MetroCOG presents Safe Routes refresh; district to consider formal adoption

Metro COG presented a refresh of the Safe Routes to School plan for Moorhead Area Public Schools on Jan. 13, 2025, describing site assessments, public engagement results and infrastructure and program recommendations intended to improve walking and biking safety for students.

Dan Farnsworth of Metro COG said the last district plan dated to 2009 and that the refresh covers elementary and middle schools, adding newly opened schools. Metro COG reported 138 online survey responses and 322 in‑person public engagement responses. Farnsworth said the principal barriers parents cited were traffic speeds and distance to school; intersection safety and weather also emerged as concerns.

Farnsworth highlighted site‑specific concerns, including 34th Street as a major barrier to walking and biking to Horizon Middle School and high‑speed traffic on 8th Street near Ellen Hopkins. He described recommendations that include raised intersections, improved curb ramps, relocating or consolidating parking lot entrances, and interim measures such as reflective rectangular flashing beacons (RRFBs). He said the district purchased an RRFB that the city will install in spring when ground conditions permit.

The plan also lists programmatic actions schools and parents could initiate—bike fleets for instruction, walking school buses, crossing‑guard support, safety campaigns and classroom education—and a table of potential funding sources and grants in Minnesota that partners could pursue.

Board members asked about local programs and grants. Farnsworth said Metro COG and the district can partner on grant applications and pointed to work with John Atkins, the city traffic engineer, on interim improvements. The board’s discussion closed with the district saying it will bring the plan to the board’s policy committee for official adoption and to use the report when applying for funding.