Safe Routes to School Palo Alto
 

Traffic Safety Representative (TSR) Information

What does a PTA Traffic Safety Rep (TSR) do anyway?

PTA Traffic Safety Representatives (TSRs) work to improve the safety of school commutes both at their schools and district wide. The TSRs work with the city and the school district to support traffic calming and reduced congestion near schools and on school commute routes. TSRs educate their school communities about safety and commute choices.

 

Each PTA Traffic Safety Representative defines the job differently. Some "reps" choose this job because of concerns about a particular "accident waiting to happen," others because of a desire to promote alternative commute choices to the automobile, and still others because of a commitment to improving traffic safety education in the PAUSD.

 

Some reps work alone, others recruit a school-level committee, and some are active on the district or city level. Time commitment varies from minimal to 10+ hours a month, but anyone willing to contribute at least 10-15 hours as needed over a school year should find that they can indeed make a difference.

Common elements of a PTA Traffic Safety Representative's job:

1. Serve as site point person on traffic safety issues, reducing congestion, and traffic safety education.

  • Work with principal, PTA and/or staff to resolve any site-level concerns (e.g., safe access to and circulation near the school; reducing car/bike or car/pedestrian conflicts) and to promote alternative commute choices (including carpooling).
  • Help promote traffic safety education for students and parents (see "Traffic Safety Education in the PAUSD" grade-level specifics; this may also include helping to educate parents via the PTA newsletter, school handbook or letters home about expected behavior in drop-off areas, how to fit bicycle helmets etc.
  • Help recruit other volunteers as needed (e.g. task force on a particular congestion problem, coordinator and volunteers for the 3rd grade bike program, parent liaison to the safety patrol, loading zone/parking lot monitor, or volunteers for the registration day safe biking promotion at middle schools)

2. Serve as the school's representative to the PTA Council Traffic Safety Committee

This group of 16 school representatives meets as needed to brainstorm about common problems, support each other's efforts, and decide on group action. Also, new representatives are oriented about ongoing PTA initiatives or district level task forces. Typically, meetings are early in the school year and at the spring PTA leadership training, plus one meeting in the winter to facilitate particular initiatives.

 

3. Represent school or PTA concerns as needed to the City/School Traffic Safety Committee or other school district or governmental groups.

Resources

There are a number of resources available to PTA Traffic Safety Representatives at our PAUSD schools.

 

The primary resource is the Safe Commute PTA site.  You will need a logon id and password to access the files and information stored on this valuable site.  You need to be a member of Palo Alto PTA and a part of the PTA Traffic Safety community to have access.  If you are outside this community, please explain in your email your questions and we can try to address your questions.

 

To learn more about PTA Traffic Safety, please contact: Penny Ellson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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