Wanted: your SRTS input
Dear TES and TMS families,
City of Talent was recently awarded Safe Routes to School (SRTS) planning assistance from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). Through this program, staff from City, Phoenix-Talent School District, Jackson County, and ODOT are working together to create an SRTS Plan that identifies street improvements near Talent Elementary School and Talent Middle School to support students and families in walking and biking to school safely. The SRTS Plan will also recommend opportunities for education and engagement to promote walking and biking to school. Planners from Alta Planning + Design, an active transportation consulting firm, are guiding the planning process.
This spring, the project team will identify and prioritize safety needs within a mile of the schools. Then, the team will identify SRTS construction, education, and engagement recommendations and complete the SRTS Plan. This will also include a project team visit to the community and a walk audit to observe student arrival and dismissal. During this visit, the team and community members will document the walking and biking conditions around the school area.
There are three ways to participate:
1) Join us for a school walk audit on April 13th, from 1:45 to 4:15 p.m. On April 13, the project team will host a joint walk audit for both Talent Elementary School and Talent Middle School to document the walking and biking conditions around these two schools. This will be an afternoon session to observe students’ dismissal. Please meet the team at Talent Elementary’s Parking Lot near the gate to the field and gym and look for the yellow vests.
We will start with Talent Elementary school at 1:45 p.m. and will then walk to Talent Middle School at 2:30 p.m. to observe both dismissals.
2) Attend a community meeting to share your ideas on April 12. The project team will be hosting a meeting to introduce the project and gather feedback from community members. Join us on April 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Talent Elementary School’s Library.
3) Share feedback using our interactive online map. Tell us about your experiences getting to and from school using our interactive online map. Your feedback will inform where we should prioritize safety improvements. By sharing your feedback, you’ll also be entered to win a walking or rolling safety pack ($50 value).
Link to the online map: http://odotsrtsprojectid.com/
