Salem-Keizer Program History

The creation of a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program in Salem-Keizer has been a long time coming. Over the past few decades, a number of groups and individuals have organized SRTS-related activities and discussed bring SRTS to Salem-Keizer; however, no formal district-level program was established until recently. This 2013 Statesman Journal article demonstrated the needs for SRTS programming in Salem-Keizer and the lack of comprehensive programming at that time, as well as the need for better walking and cycling infrastructure around schools. The article highlighted the lack of sidewalks on Brown Road NE near Blanchet Catholic School as an example.

In 2018, a steering committee of interested partners began meeting to discuss and implement a formal SRTS program in Salem-Keizer. These partners included representatives from Salem-Keizer Public Schools, Cherriots Trip Choice, Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments, Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study, Safe Routes National Partnership, City of Salem Public Works, Marion County Health Department, City of Keizer Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Committee, and Salem Bicycle Club.

The steering committee developed organizational materials, applied for grants to fund the program, and put together plans to hire a coordinator. For an in-depth summary of this process, you can download the 2019 Visioning Plan here.

In August 2019, the steering committee received the news that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) approved their grant application to award funding for the Salem-Keizer SRTS program. That fall, efforts were launched to recruit and hire a program coordinator, and in December 2019, McRae Carmichael was hired for the position.

The Salem-Keizer Safe Routes to School program officially launched in 2020 with five pilot schools:

• Auburn Elementary School

• Cummings Elementary School

• Hallman Elementary School

• Hoover Elementary School

• Kennedy Elementary School

While COVID-19 has made in-person activities and events difficult, we have been able to come up with creative ways to reach students with resources. Over the summer and continuing into the fall of 2020, we provided free bicycle repair events at several locations throughout Salem and Keizer. We have begun conducting walk audits to assess the conditions of infrastructure around district schools and create recommended walking route maps. In October 2020, we celebrated International Walk and Roll to Anywhere Day with a fun challenge for students and community members. Participants won prizes for their schools by going on a walk or roll in their neighborhood and submitting drawings and photos to celebrate. We followed this with a Walk + Roll Challenge for Bike Month in May 2021; International Walk and Roll to School Day on October 6, 2021; and Ruby Bridges Walk + Roll to School Day on November 17, 2021. These will all be annual events for us moving forward.

Creating the Salem-Keizer SRTS program has not been the only success. Improving infrastructure for bicycling and walking has also been an important goal. In the years following the Statesman Journal article, the City of Salem, Marion County, and the Salem-Keizer Area Transportation Study (SKATS) worked together to secure funding for sidewalks on Brown Road NE from Arizona Ave NE to Sunnyview Rd NE, which have now been completed. For more information on recent SRTS-related infrastructure projects, check out our Sidewalks page.