School Area Safety Program

The SFMTA's School Area Safety Program (part of the Transportation Engineering/ Livable Streets SubDivisions) strives to make streets near San Francisco’s public and private schools safer for walking, bicycling and public transportation. We work collaboratively with schools to develop creative solutions for school-related traffic concerns.

Engineering & Safety

The School Area Safety Program coordinates with other city departments and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) to provide adult crossing guards, traffic enforcement, school crosswalks, school warning signage, and school bus and passenger loading zones. The School Area Safety Program also leverages regional, state and federal Safe Routes to School grant funds to make safety-focused infrastructure improvements near schools such as curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands, and traffic signals.

Education & Encouragement

The School Area Safety Program also provides services to educate students, parents/guardians, and school staff on pedestrian and traffic safety.We also want to encourage students to walk and bike to school to better their health and protect the environment. In collaboration with the San Francisco Safe Routes to School Partnership, we meet with school principals to arrange presentations to parent teacher associations (PTAs) and school site councils to discuss these issues. Educational and encouragement materials we provide schools include informational brochures, Walk to School Day toolkits, Bike to School Day toolkits and classroom activities.

Since its inception in California in 1999, SFMTA is a proud sponsor in San Francisco’s annual Walk to School Day. Held the first week in October, this event promotes good health, safety, physical activity, and concern for the environment by encouraging travel to and from school by foot, bicycle, and on public transportation.

In 2009, the SFMTA sponsored the 1st Annual Bike to School Day event in San Francisco. This now annual event is usually held in Spring and helps promote safe bicycling for children and their families to school. It also gives children and families a chance to try bicycling to school on this special day.

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