City, Vision 2020 to share bike/walk path plan

Published 11:00 am Sunday, March 16, 2014

Austin students may soon have a safer time getting to school after city officials and Vision 2020 organizers share the draft of a Safe Routes to Schools plan at a community meeting Monday.

The plan, which will highlight ways Austin can make walking and biking paths safer for students to use, is part of a collaboration between local volunteers and engineers from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

“The MnDOT team are experts, but only Austin knows Austin in those particular ways,” said Vision 2020 Director of Vision Creation Laura Helle.

Email newsletter signup

Officials will share ways Austin can improve walking and biking for all schools at the meeting, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. inside I.J. Holton Intermediate School’s cafeteria.

Helle said some of the solutions could include city infrastructure changes, more bike safety programs at school, different curbing at various areas in the city and more.

Officials are still working on the plan and will seek input from parents, teachers and community members. The final report will be released in May, according to Helle.

“A few years down the road we’re going to notice healthier kids, more kids out on bikes and walking, and less congestion around 3 p.m. at the schools, which I think everybody is in favor of,” Helle said.