The Mariposa County Unified School District wants to make getting to and from school safer for its students and for the community. The district is applying for grant funding from the Safe Routes to School program.

In August 2005, the Federal aid Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was created by Section 1404 of the federal transportation bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users Act (SAFETEA-LU). The federal SRTS Program is managed and administered by each state department of transportation (DOT), with funding allotted annually to each state in conjunction with Federal aid highway apportionments.

MCUSD is working with the Mariposa County Public Works Department to secure the funding of about $500,000 to make some drastic improvements in and around school drop off points and heavily congested areas. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs aim to make walking and bicycling to school a safe and appealing form of transportation.

The district’s Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation, Bob Morse, said the district tried to get some of the funds about three or four years ago, but couldn’t. This time, he has asked for support from the board, parent/teacher groups and the community. The grant was submitted to the state this week.

Morse hopes to do a number of things with the funds, including making Jones Street one way from Sixth to Seventh Street. One lane would be used for travel, and the other used for drop off and pick up of students at Mariposa Elementary School.

Also at MES, Morse hopes to institute “platooning” where there is a designated staging area and a separate drop-off area. The concept is already in place at Woodland Elementary School, and sixth grade students help facilitate smooth travel. Morse also plans for sidewalks, paving and signage along the dropoff and pick-up area.

At Woodland, Morse wants to continue sidewalks to connect the upper parking lot to the lower parking lot and place sidewalks across the street at the county park, where many students are dropped off by parents. In addition, the funding would be used to create a crosswalk from the park to the school.

Likely the most visible project would not be at a school site. MCUSD wants to upgrade the crosswalk at Highway 140 and Eighth Street, making it a lit path with flashing lights in the street that illuminiate the crosswalk paths and warns approaching drivers. This is a particularly difficult area to navigate at lunch time when high school students head off campus to eat.