November 2021 E-News

1. Webinar: Safe Routes Back to School 2021 Zoom Session

2. New Report: Routes of Health: Exploring the Effects of Navigation Systems on Community Mobility, Safety, and Livability

3. New Resource: Working with Unhoused People in Parks: Steps to Take in Your Community
4. New Safe Routes to Parks Resources: What Gets Measured Gets Managed: A Step-by-Step Guide to Evaluating Safe Routes Projects from Beginning to End – Plus! Evaluation Planning Examples and Template
5. Federal Transportation Funding Extended for a Few Weeks– Again!
6. Action for Healthy Kids: Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit

1. Webinar: Safe Routes Back to School 2021 Zoom Session

School is back in session and we are still in the midst of COVID-19. While this might not be the Fall we planned for, we are doing our best to make things work. Join us for an informal Zoom session on Wednesday, November 17 from 3-4 pm ET to check in with other Safe Routes to School practitioners. Share your program successes, challenges, and ways that the Partnership can support your work going forward.

NOTE: There will not be formal presentations during this session. The bulk of the time will be reserved for connecting with others during breakout groups based on discussion topics. We will not be facilitating the discussion but we will provide guiding questions and are always available to help.  Register here.

2. New Report: Routes of Health: Exploring the Effects of Navigation Systems on Community Mobility, Safety, and Livability

While communities continue to grapple with automobile reliance, insufficient transit access, and lack of multimodal options, Safe Routes Partnership’s report, “Routes of Health: Exploring the Effects of Navigation Systems on Community Mobility, Safety, and Livability,” identifies a number of promising directions to address the effects of navigation systems that are exacerbating local challenges.

With case studies from five communities and resources for community members, local policymakers, planners, and transportation practitioners, this report highlights how navigation systems are but one piece of systemic issues related to transportation and land use. Read the report.

3. New Resource: Working with Unhoused People in Parks: Steps to Take in Your Community

Parks are places where people can recreate, learn, gather, and rest, including individuals who do not have homes. Some of the most vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness turn to public parks as a sanctuary for safety and rest. At its core, Safe Routes to Parks seeks to increase park usage and improve health for people of all ages, races, abilities, disabilities, and income levels, and as a concept, does not discriminate against unhoused people. Our new resource, “Working with Unhoused People in Parks: Steps to Take in Your Community,” invites non-profit organizations, community-based organizations (CBOs), and advocates to think through multiple perspectives on how unhoused people resting, living, and gathering in parks affects overall park access and use compassionately and practically. Read the fact sheet.

4. New Safe Routes to Parks Resources: What Gets Measured Gets Managed: A Step-by-Step Guide to Evaluating Safe Routes Projects from Beginning to End – Plus! Evaluation Planning Examples and Template

Improving safe routes throughout communities takes more than completing discrete projects; it takes sustained commitment to making continuous improvements over time. Evaluating both the process of creating safe routes and the outcomes can help build momentum toward change that extends beyond one stretch of sidewalk or a new stop sign. This factsheet offers evaluation techniques for all phases of safe routes efforts as well as how and when they can be most useful so that you can incorporate evaluation from the beginning, rather than solely at the end.

Use this guide and template to create your own evaluation table to outline your project goals, objectives, and metrics.

 5. Congress Passed the Infrastructure Bill! We Celebrate the Historic Investments in Safe Routes to School, Walking, and Bicycling and Look to the Future

On November 5, 2021, the House passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, clearing the final hurdle before the bill goes to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Colloquially referred to as “the infrastructure bill”, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 is the first long-term federal transportation funding bill since the FAST Act in 2015. In partnership with the League of American Bicyclists, Safe Routes Partnership worked with leaders in the House and Senate to increase funding levels and make much-needed policy change for programs that affect the safety, equity, and connectivity of people walking and bicycling – the Transportation Alternatives Program and the Highway Safety Improvement Program. Read more about this legislation and what comes next in our federal policy blog!

 6. Action for Healthy Kids: COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit

Action for Healthy Kids is proud to announce their COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Toolkit in partnership with Kaiser Permanente. As the CDC and other trusted voices have approved the COVID-19 vaccine for more groups of people, Action for Healthy Kids wants to support school and district staff, parents and caregivers, and any other adults looking to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and how to discuss it throughout their community. This toolkit contains helpful information to keep our communities safe and healthy. Explore the toolkit here.