FORT WASHINGTON, Md. (BRAIN) — Safe Routes to School, a nonprofit organization that encourages the development of safe biking and walking routes to schools, is replacing the word "enforcement" with "engagement" in its framework list of 6E's.
The group said it has "struggled with the Enforcement E for some time."
"As part of the addition of Equity several years ago, the Safe Routes Partnership refocused the Enforcement E on community approaches to safety, understanding the deep issues that exist in many communities with law enforcement. While we have shifted our communications and guidance away from promoting police as a critical part of traffic safety initiatives, helped highlight the inequitable impacts of law enforcement on people of color, and promoted traffic and public safety strategies that do not involve police, we now know that that is not enough."
Safe Routes to School sees itself as "a community-driven initiative with support from teachers, parents, extended families, school administrators, transportation professionals, and many, many, more." Its supporters include PeopleForBikes, the League of American Bicyclists, the Rails to Trails Conservancy and the NAACP, among other groups.
The group's 6E's are now:
- Engagement
- Equity
- Engineering
- Encouragement
- Education
- Evaluation
