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Some Frederick County public schools this year will get new crosswalks and sidewalks. Others will receive new $500 bike racks, thanks to a recently awarded federal grant.

By the start of the new school year in August, all 49 middle and elementary schools in Frederick County will also be able to give out walking and biking maps indicating safe intersections, the placement of crossing guards, bike lanes and traffic lights. The intention is to encourage walking and biking to schools across Frederick County.

The $143,500 federal Safe Routes to School grant comes from the Maryland Highway Safety Office, and is a part of a nationwide effort to encourage students to walk and bike to school, enhance healthy lifestyles, improve air quality and ease traffic congestion around school areas, according to Doreen Bass, Frederick County Public Schools' grants coordinator.

The grant is a result of the federal 2005 Safe Routes to School Act, which provides money to states to create community-based Safe Routes to School programs.

Frederick County qualified for the grant in December. The system will use the money to promote safe walking programs throughout the system and start Safe Routes to School programs at seven county schools - Centerville, Hillcrest, Monocacy, Spring Ridge and Whittier elementary schools and Brunswick and Crestwood middle schools.

The schools were selected because they have the most walkers who are being driven to school, Bass said.

"If you increase the number of vehicles in a school, you increase the possibility of accidents," Bass said.

Grant funding will allow some schools to improve their infrastructure. Crestwood Middle School for example, will get a new crosswalk, while Brunswick Middle will be able to extend its sidewalks by 50 feet. The grant will also provide money for new variable speed limit signs at the two schools.

Each of the seven schools will also create a walking school bus – a program that allows adults to supervise a group of children as they walk or bike to school. Grant money will pay to hold one walking school bus training program in the county per year and certify at least five walking school bus trainers.

Starting in April, each of the seven schools will also hold bicycle rodeos for students and parents. The rodeos will take place after school and provide a fun way for students to learn about safe biking practices, Bass said.

Students can bring their bikes to the rodeos and have specialists determine if they are in safe condition – they can get their seats adjusted to an appropriate height, their tires pumped or their brakes checked.

"It is an event that promotes bicycle safety awareness in a fun way," Bass said.

The rodeos will be held in partnership with the Frederick County Health Department, which will provide a project coordinator to develop and oversee educational activities.

The Frederick County Health Department together with the Frederick County Division of Planning worked together with the school system last year when it first applied for the Safe Routes to School grant.

The money from the grant became available in January and some of the schools have already started preparing to put improvements in place.

Cathy Genove, assistant principal at Spring Ridge Elementary, said she believes the bike rodeos and the safe walking maps will help increase the number walkers and bikers at the school.

Last year, when the school was selected for the grant, Spring Ridge had 148 walkers, 10 bike riders and 111 students who lived within walking distance, but were driven to school.

The school staff now hopes to use the grant to increase the number of students who walk to school. Spring Ridge staff has already met with Bass, health department representatives and the school PTA president, who are now working to organize their first bike rodeo in late April, Genove said.

"I really like the bicycle safety component," she said. "We have a lot of students who could ride a bike to school."