van buren school travel plan july 31, 2009 · the village proper is approximately 0.2 square miles...

VAN BUREN

SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN

JULY 31, 2009

INDEX

SECTION 1: THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL TEAM .............................................. 1 SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION................................................................................... 2-4 SECTION 3: PUBLIC INPUT PROCESS ...................................................................... 5 SECTION 4: DESCRIPTION OF SCHOOLS ................................................................ 6 SECTION 5: SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS............................................................... 7-10 SECTION 6: CURRENT SCHOOL TRAVEL ENVIRONMENT ................................... 10 SECTION 7: BARRIERS TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION .................................. 11-13 SECTION 8: CREATING SOLUTIONS AND COUNTERMEASURES................... 14-15 SECTION 9: IMPROVEMENTS MAPPING............................................................ 16-19 SECTION 10: THE ACTION PLAN ............................................................................... 20 SECTION 11: PLAN ENDORSEMENTS.................................................................. 21-22 SECTION 12: SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION ....................................................... 23

TABLES TABLE 1: VAN BUREN TASK FORCE .....................................................................................1

FIGURES FIGURE 1: SCHOOL DISTRICT MAP ......................................................................................1 FIGURE 2: VILLAGE MAP WITH ONE MILE RADIUS..............................................................3 FIGURE 3: VAN BUREN SCHOOLS CAMPUS AERIAL...........................................................6 FIGURE 4: TOWN SQUARE AERIAL ....................................................................................12 FIGURE 5: SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS..........................................................................17 FIGURE 6: TOWN SQUARE IMPROVEMENTS.....................................................................18 FIGURE 7: SCHOOL SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS...................................................................19

VAN BUREN SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN JULY 31, 2009

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SECTION 1: THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL TEAM The Van Buren Safe Routes to School task force consists of the following members:

Name Title Task Force Participation

Edward May Village of Van Buren Mayor Evaluation

Richard Lehman Van Buren Elementary Principal Education/Encouragement

Jerry Cook Transportation Supervisor Education/Enforcement

Ann Kuhlman Bus Driver Education/Enforcement

Chris Henry Teacher Education/Encouragement

Matthew Conkle Van Buren School Board Education/Evaluation

Steve Endicott Resident Education/Encouragement

Paul Schmelzer Resident Education/Encouragement

Stan Heitkamp Resident Education/Encouragement

Doug Akers Law Enforcement & Village Resident Enforcement/Education

Don Masters Health & Gym Teacher Education/Encouragement

Jay Clark Middle School Principal Education/Encouragement

Mike Brand High School Principal Education/Encouragement

Tim Myers Van Buren Schools Superintendent Evaluation

Greg Ayers Village Council, Street & Sidewalk Comm. Engineering

Jim Fox Village Council, Street & Sidewalk Comm. Engineering

Matt McCracken Resident Education/Encouragement

Terri Mohr Resident Education/Encouragement

Scott Oestreich Village Council, President Evaluation/Engineering

Steve & Brenda Endicott

Residents Education/Encouragement

Table 1 –Van Buren Task Force The primary contact for the project is: Edward May

Mayor-Village of Van Buren 210 South Main Street Van Buren, OH 45889 Phone: 419-421-3704 Fax: 419-421-3601 Email: [email protected]


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SECTION 2: INTRODUCTION Van Buren Schools The Van Buren School District is approximately 8 miles by 6 miles in size. The school district is bounded by the following school districts: North Baltimore, Arcadia, Elmwood, Findlay, Liberty Benton and McComb. Van Buren offers open enrollment to the surrounding area.

Figure 1 – School District Map

The school campus is located on South Main Street, south of the village square and contains all grade levels. Separate buildings are provided for elementary, middle and high school students.


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Village of Van Buren Van Buren is a village in northern Hancock County and is located east of I-75 between North Baltimore and Findlay. The village is located at the crossroads of SR 613 and CR 220. In the 2000 census, there were 313 residents, 113 households, and 91 families residing in the village. Today’s population is very similar with a population 322 in 2007. The village proper is approximately 0.2 square miles in size. A map of the village is shown below with a one mile radius from the school campus.

Figure 2 – Village Map with One Mile Radius


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Van Buren Travel Plan Goals:

The Van Buren school district is very rural and the Village itself accounts for only 10 percent of the students. These students are not provided bus transportation and the Village wants to provide the safest paths possible to the school campus. Also, the Van Buren School is used by the community as a recreational park. The Village of Van Buren has made a commitment to removing barriers like traffic congestion, violence, crime and busy intersections so our child are safe. The students also access the sports-plex located east of the school on SR 613 for many extracurricular activities and must cross an active railroad line.

A generation ago, a majority of children walked or bike to school. Today, most children take the bus or are driven. Only 1 out of every 8 children gets to school on their own two feet. This quiet shift of norms is taking a tremendous toll on our communities.

o Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions due in part to increasingly inactive lifestyles.

o An estimated 50% of morning traffic is parents driving their children to school.

o More cars on the street make neighborhoods seem less safe, discouraging walking and biking.

o Overcrowded school drop-off and pick-up areas bring pollution and traffic danger to the doorsteps of our school.

The Village of Van Buren and the Van Buren Local Schools can combat these trends by:

o Bringing people together in a joyful activity. o Supporting the habit of moderate daily exercise. o Addressing safety concerns with structural improvements and community

building. o Providing an open invitation for people to be deliberate about their

transportation choices. o Organizing diverse community members around a unifying issue:

neighborhood safety.

The Village of Van Buren and the Van Buren Local Schools desires to implement the following:

o Seeking to build new sidewalks and improve existing sidewalks o Upgrade crosswalks to make them high visibility o Encourage safe biking and walking to school through class competitions, o Traffic calming devices o Established designed routes to the School o Bike safety classes o Safety information sharing


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SECTION 3: PUBLIC INPUT PROCESS

The Safe Routes to School program is led by the Village Mayor – Ed May. Mr. May has been working closely with the Elementary principal, Dick Lehman, and the Van Buren Facilities Team to coordinate STP activities. Key members of the community were invited to be involved in the task force to prepare and carryout this School Travel Plan. A kickoff meeting was held on August 6, 2008 in the Community Room located on the school campus. This meeting was led by DGL Consulting Engineers and presented the SRTS program to the task force. Discussion topics at this kickoff meeting included:

• School district is large - Only village residents have sidewalks and are eligible to walk to school.

• Open enrollment attracts students from other communities and are not provided bus service or live too far away to walk/bike.

• Many distance neighborhoods have bus pickup at one location-can we provide safe places for these students?

• How can we get the students to the park for after school sports activities? This may be especially important with changes to the school campus.

• Railroad is a concern.

An update meeting was held on September 15, 2008. The meeting followed the Facilities team meeting. DGL discussed the role of the surveys and how to get parents to participate. Surveys have been collected from middle and elementary parents. Key comments noted on the surveys include:

• Since we live off a state route, we would not allow kids to use that road or cross it on the trip to or from school.

• Only way I would let them walk is to carry a cell phone and call when they arrived at the school building.

• Sidewalks and guards.

• We need a crossing guard! Cars don’t always stop or look for kids.

• My son is in first grade and walks with older brother sister and 2 cousins. Three of them carry cell phones so that can call when they’ve made it to school safely.

• Traffic, sidewalks, guards. The School Travel Plan along with the proposed action plan will be provided to all village residents for their comment. The document will be posted on the village website and available at the village hall.


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SECTION 4: DESCRIPTION OF SCHOOLS The school campus is located at 217 South Main Street (CR 220). The Van School campus is located south of downtown on CR 220. The campus houses all students K-12. The elementary building is located in the south edge of the campus. The middle/high school is located in the main building with the middle school located in the original building to the north. Athletic fields are provided around the school buildings. The main access to the campus is via CR 220 (S. Main Street). Two drives are provided-one operating as the entrance and the northerly drive operating as an exit. A bus pickup/dropoff area is provided adjacent to the elementary school. A secondary access point is provided from the football field area to the north. All students (K-12) exit the building at the same time. The aerial photo shown in Figure 3 does not reflect the current parking configuration. Recent parking lot improvements have provided additional separation between Main Street and the parking lot. Angled parking with one-way operation has been installed to provide the required parking spaces in a smaller available footprint. The aerial photos provided in the Suggested Improvements section have been enhanced to show current parking configurations.

Figure 3 –Van Buren Schools Campus Aerial


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SECTION 5: SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS Enrollment Statistics Elementary (K-5) 844 Middle (6-8) 390 Student Statistics Van Buren Elementary Student Ethnicity

Ethnicity This School State

Average White 93% 78% Asian or Pacific Islander 4% 1% Unspecified 3% n/a

Source: OH Dept. of Education, 2007-2008

Student Subgroups This School State Average

Economically disadvantaged students 9% 36% Students with disabilities 12% 14%

Source: OH Dept. of Education, 2007-2008 Van Buren Middle Student Ethnicity

Ethnicity This School State

Average White 93% 78% Unspecified 7% n/a Source: OH Dept. of Education, 2007-2008

Student Subgroups This School State Average

Economically disadvantaged students 7% 36% Students with disabilities 8% 14%

Source: OH Dept. of Education, 2007-2008


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School Statistics The surveys were sent home to families living within 2 miles of the school campus. The return rate of these surveys was 100 percent for families living in the village. 94% of the responding families live within one mile of the school campus. 6% of respondents live between 1 and 2 miles.

There are differences in the travels modes to and from school for those living within the Village.


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Students living with ¼ mile of the school have a higher percentage of family vehicle travel mode in the afternoon than in the morning. Students living within ¼ to ½ mile report no family vehicle pickups in the afternoon. Classroom surveys were also taken for all K-8 classrooms. The results shown below are school district wide.


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Approximately 3 percent of all students in grades K-8 walk or bike to school. As stated earlier, approximately 10 percent of students live within the village limits. 90% of all students are bused due to their distance from school. SECTION 6: CURRENT SCHOOL TRAVEL ENVIRONMENT Arrival/Dismissal Procedures School Hours 8:00 am to 3:00 pm Arrival – Students arrive by bus and walking around 7:50 am when the first bell rings. Students that arrive between 7:00 and 7:50 am go to the cafeteria where they wait until 7:50 am. Dismissal - Elementary students are dismissed to the buses at 2:55 pm, middle and high school students are dismissed to the buses at 3:00 pm. All buses leave by 3:10 pm. Parents picking up their children come to the front lot at 2:50 and students come out the front doors of the elementary; enter cars and leave parking lot. Transportation Policy Van Buren Schools provides transportation for all students that live outside the Village of Van Buren limits. Safety/Support Polices No crossing guards are provided. One signalized intersection is provided at the school exit. No pedestrian crosswalks or signals are present. One crosswalk is provided in front of the middle school. School staff is present during arrivals and dismissals to aid students. Distance From School Approximately 10 percent of all students live within one mile of school.


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SECTION 7: BARRIERS TO ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION The school departure was observed on May 26, 2009 during the walking audit. Parents were able to pull into parking spaces in the lot because high school seniors were not in attendance on the day of observation. The normal queuing of vehicles on Main Street did not occur due to the available parking.

Bus Loop Parents Waiting Car Pick-up

Middle school bus riders must walk along the front of the high school building to get to the bus loop. There is no sidewalk along this portion of the building. Students walk in the drive area. Vehicles exiting the parking area also use this drive. The exit drive for the school parking lot is signalized. The signal operates pretimed during school hours. No pedestrian signals are provided. Parking is allowed on the southbound side of S. Main Street within the intersection area. A crosswalk can be found north of the signal in front of the middle school. Crosswalk signs are present, although legends and colors need to be updated to meet current OMUTCD code.

Signal at School Exit Kids Crossing at Middle School Main Street Crosswalk

Sidewalks were found on many of the village streets although the type and condition was found to vary. Sandstone sidewalks that have crumbled or broken were seen. It was reported that several areas where gaps were found may have old brick sidewalks that have been grown over with grass. Sidewalk width varies throughout the village with four to five feet being the norm. Residents are required to match adjacent walk widths


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when replacing or installing walks. A four foot minimum sidewalk is required per Village Ordinance.

Sidewalk in Good Condition Sidewalks in Poor Condition

The town square area has limited sidewalks. The southwest corner provides sidewalk along the western side of the square. The Post Office is located in this quadrant of the square. An ice cream shop and the museum are located in the northwest quadrant. The fire station can be found in the southeast quadrant. Parking is provided on all quadrants except the southeast. The parking areas operate one way with entering traffic on Market and exiting traffic on Main. Several crosswalks are provided. The SR 613/Main Street intersection is all-way stop controlled. Figure 5 shows the Town Square Aerial.

Figure 4-Town Square Aerial

MARKET ST

MAIN ST

4-WAY STOP


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On the day of the observation, elementary classes were observed walking from the ice cream shop back to the school campus. The elementary students walked along the west edge of the fire station lot because there is no sidewalk. After school, older students were also observed walking where sidewalk would normally be placed. Students did not cross at the provided crosswalk east of the intersection. Students crossed near the stop bars to take the shortest route.

Elementary Students NE Quadrant looking south NW Quadrant looking south

Streets with no sidewalk include: Maple, May, Elm, Main (north of Lincoln) and SR 613 (Market) west of Locust on the south side. Students walk along Elm Street where the buses enter and exit the school. Students also walk along Maple. The two main SR 613 (Market) crossing locations are at Maple and Elm. SR 613 is primarily an east-west route while in the village limits. The route curves between Elm and May streets. The students involved in the walking audit stated that they crossed at Maple because it was farther away from the curve. Students will cross at Elm to get to the newer subdivision. Students that cross at Elm have sight distances issues with parked cars and the curve. Walking audit participants were concerned with vehicle speeds especially in the westbound direction at the curve. An at-grade railroad crossing on SR 613 is located on the east side of the village. Track usage is estimated at over 50 trains per day. At the present time, students east of the railroad crossing are bussed. The parents that participated in the walking audit indicated that they encourage their students to cross where painted crosswalks are provided. They also instruct their children to avoid bad or missing sidewalk when possible.


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SECTION 8: CREATING SOLUTIONS AND COUNTERMEASURES The Van Buren School District does not bus students living within village limits. The majority of eligible walkers do walk to school, many with a parent or older sibling. The goal of the Van Buren Safe Routes to School Program is to provide a safer walking environment for those already walking and to get all village students to walk thus reducing the number of village resident family vehicles during dropoff and pickup. A comprehensive solutions strategy was developed consisting of a toolbox of general solutions along with benefits of each solution. Strategies were developed for each of the 5 E’s (Engineering, Encouragement, Education, Enforcement, and Evaluation). A general strategy list is shown below. Further detail can be found in the engineering report (Section 12-Supporting Documentation). The school needs to encourage and promote walking and biking in all kinds of weather. This will help reduce the number of parent vehicles dropping off and picking up. Reduction of parent vehicles will improve the air quality at each school building and help reduce congestion during dismissal. Engineering improvements may help reduce hazard bussing. Until additional school buildings are constructed in newer residential areas, many students will continue to be bussed due to distance. Strategies that allow bussed students to engage in walking to school are included. Law enforcement can quickly help change unsafe behaviors around school campuses. These changes will make walking and biking more attractive to students and parents will feel more comfortable allowing their students to walk or bike. Educational programs are most closely linked to encouragement programs although they are also complement enforcement and engineering. Engineering (Infrastructure)

• School Crosswalk Upgrades • School Zone Signage and Pavement Marking Upgrades • Pavement Marking Upgrades • Signal Upgrades • Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Installation • Improved Pedestrian/Railroad Crossings

Encouragement

• Walking School Bus – Team up students that live along a route to walk together. • Walk to School Days – Encourage all students to walk one day a week. • Walk and Park Days – Encourage families that drive to school to park at the town

square and walk to the school campus. Start monthly and work towards weekly to reduce parent vehicles at school.

• Remote Dropoff Days – Bus drops students at the town square and students walk with staff members to the building. Allows students that must be bussed to participate.


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• Walking or Mileage Club – Students earn a reward for miles walked during recess or after school.

• Ride to School Week – Encourage bike riding over a one week period. • Bike/Walk Scavenger Hunt

Enforcement

• School Zone and Speed Limit • Electronic Speed Measurement • No Parking Zones • Sidewalk Repair • Sidewalk Installation with New Development

Education

• Pedestrian and Bike Safety • Media Support • Safety Town • Safety Poster Contest

Evaluation

• Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts • Speed Data Collection


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SECTION 9: IMPROVEMENTS MAPPING Specific Countermeasures (Cost Estimate) With reference to the above solutions, below are specific countermeasures to help provide safer pedestrian and biking to/from Van Buren schools. Countermeasures are prioritized as short, long term or legislative based on safety, urgency, cost, and complexity. Short Term/High Priority ($244,000)

• S. Main Street (CR 220) – Install Flashing “20 MPH” School Signs. ($12,000) • S. Main/Walnut, E. Market/Maple and E, Market/Elm - Paint Enhanced

Crosswalks and provide crosswalk signage. ($10,500) • S. Main/School Drive – Install new traffic signal with pedestrian crosswalk and

countdown pedestrian signals. ($100,000) • Sidewalks (Repair or fill in gaps) – Install or repair sidewalks along S. Main Street

from the Town Square south to the school complex; Walnut Street between Main and Elm; Market Street between Ash and Elm. Install ADA compliant ramps where required. ($24,000)

• E. Market Street east of Elm - Advanced Pedestrian Warning Signs ($2,000) • School Campus Improvements – Implement parent pickup procedures to reduce

backup of vehicles onto Main Street. ($5,000) • Town Square – Install sidewalks in each direction to meet existing walk. Install

ADA compliant ramps where required. Paint Enhanced Crosswalks and provide crosswalk signage. ($25,000)

• Sidewalk Network – Install sidewalk along Elm from West Street to the School property. Install ADA compliant ramps where required. ($65,000)

• On Site Pickup/Dropoff Procedures – Buses use lane along front of school building to pickup students. Parents use current bus loop for pickup and exit via Elm. Use staff to provide safety between the two pickups sites. Use staff or law enforcement to prohibit parent entrance to the front parking lot.

Long Term/Low Priority (>$100,000)

• Sidewalk Network - Complete the sidewalk network within Village limits. Streets include May, Walnut, Market to Village limits, Main to Village limits. (> $100,000)

Figure 5 depicts all the noted countermeasures. Figure 6 shows a more detailed view of the Town Square improvements. Figure 7 shows a more detailed view of the School Signal installation.


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Figure 5 –Suggested Improvements


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Figure 6–Town Square Suggested Improvements


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Figure 7–School Campus Suggested Improvements


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SECTION 10: THE ACTION PLAN The Van Buren SRTS Task Force has developed an action plan that prioritizes the action items discussed in this plan. The Task Force evaluated the above projects and determined the list of priorities. The rating for prioritizing projects were based on proximity to school, greatest number of students utilizing improvements, the greatest safety impact, and the return on investment (ROI). The list was determined by utilizing the task forces’ visual observations, the walking audit, survey results, and the engineer’s recommendations.


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SECTION 11: PLAN ENDORSEMENTS The Van Buren Safe Routes to School Task Force consists of members of the community, City administration, school administration, and local law enforcement. The Village of Van Buren and the Van Buren School Administration have committed to being active partners in fulfilling the items addressed in the school travel plan. Their endorsement is indicated below:


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The Mayor of Van Buren and Safe Routes to School Task Force leader has also prepared a letter of endorsement as shown below:


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SECTION 12: SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION The documents in this section provide additional information including the Engineering Report, Parent Surveys, and Students Surveys.

van buren school travel plan july 31, 2009 · the village proper is approximately 0.2 square miles...

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