Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #124: June 2016
Safe Routes to School E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes Partnership (Safe Routes Partnership). Our mission is to advance safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.
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- The Latest from Capitol Hill
- Major Investments in Safer Streets for the Portland Region
- Meet Hubsmith Award Nominee Alex Smith
- Safe Routes to School National Conference Presentations Now Online
- #MoveEquity Tweetchat Highlights
- Register for our Next Webinar on State Report Cards
- Welcome Marieannette Otero as Greater Washington DC Policy Manager
- Congratulations, Fire Up Your Feet Winners
- Better Bike Share Conference
- Highlighted Blogs
1. The Latest from Capitol Hill
A Primer on NHTSA's Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Dollars
henever legislation like the FAST Act passes, federal agencies must then interpret the legislation and turn it into implementation guidance and rules. Our focus in this month’s federal policy blog is on helping you understand the 402 and 405 grants, which are federal programs that give funding to states to improve safety—including bicycle and pedestrian safety. In addition, recently, the US Department of Transportation issued updated guidance for the Transportation Alternatives Program has been issued. While there were few changes to TAP in the FAST Act, the guidance does clearly define nonprofits administering Safe Routes to School programs as eligible to compete directly for TAP dollars.
2. Major Investments in Safer Streets for the Portland Region
On May 17, voters in Portland passed a 10¢ gas tax to fund street safety improvements, including $8 million for needed crosswalks and sidewalks around Portland schools. Two days later, the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (Metro) Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) approved a large, dedicated investment in Safe Routes to School, voting to allocate $500,000 per year for Safe Routes to School programming, plus at least $2 million for street improvements near Title 1 (low-income) schools and trails. The vote also preserved more than $25 million for walking and biking street safety projects across the region.
This successful vote campaign was led by the For Every Kid Coalition, of which the Safe Routes Partnership is a founding member, which includes 89 coalition partners, nine school districts, five cities, and thousands of parents, youth, and residents of all ages, spanning all three counties in the Portland Metro region. The For Every Kid Coalition has worked tenaciously over the past two years for dedicated funding for Safe Routes to School investments in the region. More Information.
3. Meet Hubsmith Award Nominee Alex Smith
Alex Smith serves as Safe Routes to School Coordinator and Active Transportation Program manager for Columbus Public Health, where he has led efforts to implement Large District School Travel Plans to increase safe walking and biking to school at Columbus City Schools. Meet Alex and see how he has breathed life and energy into Columbus’s Safe Routes to School program.
4. Safe Routes to School National Conference Presentations Now Online
Miss the conference? Want to re-experience your favorite session? Click here to access slides from the presentations.
5. #MoveEquity Tweetchat Highlights
If you missed the latest #MoveEquity tweetchat on health, equity, and physical activity, check out highlights and catch up on the conversation on Storify.
6. Register for our Next Webinar on State Report Cards
Making Strides: A Look at Our 2016 State Report Cards
June 15 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Register here
Join this webinar to learn about the Safe Routes Partnership’s new report, Making Strides: 2016 State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Bicycling, and Active Kids and Communities. On this webinar you will learn more about the report cards and how you can use them to inspire action that creates places supportive of healthy, active children and communities. Staff from the Safe Routes Partnership will walk through the report cards and delve into the core topic areas and indicators. You will also hear how state and local Y’s have been using the report cards in their work to promote healthier communities.
7. Welcome Marieannette Otero as Greater Washington DC Policy Manager
We are happy to welcome Marieannette Otero to the team as our regional policy manager in the Washington, DC area, where she will be working to increase funding opportunities and improve transportation policies that support safe walking and bicycling.
8. Congratulations, Fire Up Your Feet Winners
We are happy to congratulate the winners of Fire Up Your Feet awards in Colorado, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and Metro Atlanta. The winning schools receive cash awards to support walking, biking, and physical activity programs. Stay tuned for the winners in Oregon, SW Washington, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC!
9. Better Bike Share Conference
The Better Bike Share Conference is a two-day gathering of city officials, bike share operators, community-based organizations and non-profits working at the intersection of transportation and equity. Join your peers in Philadelphia June 22-24, 2016. More information is available at www.bikeshareconference.org. Learn more about the Better Bike Share Partnership at www.betterbikeshare.org.
Safe Routes Partnership Releases 2015 Annual Report
Training Wheels: A Research Summary of Bicycle Safety Education Curriculum