While classrooms across the state sit quiet and school buses are parked for the season, the work of ensuring our students have access to safe, active, and healthy commutes never takes a vacation. For parents, school administrators, and municipal partners, summer break is often viewed as a time to step away from the school routine. At Safe Routes Utah we see it differently. Summer is the ultimate strategic window. Without the daily rush of morning schedules and congested drop-off lanes, we have a unique, lower-stress opportunity to evaluate infrastructure, reinforce important safety habits, and plan community programs.
This article will walk you step-by-step through ways to maximize the summer months so that students can walk, bike, and roll safely come the first day of school.
1. Engineering & Evaluation: The Summer Infrastructure Window
Summer is the peak season for public works and transportation departments. With schools sitting vacant, municipal crews can capitalize on lower traffic volumes to make roadway upgrades with less of an impact on daily commutes.
Conduct a Summer Walk/Bike Audit
Empty streets also offer the perfect environment to conduct a clear-eyed safety assessment. We encourage local school safety committees, parent groups, and city engineers to walk or bike their local school routes this month, and keep a checklist of the following:
Sidewalk Continuity: Do sidewalks abruptly end, forcing pedestrians onto the shoulder? Are bushes or tree branches obstructing the path?
Visibility: Are crosswalk markings faded? Are stop signs or school zone warning lights obscured by trees or buildings?
Drop-Off Logistics: For school administrators, now is the perfect time to review your campus circulation plan. Can the physical layout of your drop-off and pick-up zones be reconfigured to better separate vehicles from young pedestrians?
If you identify broken sidewalks, missing signage, or hazardous intersections during your summer audit, don’t wait until August. Contact your local public works department now so repairs can be scheduled and completed before the back-to-school rush.
2. Education: Keeping Safety Skills Sharp in the Sunshine
Pedestrian and bicycle safety skills are like muscles, they require regular exercise to stay strong. Relaxed summer days are ideal for casual, low-pressure skill-building.
Leverage Summer Camps and Parks programs
Find opportunities to partner with local Parks and Recreation departments and summer camps across the state to integrate active transportation safety into their programming. If you are a camp counselor or recreation leader, consider using an empty school parking lot or playground area to set up a “Bike Rodeo” or skills course, a fun, structured activity where kids can practice balancing, signaling, and stopping.
The Backyard Safety Essentials
Parents can also weave safety lessons into evening neighborhood walks. Teach children to stop at the curb, look left, look right, and look left again before crossing. Remind them to keep looking as they cross. Remind kids to make eye contact. Just because a pedestrian signal says “Walk” doesn’t mean that drivers see you. Teach kids to make direct eye contact with drivers before stepping into a crosswalk.To encourage physical safety, check your child’s helmet fit before they head out on a bike, scooter, or skateboard. It should sit level on the head, two fingers above the eyebrows. The straps should form a clean “V” just under the ears, and when buckled, no more than two fingers should fit between the strap and the chin.
3. Engagement & Equity: Building the Network
A safe route is built on more than just concrete and paint; it relies on human connection and community. True transportation safety requires a commitment to equity, ensuring that resources reach the areas of your community that need them most.
Prioritizing High-Need Neighborhoods
UDOT focuses state and federal grant funding on historically underserved communities and neighborhoods where traffic volumes are often higher and sidewalk infrastructure may be lacking. Safe Routes Utah provides resources and outreach materials to help schools conduct culturally accessible outreach, identify needs, and plan localized safety improvements.
Mobilize Your Neighborhood “Walking School Bus”
Summer group chats and neighborhood block parties are the perfect venues to organize a Walking School Bus or Bike Train for the upcoming school year. A Walking School Bus is simple. A group of children walk to school together under the supervision of one or more adult volunteers, who pick up “passengers” at designated stops along the way. Use the summer break to map out a designated route, establish an alternating schedule among neighborhood parents, and you will have a stress-free morning routine ready to go for Fall.
4. Encouragement: Looking Ahead to International Walk to School Day
It may seem crazy to think about October when summer has not even started, but successful events require early groundwork. Walk to School Day is one of our biggest events of the year, celebrating health, community, and active transportation. School principals, PTA champions, and local coordinators should begin planning their October events during July and August.
Safe Routes Utah has a fully stocked inventory for the season! Local representatives can reach out to request free educational banners, student safety reflectors, social media toolkits, and other resources. Requesting items early ensures your materials arrive before the back-to-school rush.
Safety is a Year-Round Commitment
Creating a safer state for our children is not a switch we flip on the first day of school. It is the result of continuous, proactive planning. By investing a few mornings this summer on infrastructure audits, skill-building, and getting your neighborhoods organized, we can ensure that our students return to a safer, healthier environment this fall. Let’s work together to make the upcoming school year the safest one yet.