Fully staffed drivers, expanded access and new routes
The Madison Metropolitan School District’s (MMSD) transportation team is ready to roll into the new school year. Not only are buses fully staffed by qualified and trained drivers, transportation access for more than 100 students has been expanded and 25 new transportation routes have been added in several areas around the city.
“We worked closely with First Student to ensure all of our buses were fully staffed because we know how important transportation is for our families,” said Scott Chehak, senior executive director of building services.
Expanding the amount of transportation routes available was determined following a comprehensive review using a new data-informed process for identifying areas where providing transportation access would increase safety.
“Our goal is to make sure we are making transportation decisions based on a clear and consistent assessment of the conditions students encounter on their way to school,” Chehak said. “This new process gives us a stronger analytical foundation for identifying areas where walking may present an unusual hazard and where transportation can provide an important additional layer of safety.”
Over the past year, MMSD, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Bike Fed, the City of Madison and Toole Design, has developed and begun implementing a more consistent approach to evaluating conditions along student walking routes. Together, the team considers factors including student age, traffic volume, crossing hazards and the availability of safety measures such as crossing guards.
“The City of Madison is dedicated to making our streets safer for all users, particularly students and their caregivers as they travel to and from school,” said Kevin Luecke, the City’s pedestrian and bicycle administrator. “We are glad to see MMSD proactively evaluating student travel safety and will continue to work collaboratively with MMSD to address traffic safety concerns for students.”
The new process builds on MMSD’s ongoing work with the City of Madison through the Safe Routes to School partnership. The district and city meet regularly to identify and address safety concerns and support efforts to make Madison’s streets safer and more accessible for students and the broader community.
“As Madison continues to grow, we know transportation and safe routes to school will require ongoing attention and collaboration,” Chehak said.
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Madison Metropolitan School District
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