August 13-15, 2013 will be here before we know it, so make your plans now to join us in Sacramento for the Safe Routes to School National Conference! Check out the revamped website at www.saferoutesconference.org, and take a look at our Save the Date.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School program (LASRTS) will open the 7th cycle of funding January 2, 2013. Throughout the first six application cycles, LASRTS has funded 65 applicants; providing improvements to 88 schools around the state. Louisiana expects to fund more than $2 million in projects in the 2013 application cycle. Applications are due March 1, 2013.
If you don’t already have these two 2013 conferences on your radar, you will want to make sure to add them now. First off, New Partners for Smart Growth, taking place February 7-9 in Kansas City, Missouri is now open for registration. Known for jazz, barbecue and fountains, Kansas City is a creative community that prides itself on good times and friendly, fun-loving people.
Residents of Centerville, SD, gathered in the warm prairie sunshine on a Saturday in September to celebrate completion of the first phase of a Safe Routes to School project. New sidewalks, curb and gutter, ADA curb ramps and traffic signs now make walking to school safer for school kids of all ages in this rural eastern South Dakota community of 882 people. New Safe Routes to School-funded programs to encourage walking to school are boosting the number of who do just that.
Mississippi has certainly been busy with Safe Routes to School initiatives. For starters, they have awarded a total of 39 projects representing 31 communities and 87 schools. They have also had four statewide projects. In the most recent cycles, they awarded $2.5 million involving 12 communities, 26 schools and three statewide partners. The most recent awards were announced in September 2012, which brings their total amount awarded to date to $10.9 million.
October is my favorite time of year. Fall has finally arrived, as well as the state fair in the great state of Texas. One other huge reason I love the month of October is that Wednesday, October 3 is Walk and Bike to School Day.
In March of 2012, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced the selection of 28 schools in 18 localities throughout the Commonwealth to receive infrastructure funding totaling $5.9 million. The projects selected for funding include a variety of treatments to improve walking and bicycling conditions. These include the traditional sidewalk projects as well as a few trails, crosswalks, signage and a school dropoff/pickup area redesigned to more safely accommodate pedestrians.
The Washington State Safe Routes to School program has strong state support. In 2005, the state legislature made a 16 year commitment towards the safety of children walking and bicycling to school. Since that time there have been: four complete funding cycles; $31 million awarded – about $21 million in federal funds and $10 million in state funds; a 21 percent increase in children walking and bicycling to school; Washington State Safe Routes to School was codified into state law RCW 47.04.300 in 2009; and 95 projects – 39 complete and 56 underway.
I’m pleased to share that the fourth Safe Routes to School National Conference will take place in Sacramento, California on August 13-15, 2013. The local host, Local Government Commission (LGC), was chosen through a very competitive application process.
In January of 2012, Tennessee announced Safe Routes to School funding totaling $1.6 for ten municipalities in Tennessee. The majority of the funds will be used for schools to improve sidewalks, crosswalks and signs. Many of the grant recipients will install flashing beacons and traffic control devices to allow for a safe environment around the schools. Funds will be used to provide educational programs focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety and promotional activities to encourage walking and bicycling as a safe and healthy alternative.