United Way's Safer Walking Routes Initiative

Contributed

Students often face many unsafe barriers when walking to school, including poorly cleared sidewalks and icy conditions in the wintertime. The United Way is combating these barriers with their Safer Walking Routes initiative.

Summer has come to a close and Erie kids are now walking to school. United Way of Erie County and the Erie Public Schools are making sure they're getting there safely through the Safer Walking Routes Initiative. The program is a collaborative effort between several organizations in Erie, including Gannon University and the Erie Data Center.

Executive Vice President of United Way Erie County Mike Jaruszewicz explained that there are a range of non-academic barriers that students face, including reliable and safe transportation and walking routes. "We found early on was that there are a lot of students that need to walk to and from school every day, but there are a lot of environmental barriers that were impacting their ability to either want to go to school or just to get there, even if they wanted to," Jaruszewicz said. The initiative began in 2018 when United Way wrote a grant to the Erie Community Foundation to support a safer walking program that combined education, awareness, and data. From then on, they have worked to expand the initiative through collaborative efforts and grant funding. In the summer of 2023, a grant from PennDOT "funded the expansion of the safer walking routes to all of the elementary schools and also … for the educational awareness campaign," Jaruszewicz said.

United Way worked with Dr. Christopher Magno and his students at Gannon University to map out the safest walking routes using GIS technology. They identified hazards and areas in need of improvements, such as employing crossing guards or placing school zone signage. "We know resources are limited. It's not like we're going to be able to transform every street in the City of Erie, but if we could direct students to the safer areas and then work as a community to prioritize improvements and enhancements on top of those routes, then we could start having more of an impact," Jaruszewicz said.

Jaruszewicz emphasized how collaboration between various partners has made the program successful and recognized at the National Community School Conference. "We've worked really hard because resources are limited," he said. "Other communities in Pennsylvania are probably in the same boat as we are in terms of public school funding and allocating those funds to making sure kids are getting to school, so it's really great to be the foundation for that."

The initiative also focused on beautifying the walking routes with help from Erie Arts and Culture, who installed 15 murals along the walking paths. Referencing the Pennsylvania Youth Survey, Jaruszewicz explained that students may exhibit more problem behaviors if they don't feel attached to their neighborhoods. "There's a lot of vandalism in public spaces, they don't feel safe, and research shows that there's this direct impact between those environmental factors and success."

Additionally, the program encourages community involvement like keeping sidewalks clear in the winter and picking up trash. "Students are walking to school and we all have a role to play to keep kids safe by slowing down, clearing sidewalks, and reporting things that are not safe," Jaruszewicz said. "We can build that framework, we can raise awareness, but it's going to take every person to play a role."

For more information on how you can help keep your walking route safe, visit unitedwayerie.org/our-impact/student-success/safer-walking-routes/

Alana Sabol can be reached at alana@eriereader.com