Mission Viejo leaders are looking to develop an action plan to update safe routes to school for students and staff city-wide.

It comes as local school districts and cities grapple with e-bike and bicycle safety. 

In the Newport-Mesa School District, middle and elementary school students could soon be banned from riding e-bikes to school, while also requiring students to complete a bicycle safety class to take non-motorized bikes to school. 

[Read: Newport-Mesa Unified School District Considers E-Bike Ban for Students]

According to a data dashboard from UC Berkeley, nearly 150 pedestrians were killed or seriously injured last year in Orange County last year. A similar number was found for cyclists. 

Mission Viejo City Council members voted unanimously during a meeting in February to approve a contract that seeks to enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety for students across 19 public K-12 schools in town.

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Councilmember Trish Kelley said that one of the city’s top priorities is the safety of children.

“This is a really good thing that we are able to provide for our schools,” Kelley said. “I just want our residents to know that our schools, children and safety is very important to us and we are continuing to do work all the time for our schools and children.”

In July 2025, Mission Viejo was approved for a non-infrastructure grant through the federal Safe Streets for All program — $700,000 to prepare pedestrian and bicycle safety plans for the 19 K-12 schools in the city. 

During the council’s meeting on Feb. 10, council members voted to allocate about $559,000 to CR Associates to prepare the safety plans. The grant will cover 80% of the plan, while the rest is covered by local gas tax dollars. 

This plan is expected to explore adding speed humps, ADA-compliant ramps and high-intensity activated crosswalks. This project will take 18 to 24 months to complete. 

Councilmember Cynthia Vasquez asked in the meeting what the outreach would look like for this plan. 

The consultant, in coordination with the city, will determine the stakeholder groups for outreach. That could involve the police, sheriff’s department, crossing guards, school district departments and bicycle advocacy groups. 

The city plans to develop an online survey tool to gather feedback from their community and residents. The survey will gauge areas of concern to prioritize certain areas throughout the plan development. 

Mission Viejo K-12 schools have taken measures in the past to promote and execute safety throughout campuses. The Safe Schools Challenge in an effort to engage children in staying safe. 

Students are invited to create a video about school safety topics such as bullying prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, mental health, cyber safety and good character.