Welcome to the fall season and Back To School ! This season brings energy and hope but also a reminder to be extra vigilant as everyone is heading out the door and back on the roads. With thousands of students walking, biking, or rolling to school, it’s more important than ever that every driver slows down, stays alert, and respect our neighborhoods.
Here in Tigard, our Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program empowers families, schools, and the city to work together to encourage active travel by foot, bike, or scooter. The program supports schools with tools like barrier mapping, route suggestions, and age-appropriate education. Keeping our kids safe on our roads is important, which is why our education includes items like Pedestrian & Scooter Safety for second graders and Bike Safety for fifth graders, complete with free helmets.
Here are a few simple ways you can help keep kids safe:
- Drive safely: slow down in school zones and residential streets, watch for children crossing, biking, or walking, even outside of school hours.
- Be alert around bus stops and school buses: watch for children waiting at bus stops, crossing the street to board, or stepping off the bus. Always stop when bus lights are flashing red and the stop arm is extended. It’s the law and it keeps kids safe.
- Use active mode options: consider walking or biking with your child or joining a walking school bus or bike-bus to school.
- Get involved: learn more, share feedback, or volunteer as a Parent Champion through our SRTS program to support events and encourage active travel in your school community.
You can find more information about our Safe Routes to School program by visiting our Safe Routes to School website here: www.tigard-or.gov/srts.
Summer Construction & Safety Improvements Update
As part of our commitment to making Tigard a more walkable and accessible community, I’m excited to share progress on improvements near SW Murdock Street and around Templeton and Twality schools. These projects are designed to make it easier and safer for our students to walk, bike, and roll to class:
- On Murdock Street, crews are building a 6-foot-wide pathway and bike lane between 96th and 97th Avenue.
- From 97th to 103rd Avenue, a new shared-use path will extend the corridor.
- Across from 103rd, a path through East Butte Heritage Park will connect to the end of Murdock near 106th Avenue.
Altogether, these projects will create a continuous half mile of new improvements that directly benefit students and neighbors alike.
In addition, we are filling critical sidewalk gaps along SW Sattler Street near SW 96th Avenue, and along SW McDonald Street, SW Omara Street, and SW 98th Avenue. Protected crossings will also be installed at Sattler and 96th, as well as McDonald and 98th. Together, these upgrades create a safer, more complete network for students traveling to the neighboring schools.
I ask everyone to please use extra caution when traveling near these construction areas. Work is expected to be completed by the end of October, and when finished, it will be another big step toward delivering on our promise of safe, connected routes to school for all children in Tigard.
Building a More Walkable, Accessible Tigard
These improvements are part of Tigard’s broader Complete Streets Policy, adopted by City Council in 2019. This ensures that every project considers the needs of all users whether walking, biking, rolling, riding transit, or driving. From sidewalks and bike lanes to ADA ramps and lighting, we’re designing streets that serve everyone safely and comfortably.
As we move into fall, our investments in safer streets, walking routes, and traffic calming will continue to make Tigard a healthier, more connected, and more walkable city. Together—with drivers, parents, students, school staff, and city planners—we can ensure every child reaches school safely and every neighborhood becomes more livable.
Thank you all for staying alert and engaged on our roads. Here’s to a successful school year and to building a Tigard where walking and rolling are easy, safe, and welcomed by all!
