This year, Local Motion worked with thousands of Vermonters to build a culture—and environment—where safety comes first. With support from the Agency of Transportation's Vermont State Highway Safety Office, we:
- Taught 10,173 youth hands-on bike safety through Bike Smart and reached over 10,559 students
- Delivered 55,547 hours of safety training
- Provided for free 1,489 safety tools including helmets and lights
- Supported 32 communities with walk/bike technical assistance, supporting local safety improvements and infrastructure planning
- Helped more than 7 towns implement new safety projects
Local Motion advanced Vermont’s commitment to safer streets and stronger communities through hands-on education, engagement, and technical assistance. With support from the Vermont State Highway Safety Office, we equipped thousands of Vermonters—especially youth and vulnerable road users—with the skills, confidence, and tools to travel safely by bike and on foot. Our programs not only changed behavior but also helped communities make lasting improvements to infrastructure and culture that protect all road users.
Keep reading to learn What these programs are, How we implement these programs, Who is affected by our programs, and When and Where our programs took place.
What
Local Motion implemented a comprehensive suite of safety education, engagement, and technical assistance strategies designed to build lasting safety habits and community capacity. Each program, including Bike Smart, Safe Routes to School, Education and Awareness, and Technical Assistance, complemented the others to reinforce safe behavior, encourage mode shift, and strengthen local infrastructure planning. Together, these activities created a holistic, behavior-based approach to reducing risk for Vermont’s most vulnerable road users.
Safe Routes to School:
- While general SRTS events were not part of our FY25 scope of work, 41 schools and organizations engaged in SRTS incentive-based programming reaching 10,559 students statewide.
These programs encouraged safe walking and biking, promoted helmet use, and integrated safety messaging into school activities.
Bike Smart:
- Local Motion provided bike safety education to 10,173 school-age Vermonters through the Bike Smart program.
- Participants completed 55,547 total training hours, and educators reported 60% of students showed measurable improvement in bike handling and safety skills.
- We also coordinated two Safe Routes to School task forces in Burlington and South Burlington to address infrastructure safety issues around school properties.
Education and Awareness:
- We conducted 54 educational events for both children and adults, reaching 1,080 participants.
- These included on- and off-bike workshops, after-school programs, safe driving for vulnerable users, and community rides.
- In total, we distributed 1,489 safety items (helmets, lights, and reflective gear) to reinforce safety behaviors.
Technical Support:
- We provided technical assistance to 32 municipalities and walk/bike committees, helping communities identify safety priorities, conduct walk audits, pilot infrastructure changes, and strengthen local safety culture.
How
Our work this year combined consistent delivery with deep community engagement. By bringing safety programming directly into schools, neighborhoods, and municipal planning processes, we ensured that every dollar of investment reached Vermonters where it matters most. Quantitative tracking of events, participants, and training hours demonstrated the efficiency and scalability of these programs while documenting clear, measurable outcomes.
|
Strategy |
Number of events |
People reached |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bike Smart |
41 |
10,173 |
55,547 total training hours |
|
Safe Routes to School |
41 |
10,559 |
41 schools served |
|
Education and Awareness |
54 |
1,080 |
Includes workshops, presentations, and rides |
|
Technical Assistance |
32 |
640* |
Broader reach through infrastructure and policy changes |
*“People reached” is challenging to measure for this strategy, as much of the reach is passive. For example: People affected by improved infrastructure.
TOTAL DIRECT PARTICIPANTS REACHED: 22,452
Who
The BSU grant allowed Local Motion to focus on those who stand to benefit most from safety education and infrastructure improvements: children, low-income families, and residents of high-risk areas. By prioritizing schools with higher rates of free and reduced lunch eligibility, we ensured equitable access to safety resources. Our outreach also extended to adults, new riders, and community leaders, creating a broad coalition for safer roads and a culture of shared responsibility.
- Safe Routes to School: The target audience for these activities is school-age Vermonters, primarily those who are vulnerable users. School community members more broadly may be reached with school safety messaging around encouragement events.
- Bike Smart: The primary audiences were youth (grades 3–8), low-income students, and 60% of those reached qualified for free or reduced lunch.
- Education and Awareness: Diverse audiences including elementary students, college students, and adults learning safe bicycling and pedestrian behavior. We reached Burlington youth at the King Street Center by offering a series of weekly rides focused on safety and use of bike paths. Hundreds of elementary-school students and university students were reached with helmet safety presentations at schools and universities. Finally, we reached adults with bicycle safety education through classroom workshops, group rides, and on-road safety training.
- Technical Assistance: The direct recipients of our technical assistance services are municipal walk/bike committee members. Staff, and regional planning commission staff. These efforts improve safety for all road users through long-term infrastructure and policy outcomes.
When
We aligned our programs with the natural rhythm of Vermont life—when students are walking and biking to school, when daylight and weather create increased safety risks, and when communities are planning and building projects. This intentional timing ensured our efforts were both relevant and impactful, reinforcing safe behavior when and where it was most needed. All grant milestones and timelines were met within the project year.
- Safe Routes to School programming took place from September through June, to align with the school year. Certain initiatives were also tied to seasonal changes which can affect safety, such as winter walk to school, which is intended to help address concerns with walking during the darker winter months.
- Bike Smart programming took place during the fall and spring, when students are in school and likely to be riding their bikes to get to school, as well as during the summer, when kids are also likely to be riding.
- Technical assistance and community support programming is not relevant to specific times of year or events. We provide technical assistance year round to walk bike committees, municipalities, RPCs, and other partnering organizations.
- All project activities were completed on schedule, with the exception of law enforcement training, which was not part of this year’s scope.
Where
This work touched nearly every corner of Vermont, from rural villages and small towns to regional centers and urban neighborhoods. Our statewide presence—spanning more than 72 communities—allowed us to adapt programs to local needs while maintaining consistent statewide quality. Each engagement, whether a Bike Smart training, Safe Routes event, or technical assistance project, built momentum for safer, more walkable, and bikeable communities.
Safe Routes to School events occurred at the following schools:
- Albert Bridge School
- Alburgh Community Educational Center
- Brownsville Base Camp
- Burke Town School
- Central Elementary School
- CP Smith Elementary - Burlington School District
- Dothan Brook School
- Folsom Education and Community Center
- Founders Memorial School
- Jericho Elementary School
- King Street Center
- Kurn Hattin
- Lowell Graded School
- Mary Hogan
- MAUSD's Expanded Learning Program (ELP)
- Mettawee Community School
- North Country Supervisory Union- Encore
- Orleans Elementary School
- FH Tuttle Middle School
- Putney Central School
- Richford Elementary School
- SATEC
- Shelburne Community School
- Sheldon Elementary School
- Smilie Memorial School
- St. Albans City School
- Summer Daze/ All4One
- Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes
- Tapestry & EPIC of Rutland City Public Schools
- The Edgar May Health and Rec Center
- Thetford Elementary
- Underhill Central School
- Union Street School
- Vergennes Union Elementary School
- Walden School
- Waterbury Recreation Department
- Westford school
- Westminster Center School
- Williamstown Elementary School
- Williston Central School
- Woodstock Elementary School
Bike Smart training occurred at the following schools:
- Albert Bridge School
- Alburgh Community Educational Center
- Brownsville Base Camp
- Burke Town School
- Central Elementary School
- CP Smith Elementary - Burlington School District
- Dothan Brook School
- Folsom Education and Community Center
- Founders Memorial School
- Jericho Elementary School
- King Street Center
- Kurn Hattin
- Lowell Graded School
- Mary Hogan
- MAUSD's Expanded Learning Program (ELP)
- Mettawee Community School
- North Country Supervisory Union- Encore
- Orleans Elementary School
- FH Tuttle Middle School
- Putney Central School
- Richford Elementary School
- SATEC
- Shelburne Community School
- Sheldon Elementary School
- Smilie Memorial School
- St. Albans City School
- Summer Daze/ All4One
- Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes
- Tapestry & EPIC of Rutland City Public Schools
- The Edgar May Health and Rec Center
- Thetford Elementary
- Underhill Central School
- Union Street School
- Vergennes Union Elementary School
- Walden School
- Waterbury Recreation Department
- Westford school
- Westminster Center School
- Williamstown Elementary School
- Williston Central School
- Woodstock Elementary School
Education and Awareness activities occurred in the following communities:
- Vergennes
- Burlington
- Colchester
- Chester
- Milton
- Barre City
- Jericho
- Reading
- Putney
- Williston
- Pownal
- Richmond
- Poultney
- St. Albans City
- Rutland
- Waitsfield
- Online (statewide)
- Shelburne
- Montpelier
- Bristol
- Winooski
- Newport
- South Burlington
Technical Assistance activities occurred in the following communities (26):
- Burlington
- South Burlington
- Shelburne
- Jericho
- Chester
- Newport
- Pownal
- Putney
- Rutland
- Colchester
- Middlebury
- Brattleboro
- Williston
- Essex Junction
- Bennington
- Winooski
- St. Albans
- Rockingham
- Montpelier
- Randolph
- Shelburne
- Essex Town
- Poultney
- Vergennes
- Waitsfield
- Warren
Results and Impact
Measured Accomplishments
- 22,452 Vermonters reached through direct education and engagement
- 55,547 hours of youth bicycle safety training delivered
- 60% of Bike Smart students demonstrated improved riding skills
- 589 helmets distributed free of charge, increasing youth helmet use
- 32 communities received direct safety technical assistance
- 7+ communities implemented or piloted new safety or traffic calming projects with Local Motion’s support
Behavior Change and Cultural Impact
- Increased helmet use and confidence among youth riders
- Expanded adult understanding of bicyclist and pedestrian rights and responsibilities
- Improved municipal capacity to plan, design, and advocate for safer infrastructure
- Strengthened collaboration between schools, municipalities, and regional partners
Challenges and Support Needs
The primary challenge in implementation is predicting resource and program needs far in advance of delivery. Greater budget flexibility within approved categories would allow us to adapt effectively to emerging opportunities and community requests. At this time, the only additional support needed from the Vermont State Highway Safety Office is continued or increased funding to sustain and expand these high-impact, data-driven safety programs statewide.
Local Motion met or exceeded all FY25 milestones and timelines. Our programs collectively improved the safety culture for walking and biking across Vermont, building lifelong skills among youth, empowering communities to make infrastructure safer, and reinforcing statewide behavior change goals. Continued investment from the Vermont State Highway Safety Office will allow us to expand this proven model and reach even more Vermonters with effective, data-driven safety programming.
Conclusion
Local Motion met every FY25 deliverable while achieving lasting safety and mobility outcomes statewide. The integration of Bike Smart, Safe Routes to School, education, and technical assistance programs delivered measurable behavior change, community capacity building, and policy alignment that support Vermont’s long-term highway safety goals. By combining education, infrastructure planning, and community engagement, we created a model for systemic, equitable improvements that protect vulnerable road users and enhance quality of life. We look forward to building on this momentum in partnership with the Vermont State Highway Safety Office to create safer, healthier, and more connected Vermont communities. We are grateful for our partnership with VTrans and honored to carry this work forward to make Vermont safer for vulnerable users, drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.