Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #121: March 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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  1. Meet the Shared Use Ambassadors
  2. The Latest from Capitol Hill
  3. Ten Years of Walking and Bicycling with the National Center for Safe Routes to School
  4. National Conference Registration Open Until March 21
  5. Join a Webinar with Shared Use Leaders on March 17
  6. Register for Bike to School Day on May 4
  7. New Awards for Walking and Biking with Fire Up Your Feet
  8. Better Bike Share Conference
  9. News from the Field
  10. Highlighted Blogs

1. Meet the Shared Use Ambassadors

If there was an Oscar Academy for shared use champions, these six Ambassadors would be getting the votes for empowering their communities to be more physically active. Congratulations, Spring 2016 Shared Use Ambassadors! We are truly inspired by the work of the Ambassadors, who are at the forefront of some of the most creative and effective shared use strategies, from engaging hospitals and exploring the role of shared use in hospital settings, to amplifying the youth voice to effectively advocate for shared use in their schools, to tackling the challenges of shared use implementation in rural Appalachia. Meet them here!

2. The Latest from Capitol Hill

The low-down on Transportation Alternatives Program funding for 2016

While it’s been about two months since Congress passed the FAST Act, it takes time to turn law into funding levels.  Fortunately, that work is done and so we now know how much money is available to states as well as cities, mid-sized areas and small towns for Safe Routes to School, walking and bicycling.  Read our federal policy blog to understand how much money is available in your state and community from the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). 

3. Ten Years of Walking and Bicycling with the National Center for Safe Routes to School

In a guest blog post, National Center director Nancy Pullen-Seufert reflects on key indicators that show how the movement for walking and bicycling to school has grown in the decade since the launch of the federal Safe Routes to School program. With more than 19,000 schools and 6.8 million students impacted, the Safe Routes to School program has built a lasting foundation to grow even stronger over the next ten years. Read more.

4. National Conference Registration Open Until March 21

What do planners, doctors, and a red ball have in common? All will be featured in keynote speeches at the Safe Routes to School National Conference! The conference kicks off on Tuesday, April 5, with Keynote Speaker Kevin Carroll, Founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC and author of three highly successful books, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, What’s Your Red Rubber Ball?! and The Red Rubber Ball at Work. On Wednesday, the day begins with remarks by Gil (Guillermo) Penalosa, MBA, PHDHC, Founder & Chair of the Board, 8 80 Cities. He advises on the design and use of parks and streets as great public places, as well as sustainable mobility: walking, cycling and public transit.
 
Interested? Join us in Columbus, OH April 5-7. Registration is open until March 21!

5. Join a Webinar with Shared Use Leaders on March 17

This webinar will highlight the work of our Shared Use Ambassadors along with other shared use leaders. We will discuss the role of increasing physical activity within the Salt Lake City community of Utah, explore the challenges and successes of shared use implementation in an Appalachian community in Kentucky and see how shared use can be used to meet an array of community needs in Dayton, OH. Register here!

6. Register for Bike to School Day on May 4

Join tens of thousands of children, parents, school officials, and community leaders nationwide on May 4th for the student two-wheeling celebration of the year, National Bike to School Day. Last year, more than 2,600 schools participated – nearly a 20 percent growth from the previous year. Schools, parents and community organizations can now register 2016 Bike to School Day events online at www.walkbiketoschool.org.  

7. New Awards for Walking and Biking with Fire Up Your Feet

his spring, Fire Up Your Feet is offering even more awards to schools participating in the Fire Up Your Feet Activity Challenge – including a brand new award for schools that track enough miles to bike across their state or region! With multiple awards in several categories, your school has even more chances to win awards to support physical activity and wellness programs.
 
Another new award is the Marathon Kids Run/Jog Award. This award will go to the school with the highest total minutes spent running or jogging. Schools with a minimum of 20 participants tracking running/jogging are eligible. The winning school will receive 10 Marathon Kids Running Club Memberships. 
 
Visit fireupyourfeet.org to learn more about these Challenge Awards and more in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Metro Atlanta, Oregon, Nevada, SW Washington, Virginia, Washington DC, and Wisconsin.

8. Better Bike Share Conference

Save the Date:  Better Bike Share Conference is coming to Philadelphia on June 22-24! This event will feature panelists and presenters working at all levels to increase access to bike share and foster productive and meaningful conversations about bike share, bicycling, social justice, and transportation equity. Registration will open soon, so mark your calendars now!
 
Much more information, including registration, scholarship opportunities, agenda details and speaker announcements coming soon.

9. News from the Field

Supporting planning for active transportation and social equity in Southern California

The Safe Routes Partnership’s Southern California team has been actively participating in Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)'s draft 2016 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) process. We are pleased to see an increased emphasis on active transportation, public health, social equity, and environmental justice in this plan update. As part of our involvement, we coordinated a comment letter to SCAG in partnership with 16 organizations providing recommended changes and highlighting support on various sections of the RTP/SCS.  To see details on the RTP/SCS and our recommendations, click here.

10. Highlighted Blogs

Curated Collection on Safe Routes, Active Kids on Landscape Performance Series
 
Let It Snow: Ways to Help Walking in the Winter Months (Safe Routes Partnership)