The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is currently focusing attention on these issues through its Precious Cargo Program. Precious Cargo allows TxDOT staff to review school site plans and make recommendations before they are built. Since the program's inception, more than 180 schools in 70 various school districts statewide have seen traffic safety improvements around their schools or future school sites.

This report contains the recommended school site planning guidelines for transportation-related elements such as site selection, general site requirements and design, bus operations, parent drop-off/pick-up zone, driveways, turn lanes, signing and marking, parking, and pedestrian and bicycle access. The research team based these guidelines on a comprehensive review of existing guidelines and the results of field studies at school sites in Texas. The report provides examples of good practices and also examples of practices to avoid for many of the more prominent guidelines. The guidelines are focused on transportation design, operations and safety within school sites--with a particular focus on the parent and bus drop-off/pick-up zones. The final chapter of the report contains a site plan review checklist that TxDOT engineers, field crews, architects, and school district personnel can use to coordinate efforts and make sure that school access is safe and efficient.

This study identifies transportation safety and operational issues at existing elementary and middle school sites in Iowa. The study team made site visits, collected data, and interviewed schools, law enforcement, and traffic engineers. The study identified common problems and solutions to address these issues. This toolbox was written and designed for technical and non-technical users, including traffic engineers, school officials, law enforcement, parents, teaching organizations, and others who are involved in managing traffic operations and safety around school zones. This research primarily focuses on the traffic safety and operation strategies for existing urban elementary and middle schools, but many of the solutions are appropriatefor consideration in planning for high schools.