Stow Updates School Travel Plan to Make Routes Safer for Students

STOW— The City of Stow displayed its updated Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Travel Plan at a community open house this week. Posters summarized recommendations for sidewalk gaps, crosswalks, signage, and education programs near Stow-Munroe Falls schools and Holy Family School.

“The whole intent and purpose of the plan is to promote safe walking and biking to school,” said Zach Cowan, Stow’s director of planning and development. 

The SRTS program is part of a larger Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) initiative to support communities invest in safe, accessible travel for K-12 students. An up-to-date School Travel Plan is required to apply for many pedestrian-safety grants. 

“By state requirements, we have to update this plan every five years,” Cowan said. “The last time we updated was in 2010, so we have to do it to stay eligible for funding.” 

Deputy Planning Director Sarah McGinnis said the update expands eligibility compared with past plans: high school campuses and Holy Family School are now included, in addition to elementary schools, broadening the scope of potential projects. 

“The goal is to improve safety for students walking and biking, improve mental and physical health, and make sure that everybody has the equal opportunity yo walk and ike to school if they choose,” McGinnis said. 

A steering committee of city staff, school leaders, and parents began work in January, The city conducted walk audits at each target school during dismissal times last spring to observe real-time conditions. Officials also circulated a public survey over winter and spring, gathering 48 responses from parents, principles, teachers, and community members. Those inputs were paired with crash data requested from police to help prioritize recommendations. 

“We had great engagement on our surveys,” McGinnis said. “All of our principals participated, and that feedback led directly to our recommendations.

City Engineer Michael Jones added, “When we look at recommendations, we review crash data that we get through our police department. Our goal is just to find those missing links that can help get kids to their school safely.”

Officials and residents identified common issues near several schools: gaps in neighborhood sidewalks, limited crosswalk markings, and inconsistent signage- concerns that intensify during winter.

“A lot of gaps in sidewalks, especially around neighborhoods, lack of proper signage, and missing crosswalks, just basic things that we can do to make those improvements,” Cowan said.

Once submitted and accepted by ODOT, the plan positions Stow to seek up to $1 million in infrastructure reimbursements for projects within two miles of schools, plus up to $60,000 for non-infrastructure items such as student safety education and bike/walk programming.

“In order to get the funding dollars, we have to have this plan put together,” McGinnis said. “If you don’t have one, you’re not eligible.”

The school travel plan is designed to dovetail with Stow’s broader connectivity plan, which maps missing links for sidewalks and trails citywide.

“This plan works in conjunction with our citywide connectivity plan,” Jones said. “We take the recommendations from Safe Routes to School and look at how we can link neighborhoods and bike trails so students have a safe option to walk or ride.”

McGinnis said an equity analysis is what helped inform priorities. “We looked at factors like homeownership, income, and access. The idea is to make sure everyone has the same opportunity to walk or bike safely.”

The plan outlines quick-build fixes like repainting crosswalks and adding signage, along with longer-term projects such as new sidewalk segments and trail extensions. Because funding is competitive and annual budgets are limited, implementation will be phased.

“It’ll just be ongoing,” McGinnis said. “Realistically, 10 to 15 years. We can only allocate so much money every year to make all these improvements.”

The city will finalize and submit the plan to ODOT this fall, then begin applying for project funding in 2026. Officials emphasized that community input will remain part of the process as concepts move into design and construction.

“Whether it’s kids getting to school or residents getting around town, the goal is the same—safe, continuous pathways that link people to where they need to go,” Jones said. “The more infrastructure is in place and the better our education programs are, the more people will hopefully choose to walk,” McGinnis added.