If pursuing Option 3, provide the two lists of students, showing that 80% or more students have pedestrian access. Draw a map showing the two areas defined by the appropriate distances (0.75 miles and 1.5 miles) and clearly illustrate and state that a total of 80% of students that attend the school live within these specified areas. The map must include a scale.

Develop detailed construction drawings and specifications for the walking and biking paths from the school building to the edge of the school property.

Fill in the LEED Online credit form. Document the credit with a site plan highlighting the pedestrian route from the building entrance to the identified bus or train stop or stops. Provide a distance scale to confirm that the building entrance is within the required distance of transit—¼ mile for bus, ½ mile for train.

Setting Up a Program

Pedestrian paths should be wide and independent of the bike paths. Make sure they will be available and accessible in all seasons.

Get buy-in from all purchasing decision-makers in the building. Holding a meeting with all purchasing agents and tenants to explain the intention of LEED certification and address specific concerns from individuals can help get the whole building on board. 

The civil engineer or landscape architect responsible for site layout should coordinate pedestrian and bike paths with school exits for student safety and compliance with the credit requirements. Early planning is a must.

This approach can be challenging to document, as information about where students live may not be readily available and compiled.

To encourage bike ridership, consider implementing a bicycle maintenance program for employees who bike to work. This could take the form of vouchers for local bike shops or availability of basic tools and resources for bike upkeep onsite.

Schools can meet this credit through providing pedestrian access. To determine whether you comply with this option, develop two lists of students and their walking distances from home to school, one for students who are in Grade 8 and below (maximum distance from school of 0.75 miles), and one for students Grades 9 and above (maximum distance from school of 1.5 miles). Distances are as the crow flies, not actual walking distance—as long as there is actual pedestrian access. Then determine whether a minimum of 80% of the students live within those distances.