South Fortuna Elementary Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Project

The City of Fortuna received an Active Transportation Program Cycle 2 grant to address the need for safety improvements at  South Fortuna Elementary School. This project, which began in the fall/winter of 2018, was designed to benefit students attending South Fortuna Elementary School (SFES) as well as Fortuna Middle School students who walk and bike to the bus stop at SFES to catch the bus to the middle school. Infrastructure improvements made possible by this project are estimated to be installed in mid to late 2020 and will benefit the entire community by improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety and encouraging active modes of transportation by connecting Lawndale Drive (which currently has no existing pedestrian or bicycle facilities) to Newburg Road which connects to South Fortuna Boulevard. The arrival/dismissal area at South Fortuna Elementary has also been unsafe for children and parents dropping of their children for many years as drivers ignore or misunderstand the traffic signs and markings to effectively drop off their children. The circulation of the arrival and dismissal area is being redesigned and RCAA will be developing an arrival and dismissal map with clear procedures to make the improvements even easier to utilize. RCAA is also leading pedestrian and bicycle safety education and Walk and Roll Events at South Fortuna Elementary to provide students with the skills they need to be safe while helping parents/caregivers feel more comfortable allowing their children to walk or bike to school.