Safe Routes to School

Denver Public Schools (DPS)

• We partner with Denver Public School's Department of Safety & the Crossing Guard Program.
• We work with School Administrations to address traffic safety concerns and create drop-off plans or travel plans.
• We partner with DPS’s Transportation for bus loading services & zones.
• We partner within DOTI to review and recommend safety enhancements and multimodal accessibility in school zones.

Parents and Caregivers

• Join us in practicing and promoting safe travel habits in and around school zones.
• Submit school-related concerns to 311 or report online, or through the resource inbox at SRTS@Denvergov.org.
• Organize and provide walking school buses, bicycle trains, or other safety-related programming to get kids actively travelling to school.  We can provide guidance and subject-matter expertise regarding these programs.

Students

• Provide experience to the Safe Routes to School program to help us understand how to enhance safe walking, bicycling, and rolling routes to their school from their perspectives. Student input is critical to understand how DOTI can plan the transportation system to prioritize their needs.

Teachers

• Check out our educational modules you can use in the classroom to promote traffic safety
  SRTS Educational Modules Interest Form

Community Residents Near Schools

• Join us in practicing and promoting safe travel habits in and around school zones.
• Submit school-related concerns to 311 or report online, or through the resource inbox at SRTS@Denvergov.org.

Health and safety are key benefits of Safe Routes to School.  Studies have shown that the community benefits from Safe Routes to School initiatives include:

• Safer students: Improved traffic safety and increased confidence for students through opportunities to learn about and practice road safety.
• Healthier students: Increased daily physical activity, forming healthy habits that can last a lifetime, helping students build strong bones, muscles, and joints, and decreasing the risk of chronic disease and obesity.
• Better focus: Increased daily physical activity yields more awake and alert students, which can lead to better focus and concentration and improved academic performance.
• School transportation improvements: Solutions to school transportation issues such as hazardous traffic congestion during pick-up/drop-off times, and student absences and tardiness due to transportation challenges.
• Community connections: Increased family and community engagement, providing positive social opportunities for students and families.
• Healthier environment: Reduced idling times during drop-off and pick-up, combined with more carpooling, walking, and/or biking to school results in cleaner air and reduced asthma rates. 

View our Safe Routes to School International Handout

Download the “Benefits of Safe Routes to School” Poster

We can often feel rushed when we are taking our children to and from school. To increase safety, health, & performance of our students, Denver Safe Routes to School (SRTS) encourages students and families to walk, bike, or bus when possible. 

For the safety of our students and community:

• Do not make u-turns or 3-point turns within school zones
• Avoid across-the-street drop-offs and pick-ups that cause children to cross the street (especially mid-block)
• Always have children enter/exit vehicles on sidewalk sides
• Avoid distractions like cell phones, eating, etc. while driving
• Follow all signage and posted speed limits
• Do not park or stop in the school bus loading zone, in intersections, or in any moving travel lanes, including bike lanes

If your school utilizes a kiss-and-go or drop-off/pick-up lane:

• Please approach the lane via the proper direction
• Pull fully over into the kiss-and-go zone and wait your turn as you approach the front of the kiss-and-go lane
• A staff or parent volunteer will open the passenger-side car door and help the student unload
• Follow directions given by school administration

Looking to create a drop-off/pick-up plan or kiss-and-go lane at your school? Have your school administration contact us at srts@denvergov.org for best practices and support.

We are transitioning our support requests to a process that we hope will better support your needs. While we are transitioning this process, please submit your request by calling 311 and be sure to include one (1) of the following statements in your request to ensure that we receive it: 

Please note: Denver’s 311 operators have specific questions they will ask you (for example, what school are your concerns related to? Who is the best person to contact at a school?). 

• This is a Safe Routes to School request, and I would like recommendations on how to increase safety at drop off and pick up.
• This is a Safe Routes to School request, and I would like the best options that encourage more walking, biking, or carpooling to school in our school community.
• This is a Safe Routes to School request, and I would like to host some safety education events at our school and seek your support.
• This is a Safe Routes to School request, and I would like to host some walking and/or biking safety education events at our school and seek your support.
• Or if you have a different request start it with: This is a Safe Routes to School request and <insert your specific need here>. 

Save the case number you are given in case you have questions about the status of your request.

The Safe Routes to School team have been hard at work between 2020-2021 creating Denver’s first, comprehensive, five-year Action Plan for the Safe Routes to School Program.  The Action Plan’s overall goal is to double the mode-share of families who walk or bike to school, from about 14% in 2022 to 30% by 2027.  The Action Plan contains 50 goals to accomplish by the end of 2027, categorized within 8 focus areas.  The Action Plan includes a data-driven approach using typologies and overlays to create a school prioritization list.  Additional information can be found at the links below. 

For a brief overview of the development process of the Safe Routes Action Plan as well as an explanation of some of the tools and outcomes of the plan, please see this ArcGIS StoryMap that was created.

Safe Routes to School Documents:

Safe Routes to School Action Plan(PDF, 30MB)

Safe Routes to School Prioritization Matrix + Methodology(PDF, 487KB)

Are you a staff member at a school or a parent who is interested in helping with Safe Routes to School programming at your local school? Here are some resources and ideas to get you started: 

CommuteDPS 

Denver Public Schools partnered with other Denver stakeholders to develop CommuteDPS, a resource for families, students, and school leaders to help improve transportation at schools in Denver.  Please view the documentation that DPS has at the following link: CommuteDPS

Denver Public Schools Crossing Guard Program 

The City and County of Denver and Denver Public Schools have partnered to train and staff Crossing Guards to enhance the safety of families and students arriving to and leaving Denver schools.   

More information about the program can be found here: School Crossing Guard Program Information

Teacher Champion Program

Looking for ways to encourage walking, biking, and transportation safety for youth and families at your school? Check out our educational modules available by request here! These are meant to be delivered in a classroom setting for ages K-5. Some modules have take-home components to do with families and adults.  The modules are:

• Basic Helmet Fit & Bike Check module to increase safety and success while bike riding,
• Child Passenger Safety while riding in a car, whether it be in a car seat, a booster seat, or with a seatbelt,
• Safe Walking, Rolling, and Biking tips for route planning & building confidence getting around on sidewalks and streets, and
• Safe Drop-Off teaches children, staff, families, and caregivers tips, ideas, and tools to help school drop-off go safely and smoothly. 

Each of these great modules includes a kid-friendly educational video with subtitles in English and Spanish, as well as plenty of valuable resources like lesson-plans and take-home handouts for students, parents, and teachers alike.

Request access to the education modules here: SRTS Education Modules Request Form

DRCOG Schoolpool

The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), as a part of their Way to Go Transportation Demand Management strategies, offers the Schoolpool program in the Denver region.  The Schoolpool program is free to schools to help connect parents and caregivers with each other to find ways to walk, bike, roll, or carpool together to their school locations while building community.  Visit DRCOG’s Schoolpool website to learn more: DRCOG Schoolpool

Walking Audits

Walking audits can help identify safety concerns in proximity to the school and can be conducted by school staff or a school PTA/PTO. For instance, School Safety Zones are set up in a standardized approach by DOTI, and sometimes signs are knocked down, or signs and/or roadway striping has faded.  These issues and more can be documented and provided to Denver’s Safe Routes to School program to help ensure school zones are communicated to roadway users in a uniform and accurate way.

Walking School Bus

A Walking School Bus (WSB) is a program organized like a traditional bus stop and route, with the exception that the students are walking instead of riding a bus. A WSB has designated routes that are led by a WSB Adult Leader and designated "stops" along those routes at set times where students can join the WSB to walk to school in a group under adult supervision.

Bicycle Trains

A Bicycle Train is a program organized like a traditional bus stop and route, with the exception that the students are riding bikes instead of riding a bus. A Bicycle Train has designated routes that are led by a Bicycle Train Adult Conductor and designated "stops" along those routes at set times where students can join the Bicycle Train to bike to school in a group under adult supervision.

Remote Drop Off/Pick Up

Remote Drop-Off is a policy that encourages or requires parents to drop students off at a location a few blocks from the school. This policy can either rely on parents or volunteers/school staff to walk student(s) from the remote drop-off location to the school building.  Consider locations near the school that might be able to facilitate remote drop-offs and see if a partnership can be identified (for example, using a nearby parking lot to try to alleviate traffic pressure immediately around the school).

Kiss-and-Go Lane

Kiss-and-Go lanes are an operational improvement to help increase the efficiency of arrival and dismissal at schools.  The Kiss-and-Go Lane generally consists of a marked loading/unloading section that is directly outside the school’s main entrance or one of the main entrances, requires parents/caregivers to stay in their vehicle, and requires the vehicle to remain running and to follow the flow of traffic through the line.

Some aspects of Kiss-and-Go operations that are most successful:

• Highly recommended to have dedicated staff/volunteers to supervise, maintain
  • 2-3 people are necessary to operate kiss-and-go
  • One or two people should be established at the “front” of the line to open & close car doors and welcome children to school
  • One person can “float” alongside the lane to continue to encourage drivers to pull forward to the front of the line, where children exit a vehicle 
• Use of traffic cones to denote where the kiss-and-go lane is established and to dissuade parents from pulling out of the lane early
• Signage at the start and stop of the kiss-and-go with instructional information
  • Denver’s Safe Routes to School Program has further information on information that can be printed and added to self-standing “A-Frames” that can be used for Kiss-and-Go lanes

Cole Campus Enhancements: Status – Construction

Travel Plan Study

A Travel Plan is a planning study that works directly with schools to identify the challenges and constraints using active transportation to walk, bike, or roll to and from school.  Travel Plan Studies typically last for 6-9 months, and include opportunities to hear from school leaders, parents, caregivers, and students.  The conclusion of a Travel Plan study provides a report that identifies infrastructure and programming recommendations that the Safe Routes to School Program can work with schools to complete.

Travel Plans are conducted at schools using the Safe Routes to School Action Plan’s Prioritization Matrix.

Cole Campus Travel Plans: Status – Study

• Description: The Safe Routes to School team has been working with the Cole Campus since September 2021 to understand challenges and concerns about travelling to and from school using active modes of travel.  The Travel Plan is nearing completion with a prioritized list of operational and project opportunities to be programmed through the SRTS program for completion.  The Travel Plan Study is set to be published in 2022.

Evie Dennis Travel Plans: Status – Study 

• Description: The Safe Routes to School team began engagement with the Evie Dennis Campus in the Green Valley Ranch neighborhoods in Spring 2022.  The first round of engagement has been completed alongside a site visit at the school to see challenges firsthand, and the project team heard from each school’s leaders.   

The project team will be finalizing existing conditions during the 2022 summer break and will be gearing up for engagement opportunities with families/caregivers and students in Fall 2022.

Description: In 2021, the City and County of Denver’s Safe Routes to School Team applied for a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) non-infrastructure grant to pilot bicycle and pedestrian safety education using Teacher Champions at three Denver schools.

The pilot program kicked off in the Spring of 2022 with 6 Teacher Champions at 3 different schools in Denver: Castro Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Maxwell Elementary.  The pilot program completed its first semester, hosted a range of Bike and Roll activities during the month of March, and are working on end-of-semester data.  The grant pilot program will continue through the 2022-2023 school year at the three partner schools.

• 35th Ave/Holly St
• 35th Ave/Jasmine St
• 35th Ave/Kearney St
• 36th Ave/Jasmine St

Changes were made to create safer intersection crossings for students walking and biking to school. New concrete islands were added in the median of 35th and 36th Avenues on both sides of the intersection. Improved curb ramps were installed at intersection corners to better align with crosswalks and meet Americans with Disabilities (ADA) standards. More visible crosswalk markings were also added. The project was completed in early 2025 using a Safe Routes to School grant and Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure funding.

Ruby Hill Pedestrian Enhancements

The Ruby Hill SRTS Pedestrian Enhancements focused on pedestrian treatments near two elementary schools: Schmitt and Godsman Elementary Schools.  Four pedestrian islands in total were constructed, and a flashing beacon was upgraded to a pedestrian-activated flashing beacon.  These improvements were installed at:

• Florida Avenue at Tejon and Nevada Streets
• Jewell Avenue at Tejon and Vallejo Streets
• Pedestrian Activated Flashing Beacon: Florida at Navajo Street 

This project was funded as a part of the Grandoozy Funding to enhance multimodal safety in the Ruby Hill/Overland area. 

Maxwell Elementary School Travel Plan Study

The Maxwell Elementary School Travel Plan Study helped identify safety enhancements to evaluate and identify projects for implementation, starting in 2020 and finalizing in 2021.

DCIS at Ford Travel Plan Study

The DCIS at Ford Elementary School Travel Plan Study helped identify safety enhancements to evaluate and identify projects for implementation, starting in 2020 and finalizing in 2021.

Montbello Bicycle Course

The Montbello Bicycle Course was constructed in partnership with Denver Parks and Recreation to provide an outdoor hands-on bicycle skills course at the Montbello Recreation Center.  It was completed in 2020 and is available to be booked for events through Denver Parks and Recreation.

Westwood Travel Plan Study (2020)

The Westwood Travel Plan was conducted in the Westwood neighborhood and identified safety opportunities at three schools (Castro Elementary, Kepner Beacon Middle School, Pascual LeDoux Academy).  The study kicked off and was completed in 2020.

Smith Elementary Travel Plan Study (2020) 

The Smith Elementary School Travel Plan Study helped identify safety enhancements to evaluate and potentially implement, starting in 2019 and finalizing in 2020.

Cory Merrill Safe Routes to School (2019)

The Cory Merrill Safe Routes to School Project constructed new sidewalks and a new bicycle lane, rebuilt a traffic signal, and replaced a paint-and-post curb extension with a concrete, permanent curb extension.  The project area was along E Florida and Iowa Avenues.

Wearing a seatbelt is the best way for all adults to stay safe in a car, and wearing it properly during pregnancy is the best way to protect the both of you. To make sure that you and your little one arrive safely, always:

• Place the lap belt portion across the top of your thighs and hip bones, NOT over your belly
• Place the shoulder belt between your breasts and to the side of your belly
• Tilt the steering wheel up and away from your belly
• Sit back as far as you comfortably can from the steering wheel

Learn more at these helpful sites:

• Buckle Up For Life
• Hudson Center for Prenatal Vehicle Safety

See Statistics

• A child is at 17 times more risk of becoming a traffic fatality before they are born than when they are in a car seat
• Proper seat belt use can reduce adverse fetal outcomes by 84%
• 25% of pregnant drivers wear their seat belt correctly
• Only 20% of pregnant drivers receive in-person education about how to wear their seat belt correctly
• In-person seat belt education makes a driver four times more likely to wear their seat belt correctly

All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the car seat's manufacturer.

Why It Matters

The vertebrae of young children are not developed enough to protect the spinal cord during a crash. When forward facing, in a frontal collision, the weight of the head combined with the immature skeleton, can cause the spinal cord to stretch up to 2 inches, while serious injury can occur at just 1/4 of an inch stretch. This often results in internal decapitation and causes paralysis or death.

When rear facing, in a frontal crash, the car seat decelerates the child's body by spreading the crash forces over the back of the seat, where there is greatest surface area to absorb the forces. When forward facing, the forces are concentrated over the harness to hard points (shoulder and pelvis) of the skeletal structure.

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Correct Fit

1. The crotch buckle is as close to the child as possible without them sitting on it
2. The hip straps are snug on the hips
3. The straps between the crotch buckle and chest clip are flat and straight
4. The chest clip is at their armpit level
5. You cannot pinch slack at the shoulders
6. The should straps wrap behind the child's shoulders like a backpack, not sitting above the shoulder

What about their legs?

Legs are actually safer in a rear facing position. Children are very flexible and it is not uncomfortable for them to sit with bent legs. We actually see more injuries forward facing because their legs can hit the seat in front of them.

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Correct Install

1. Attach with the seat belt OR the lower anchors, not both (exception: Nuna Pipa), ensuring that the seat belt (if used) follows the correct path
2. Refer to the line, bubble, or ball on the seat label for guidance to ensure the seat is leveled correctly
3. Confirm the seat moves less than 1 inch from side to side, front to back when applying pressure to the belt path that connects the seat to the car.

• Find a fit station here
• Find a car seat technician here

Convertible car seats can be used rear facing or forward facing.

Combination car seats can be used rear facing, forward facing, or as a booster seat.

Most models of convertible and combination car seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds and some up to 70-90 pounds when used forward facing. These seats do not have detachable bases, users must switch the seat between vehicles or have one for each vehicle. All children who have outgrown their rear-facing weight or height limit should use a forward-facing car seat with a harness up to the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer.

Correct Fit

1. The crotch buckle is as close to the child as possible without them sitting on it
2. The hip straps are snug on the hips
3. The straps between the crotch buckle and chest clip are flat and straight
4. The chest clip is at their armpit level
5. You cannot pinch slack at the shoulders
6. The shoulder straps go above their shoulders, towards their ears, not wrapping behind their shoulders like a backpack

Correct Install

1. Attach with the seat belt OR the lower anchors, not both ensuring that the seat belt (if used) follows the correct path. Ensure you are using the correct installation method (most lower anchors have a weight limit)
2. Refer to the line, bubble, or ball on the seat label for guidance to ensure the seat is leveled correctly
3. Confirm the seat moves less than 1 inch from side to side, front to back when applying pressure to the belt path that connects the seat to the car

• Find a fit station here
• Find a car seat technician here

Traditional seat belts are properly sized to protect adults in the event of an impact. Children often slouch or scoot forward because their knees don't reach the edge of the seat to bend properly, pushing the lap belt up on their belly and increasing their risk of injury. Additionally, children's bones and muscles aren't typically developed enough to withstand a crash in a safety belt alone. So, once your child has outgrown a seat with harnesses, it's time to move to a belt-positioning booster seat.

Backless Booster Seats are booster seats that do not have a back on them, they're only what the child sits on. These are great for older children.

High-back Booster Seats are booster seats that have a back on them (often detachable). These are great for children just coming out of a forward facing 5-point harness or for children with lower tone.

Correct Fit

1. Their bum is all the way back in the seat
2. The hip straps are snug on the hips, but not up on the stomach
3. The strap across the torso is flat and straight
4. There is less than 1 inch of slack at the shoulder
5. The shoulder strap goes above their shoulder, towards their ear, not wrapping behind their shoulder like a backpack
6. The shoulder strap is across the collarbone, not up on their neck
7. The shoulder AND lap belt are under the "arm" of the booster seat

Correct Install

1. Always install in the back seat. All children under age 13 should ride in the back seat whenever possible.
2. Ensure the booster seat is facing forward
3. Ensure there is a lap and shoulder belt to use

Traditional seat belts are made to fit adults. To maximize your protection, place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck, never behind you or under an arm. The lap belt portion goes low and snug across your hips, not your stomach. Your pelvis and rib cage are better able to withstand a crash than other parts of your body.

The thing that our kids need most to be safe and thrive is US, and we model safe behavior by wearing seat belts correctly every trip. Every time.

Children are fit for an adult seat belt without a booster when they meet ALL of these:

• Their knees bend comfortably at the vehicle seat edge with their feet flat on the floor
• Their back lies flat against the vehicle seat (bum all the way back in the seat)
• The shoulder belt lies between their neck and shoulder
• Their lap belt lies across the top of their thighs
• They can remain comfortably seated upright for the duration of all trips

Correct Fit

A heavy jacket or coat requires the seat belt to be loosened slightly so that it no longer conforms to the body. No coats or snow suits for anyone in a seat belt or 5-point harness.

More winter car seat safety

A German study finds damage at speeds as little as 10 MPH when wearing heavy coats

For more tips and tricks, please visit:

The Car Seat Lady: Houdini Button Down Shirt Trick
CDOT - Car Seats Colorado