TAMPA, Fla. — With more pedestrians and cars on the roads for the return of school, safety is one of the top things on the minds of students and parents.

Walking on the streets near Roosevelt Elementary School in Tampa takes Emily Hinsdale back to when she’d walk her daughters to school there.

“For me, it was a very special time to be with my kids," she said. "We could talk. Plan their day."

It’s one of the reasons she started the program, Sidewalk Stompers, to encourage families and students to walk to school.

“This is for their physical health," she said. "This is for their mental health. And this is for the health of their community."

But Hinsdale said she knows not every family has a safe walk to school.

She said that’s why Sidewalk Stompers works with schools and the community to help make those walks safer — by doing things like putting in street murals outside of Roosevelt Elementary to help control traffic.

“The street murals make the street narrower," Hinsdale said. "So it gives is a better sightline for people crossing. And it limits where cars can drive."

The project also included adding large potted plants to prevent cars from blocking the crosswalks.

Hinsdale said Sidewalk Stompers works with the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County to get the changes made.

“There has been a long time of people choosing to drive their kids to school," she said. "Investing in the car line rather than the community. So we’ve been interested to see the change, the shift in improving safety with the city and county programs."

Those improvements include more four-way stops and crosswalks across the area. Both the city and county have been making those changes through their Vision Zero initiatives to reduce deadly crashes.

“If it becomes a community activity, an investment and support for students in your school, then you’re going to have safer routes for everybody,” Hinsdale said.