We are now six weeks out from when Congress passed the FAST Act, securing funding for Safe Routes to School and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) for five more years. Here at the Safe Routes Partnership, we've been spending a lot of time educating advocates about what changed and what didn't in the FAST Act, and gathering as much information as we can to help you access the funding. Here's what you need to know now--plus a new resource to keep your eye out for!
- We have created estimates of how much funding your state will receive under TAP, given the small funding increase for 2016. As soon as the US Department of Transportation issues the actual funding amount for each state, plus the amount set aside for large urban areas, we will pass that along.
- We also pulled together an updated, simple-to-understand explanation of how TAP works and how you can begin locally to access these dollars.
- On January 14, we hosted a webinar to explain the changes the FAST Act made to TAP, other funding sources for bicycling, walking and Safe Routes to School and new Complete Streets language. We spent a half-hour taking questions from participants--so if you missed it, listen to the recording to hear the answers to a wide range of questions.
- Plus, if you join us at the Safe Routes to School conference in April in Columbus, Ohio, we'll be presenting on federal, state and local funding opportunities for Safe Routes to School.
- In April, watch for our new report card, issued in partnership with the YMCA, assessing each state's progress on a range of physical activity policies. A section will be devoted to Safe Routes to School and TAP implementation--so you will be able to see exactly where your state is doing well and where they could improve. We hope this will provide a roadmap for advocates on where to focus efforts at the state and local level.
Don't hesitate to get in touch with Margo Pedroso at margo@saferoutespartnership.org if you have questions about TAP implementation in your state or community.
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