Safe Route: Phase Three

In October 2010, the City of Ranson was awarded a third Safe Routes to School Grant for $100,000. With the awards of the city's first two grants (Phases One and Two) through the Safe Routes to School Program, the City of Ranson and Ranson Elementary are encouraging students to walk to school and are making that walk safer.

With the award of this next grant (Phase Three), we hope to build upon those successes by constructing additional handicapped-accessible sidewalks and improvements to provide a safe pedestrian walkway and bicycle route from the guarded cross-walk at Seventh Avenue toward the school.
Safe Routes to School
Development Plans
Specifically Phase 3 of the Project will include the following:
  • Contract a licensed engineer to produce construction plans of the sidewalks, which are described in the next bullet item, for approval by the West Virginia Division of Highways.
  • Construct approximately 1200 linear feet of five foot wide concrete sidewalks that are handicapped-accessible, with appropriate ADA curb cuts and detectable warning devices (truncated domes), within the street right-of-way along the south side of Seventeenth Avenue from the guarded crosswalk at the intersection of West Virginia Route 115 to Preston Street and along the west side of Preston Street from Seventh Avenue to Beltline Avenue.
  • Designate pedestrian cross-walks with painted, pavement striping at the guarded cross-walk on West Virginia Route 115 and on the west side of Preston Street at the Seventh Avenue and Beltline Avenue intersections.
Safety Awards
Furthermore, Ranson Crossing Guards will sponsor a Safe Parent Award to parents who consistently demonstrate and promote safety rules while picking up or dropping off students at Ranson Elementary (walking and/or driving method accepted). Recognition will be made at the monthly Ranson Education Association Meetings.

The Ranson Safety Patrol will promote the Catch'em Being Safe Award to recognize students who are observed following the safe route guideline when walking or bicycling to and from school. Modest incentives will be purchased and distributed to encourage safe transportation practices. Incentives may include:
  • Balloons
  • Banners
  • Certificates
  • Chalk
  • Colored pencils
  • Fluorescent zipper pulls
  • Frisbees
  • Highlighters
  • Maps
  • Markers
  • Pedometers
  • Pencils
  • Pens
  • Posters
  • Slap bracelets
  • Stickers
  • T-shirts
  • Wash-off tattoos
  • Water bottles
These awards and incentives will serve as motivation for more students and parents to adopt safe practices when walking or bicycling to school. As more sidewalks are constructed, providing a safer walkway, students will want to walk or bicycle so that they might receive recognition. Having more students travel to school by walking or bicycling will help encourage a healthy and active lifestyle.