Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #127: September 2016
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- Major Progress on Walking One Year After Surgeon General's Call to Action
- Thousands Tell USDOT to Count People Instead of Cars; AASHTO Says Your Opinion Shouldn't Matter
- Join the Fire Up Your Feet Fall Activity Challenge: October 1-31, 2016
- Walk to School Day is October 5!
- California's Legislative Session Ends with Mixed News for Active Transportation
- Raise Money for Your School the Healthy Way with Active Schools Fundraising
- Congratulations Specialized Water Bottle Winners
- Partner of the Month: I'm Safe
- PeopleForBikes on the Drive to Survive
- News and Extras
1. Major Progress on Walking One Year After Surgeon General's Call to Action
One year after the U.S. Surgeon General issued a national call to action to promote walking, many states and communities have made major progress in advancing policies that support safer and more active streets. Let's keep the momentum going! Take advantage of the Safe Routes Partnership's new tools and resources for further action to create walkable workplaces, streets, and neighborhoods.
WALKING DURING THE WORKDAY
New fact sheets and resources offer employers and employees ideas for incorporating walking into the workday and designing walking routes that are safe and accessible.
SAFE ROUTES TO HEALTHY FOOD
This initiative aims to strengthen policies and practices that make it safer and more convenient to walk, bike, and take transit to healthy foods.
STATE WALKING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY POLICIES
A new set of tools can help policymakers and advocates leverage the Safe Routes Partnership's 2016 State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Biking, and Active Kids and Communities.
2. Thousands Tell USDOT to Count People Instead of Cars; AASHTO Says Your Opinion Shouldn't Matter
Back in May, we asked you to take action against the US Department of Transportation’s proposed system performance measures that would have measured the speed of cars and trucks in seven different ways, while not measuring at all transit, bicycling, or walking. Fortunately, thousands of individuals like you, along with wide range of organizations across sectors responded to the call and told USDOT that they should measure people, not cars. AASHTO, however, said their comments should matter more than yours—discounting the views of the people who actually use our transportation system. Read more in our federal policy blog.
3. Join the Fire Up Your Feet Activity Challenge, October 1-31, 2016!
Did you know that the Safe Routes Partnership is awarding more than $95,000 to schools in participating states and regions* as part of theFire Up Your Feet Fall Activity Challenge? It's FREE to participate!
- Sign up at fireupyourfeet.org. Registration is open now!
- From October 1-31, participants track their physical activity online. Any activity counts – walking, bicycling, recess, sports, you name it.
- Win! Top prizes go to the schools with the highest percentage of participation, plus schools can win in a variety of smaller prize categories. Learn more about available awards here.
*Schools in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Metro Atlanta, Nevada, Oregon, SW Washington, Virginia, and Washington, DC are eligible to participate.
4. Walk to School Day is October 5!
Now is the time to start planning your event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of International Walk to School Day on October 5! Here are three ideas for building momentum in your community this fall leading up to Walk to School Day on October 5:
- Visit fireupyourfeet.org to learn more about the national Walk to School Day cash award! Any K-8 school in the country can enter the drawing for a $500 award by tracking their Walk to School Day activity using the Fire Up Your Feet online tracker. Learn more here.
- Register your event at walkbiketoschool.org to ensure your activities are counted as part of the nationwide movement for walking and bicycling.
- Coordinate your event with the USDOT’s Mayor’s Challenge. Invite your mayor or elected official to join a walk to school on October 5 and show their support for safe streets and healthy, active kids!
5. California's Legislative Session Ends with Mixed News for Active Transportation
There’s never a lack of activity in California’s legislative sessions, and the 2016 session was no exception. There were some key victories for environmental justice issues and climate change, but attempts to add funding to the Active Transportation Program (ATP) didn’t succeed and neither did the efforts to broaden access to transit through youth passes statewide. However, there is a special session on transportation underway where the ATP could see added support. Read an in-depth summary here.
6. Raise Money for Your School the Healthy Way with Active Schools Fundraising
Try out Active Schools Fundraising this fall for a chance to win prizes from all our partner organizations. Find out what prizes you could win and learn more here.
Join one of our webinars to learn more about Active Schools Fundraising and offers from our partners.
- Skillastics: Tuesday, September 13th 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. Register here.
- Peaceful Playgrounds: Wednesday, September 14th 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. Register here.
- Flaghouse / CATCH: Thursday, September 15th 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET. Register here.
- Marathon Kids: Tuesday, September 20th 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET. Register here.
7. Congratulations Specialized Water Bottle Contest Winners
Congratulations to these 30 schools for winning the Specialized Water Bottle and Thermos Contest!
Special thank you to PeopleForBikes for connecting the Safe Routes Partnership with this donation, and to Specialized for donating these products.
I'm Safe is offering a 10-20 percent discount plus 5 percent net sale proceeds to the Safe Routes Partnership on all orders that use code SRTS20. Learn more here. Want custom rewards for active students? Need to make walk-to-school kids more visible? I’m Safe has it all!
9. PeopleForBikes: The Drive to Survive
Distracted driving is a threat to bike riders everywhere, our kids included. PeopleForBikes' President Tim Blumenthal discusses this subject and what we can do to keep ourselves safe when we're out on the road. Please read and share this article.
Active Living Research Conference 2017: Deadline for workshop and general abstract submission is September 16
Save the date for the next #MoveEquity tweetchat on 9/21: The Intersection of Law Enforcement and Equity