strengthen the quality of life for Oshkosh students, families, and
neighborhoods.
OfHKOJH
City of Oshkosh -Transportation Department ON THE WATER
926 Dempsey Trail, Oshkosh, WI 54902 (920) 232-5342 (920) 232-5343 fax
MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Common Council
FROM: Christopher Strong, P.E., Director of Transportation
DATE: December 6, 2012
RE: RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT THE OSHKOSH SAFE ROUTES TO
SCHOOL PROGRAM
Background
The Oshkosh Safe Routes to School Task Force is comprised of representatives from the
Oshkosh Police Department, the City of Oshkosh Department of Transportation, the Oshkosh
Area School District, the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, student
parents and community members. The task force began in 2006 as a group of concerned
individuals which came together after a student was struck and injured by a vehicle. The task
force has met every one or two months since its inception, and has served as a coordination point
for efforts designed to increase the number of children walking or biking to school, through a
multi-pronged approach of encouragement, engineering, education, enforcement and evaluation.
Some of the efforts the task force has led and/or supported include:
• Completion of a local Safe Routes to School plan
• Bike Rodeos
• National Bike to School Day
• International Walk to School Day
• Bicycle and pedestrian safety audits at Oshkosh schools
• Speed Watch Program
In 2010, the task force was successful in securing a$102,635 Federal grant (with no local match
requirement) that funds a variety of infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects. The task force
is building on this successful grant to continue to attract and focus community resources toward
supporting bicycle and pedestrian mobility to and from schools.
Analysis
The task force's efforts complement the work of the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Committee, and are consistent with public health goals of reducing obesity and encouraging
City of Oshkosh—Department of Transportation 1
Resolution in Support of the Oshkosh Safe Routes to School Program/December 6,2012
healthy lifestyles.
The attached resolution certifies the Common Council's support of the local Safe Routes to
School effort. While City staff already participate in the task force and supporting activities, this
resolution can be helpful in developing partnerships and leveraging resources to build on the task
force's successful work to date.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact involved.
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of this resolution in support of the Oshkosh Safe Routes to School
program.
Respectfully submitted, Approved:
hristopher Strong, P.E. Mark A. Rohloff
Director of Transportation City Manager
City of Oshkosh—Department of Transportation 2