Focus Area: Transportation

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL

Every kid deserves a safe walk to school.

Thousands of Fresno County kids walk to school past broken sidewalks, faded crosswalks and speeding traffic. Parents, teachers and neighbors know it. Together, we’re changing it.

#OneHealthyFresno

Get Involved → See Our Work →

The walk to school shouldn’t be the most dangerous part of the day

13

Fatal pedestrian collisions involving school-age kids in the city of Fresno, 2012–2016

78

Pedestrian injury collisions involving school-age kids over the same years

57

Bike collisions that killed or injured school-age riders, 2012–2016

3

Pedestrian deaths within a half mile of Yosemite Middle School, 2017–2021

In 2025, Smart Growth America ranked Fresno the 7th most dangerous city in the country for walking and biking.

Faded crosswalks Speeding traffic Crossings with no signal Unpaved or blocked sidewalks Overgrown brush and vacant lots Double-parking at drop-off Signals too short to cross Unprotected rail crossings

Sources: 2018 Fresno Safe Routes to School Action Plan;
2023 Southeast Fresno walk-safety workshop report (California Walks and UC Berkeley SafeTREC);
Streetsblog California. 

OUR WORK

From the curb to the ballot box

Our coalition network represents more than 97,000 Fresno County residents. Here’s where we’re pushing for safer school routes over the next year.

FALL 2026

Ballot Advocacy

We’re mobilizing support and educating voters on the school-safety requirements in Measure S, alongside our partners in the Transportation for All coalition.

How: community education and voter mobilization

NOVEMBER 2026

Regional Funding

The Active Transportation Program (ATP) is California’s primary funding source for sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and Safe Routes to School. We’re pushing Fresno County cities to apply, so projects near our schools will be in the running.

  • Regional ATP applications are due to Fresno COG on November 18, 2026
  • By law, at least 25% of ATP funds must benefit disadvantaged communities

How: pushing municipalities to submit grant applications

SPRING 2027

Budget and Selection

Applying is only half the fight. We’ll testify at Fresno COG hearings as projects are scored and ranked, so school-route projects in our neighborhoods make the final list.

  • Fresno COG scores regional projects in January 2027, and its Policy Board acts in February (tentative dates)
  • Final regional ATP project adoption: June 2027

How: public testimony at Fresno COG hearings

ONGOING 2026-2027

Neighborhood Safety

We use the city’s FresGO app to request School Area Team sweeps, the code enforcement work that clears overgrown brush, blocked sidewalks and vacant-property hazards that push kids into the street.

  • We work alongside parents and volunteer groups who serve as crossing guards at Fresno Unified schools

How: FresGO requests and support for parent crossing guards

Where We’ve Shown Up

Building on years of work

2023

Mapping danger around Southeast Fresno schools

We served on the planning committee for a community walk-safety workshop with California Walks, UC Berkeley SafeTREC and Cultiva La Salud. Residents walked the streets around Yosemite Middle School and Mayfair Elementary and called for:

  • A pedestrian beacon at Cedar Avenue and Hedges Avenue
  • A protected left-turn signal at 9th Street and East Olive Avenue, where left-turning drivers hit three students
  • Crossing gates at the East Floradora Avenue rail crossing
  • Safe Routes to School in Fresno’s Vision Zero Action Plan

Early 2026

Shaping Fresno’s Active Transportation

We weighed in on the City of Fresno’s draft 2026 Active Transportation Plan, the first update since 2017. It maps the city’s walking and biking network for decades to come, including:

  • Sidewalk gap closures and safer crossings
  • Safe Routes to School improvements near campuses
  • Protected bikeways and trails
  • Investment focused on the neighborhoods with the most need

Every school day

Standing with parent crossing guards

At Fresno Unified schools, parents and volunteers step into the street every morning and afternoon so kids can cross safely. We work alongside them, because they see what needs fixing first.

Measure S • Nov , 2026

What Measure S would do for school routes

Measure S is a countywide half-cent transportation sales tax that would replace Measure c when it expires in June 2027. Fresno BHC supports Measure S. Here are its school-safety provisions

150+

Safe Routes to School Projects

Within one mile of schools and built with local school districts: safer crosswalks, speed humps, signal upgrades and lower school-zone speed limits.

$0

Bus fares for students

Free transit for students and children, plus seniors, veterans and people with disabilities. 25% of annual revenue goes to public transit.

120 mi

Separated and protected bikeways

New Class I paths and Class IV cycle tracks across the county, with funding to maintain them.

12–15%

For overlooked communities

Of the County’s local funds, set aside for disadvantaged unincorporated communities: sidewalks, lighting, paving and safety upgrades.

GET INVOLVED • PARTICIPATE

Our voices are our power

You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to know the route your kids take every day.

Learn what’s on your ballot

Join a nonpartisan ballot overview workshop, October 15–31. Bring your voter guide and ballot, and we’ll go through it together.

Report a hazard

See a faded crosswalk, a blocked sidewalk or an overgrown path near a school? Report it in the FresGO app or call 311 and ask for a School Area Team sweep.

Help kids cross

Parents and volunteers serve as crossing guards at Fresno Unified schools. Contact us to connect with a volunteer group near your school.

Testify for school projects

This winter and spring, Fresno COG will decide which walking and biking projects get regional ATP money. Come with us and speak up for the projects near your school.

Show up at City Hall

Attend Fresno’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee meetings and speak up for the routes your kids use.

Bring a young leader

Our paid Youth Internship Program welcomes Fresno County high school students each spring.

CALL

(559) 256-8722

EMAIL

marketing@fresnobhc.org

VISIT

367 N First St, Fresno, CA 93702

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  • PO Box 7694
    Fresno CA 93747

  • (559) 256-8722

  • marketing@fresnobhc.org

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  • 367 N First St
    Fresno CA 93702

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