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Murch is a national leader in the growing effort to encourage pedestrian safety and walkable communities. In September 2008, Murch was selected as one of 12 schools in DC to get a technical assistance grant from the DC Department of Transportation. Then in October 2009, Murch was awarded the National Oberstar Award for the best Safe Routes to School Program in the country. (See the article in The Northwest Current and read more about our case study.) 

The DC Safe Routes to School Program focuses on five areas:

1. Education – educating drivers and students about pedestrian and bicycle safety and the rules of the road
2. Encouragement – creating activities that make it fun to walk or bike school
3. Enforcement – working with police to enforce traffic laws near the school
4. Engineering – making changes to streets and sidewalks to increase safety of walking and biking to school
5. Evaluation – checking to see how the program is working

There are many ways you can be a part of Murch's Safe Routes to School program:

1. School Safety Patrol: Students help with the quick drop off locations on Davenport and Ellicott streets to ensure that students safely get to school. Students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade are encouraged to apply, and parent monitors are always needed. Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
   • Sign up now to be a patroller or parent volunteer.
2. Bike to School: We encourage students to bike to school following the same rules as pedestrians. Students can park and lock their bikes at Murch's bike rack, near the Davenport entrance.
3. Participate in Trainings: Once a year, the Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA) holds bicycle and pedestrian trainings for Murch students.
4. Check out the Action Plan: As part of the Safe Routes to School effort, we polled parents to ask them why their kids did not walk or bike to school. The primary barriers cited were: a lack of sidewalks; inconsistent crossing guards; short timing of lights and speeding traffic. With the Safe Routes to School federal funding and working with DDOT, Murch requested numerous sidewalks within the boundaries of Murch which were constructed on Davenport, Linnean and Albermarle streets. More interventions were suggested in the full action plan.
5. Join Connecticut Avenue Pedestrian Action: Murch started working with IONA senior services to create a coalition of residents that want to make Connecticut Avenue safer for pedestrians. The coalition includes local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANC), community activists, senior organizations, Oyster Elementary School and DC Councilmember Mary Cheh's office. CAPA's mission is to work with the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) to develop an integrated pedestrian plan for Connecticut Avenue that addresses barriers such as speeding traffic, short walking signals, poorly placed bus shelters and lack of pedestrian signals. Based on a pedestrian audit conducted by CAPA, the group is working with DDOT and the City Council to identify local and federal funds to implement a plan. Click here to join CAPA.