Safe Routes to School

The City’s Safe Routes to School Program aims to create safe, convenient, and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk to and from schools. The goal is to reverse the decline in children walking and bicycling to schools, increase kids’ safety and reverse the alarming nationwide trend toward childhood obesity and inactivity.

The program is organized by a Safe Routes to School Coordinator, who  works with Charlottesville City Schools to teach K-8 students about safe, active transportation. 

Looking for a safe walking route to your child’s school? Check out our Safe Routes to School Maps.

Safe Routes to School Maps

  1. Safe Routes to School Map -Buford
  2. Safe Routes to School Map -BurnleyMoran
  3. Safe Routes to School Map -Clark
  4. Safe Routes to School Map-Greenbrier
  5. Safe Routes to School Map-JacksonVia
  6. Safe Routes to School Map -Johnson
  7. Safe Routes to School Map -Venable
  8. Safe Routes to School Map-WalkerUpper

Planning Activities

The Charlottesville Activities and Programs Plan is a thorough look at the context in which students currently bike or walk to school, and how they could do so in the future. The plan’s vision for fun, safe, and active travel to school was developed with the ideas and experience of citizens, educators, school administrators, health experts, and bicycling and pedestrian advocates. The plan has been endorsed by the City Council and Charlottesville School Board, and received final approval from the Virginia Department of Transportation. In July 2016, the City was awarded a grant to hire a  Safe Routes to School Coordinator to implement the many activities and programs envisioned in the plan.

Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Projects

Using state funds awarded as part of Virginia’s Safe Routes to School program, Charlottesville has been working to improve the safety of walking and bicycling to school by providing and enhancing sidewalks, crosswalks, pedestrian signals, bike lanes, bike racks, and other multi-modal facilities near its schools, including Jackson-Via Elementary, Clark Elementary, Walker Upper Elementary, Burnley-Moran Elementary, Venable Elementary, and Buford Middle School.