Providing leadership, coordination and focus for the citywide Child Pedestrian Safety Task Force.

Growing out of our work with local schools in the SR25 initiative, the task force’s initial impetus was to review and update policies and warrants related to child pedestrian issues surrounding schools. It also served to inform the city council about key issues and advocated for the dedication of a capital improvement fund for small-scale improvements and matching dollars for state and federal funding. Today, the task force reviews data and establishes priority schools for the next cycle of Safe Routes to School funding. One emerging priority is to find funding to conduct an audit of all 300+ elementary schools in the San Diego Unified School District and to ensure that each school has designated Safe Routes to School and communicated the routes to parents. The other major priority is to determine which schools will be submitted for state capital safety improvements. Last year’s proposal was approved for Central Elementary, which will support pedestrian safety improvements around the school and some of our educational outreach.