Safe Routes Partnership E-News
Issue #197: August 2022

Safe Routes Partnership E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes Partnership. We are also on Facebook and Twitter. Join us!

  1. Don’t Miss Today’s Safe Routes Back to School 2022 Zoom Session
  2. Seeking State Agency Staff to Participate in the New Safe Routes to Parks Accelerator Program
  3. Let the Good Vibes Flow: Staying Active and Connected Through Community Walk & Roll Programs
  4. New Program Profile: Reconnecting Communities, Plus: What’s in the Reconciliation Bill for Active Transportation?
  5. Get to Know Our Staff – Brittany Jones
  6. League of American Bicyclists “Drive Less, Bike More”
1. Don’t Miss Today’s Safe Routes Back to School 2022 Zoom Session

There’s still time to join our informal Zoom session at 2 pm ET, to check in with other Safe Routes to School practitioners to strategize the upcoming year’s bike rodeos, walking school buses, and helmet giveaways. Join us as we reconnect, share program successes, challenges, and ways that the Partnership can support your work going forward. Register here. 

2. Seeking State Agency Staff to Participate in the New Safe Routes to Parks Accelerator Program

Safe Routes Partnership is excited to announce that we are taking our Safe Routes to Parks work to the state level to help interagency teams from three states make systems-level changes to support safe, convenient, and equitable park access across their respective states. Each state will assemble a Safe Routes to Parks team that includes representatives from various state agencies, including, but not limited to transportation, public health, and conservation & natural resources. Over 12 months, Safe Routes Partnership will provide consulting services customized to support each state team to

  • Learn how to build lasting, productive working relationships between state agencies to support safe access to everyday destinations.
  • Identify the messaging that works best to frame your work on Safe Routes to Parks to potential partners and decision-makers.
  • Maximize the opportunities of existing state funding and staff capacity to support park access and identify opportunities and models for expanding on those existing resources.

Applications will open August 10, 2022 and will be accepted until September 23, 2022.

This work builds on the past five years of working with community-based organizations to identify park access improvements. Learn more about Safe Routes to Parks in this one-minute explainer video. The ongoing pandemic has underscored the importance of safe and healthy access to parks and public spaces. We have seen how these spaces provide much-needed exposure to nature and physical activity during challenging times. With historic levels of federal funding coming to states, this is an opportunity to increase equitable and safe access to these essential community spaces and build systems that reliably prioritize local needs. Apply to the Safe Routes to Parks Accelerator here.

3. Let the Good Vibes Flow: Staying Active and Connected Through Community Walk & Roll Programs

Let the Good Vibes Flow: Staying Active and Connected Through Community Walk & Roll Programs, explores how to create community walks and rolls centered on inclusivity and social connectedness. The method is inspired by Healthy Savannah who started organizing community walks as a way to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as casual outings around Chatham County, Georgia turned into regular community walks that are live-streamed to an online audience. Healthy Savannah developed a solid method – now it’s time to see what a walk and roll program can look like in your community! Read the guide here.

4. New Program Profile: Reconnecting Communities, Plus: What’s in the Reconciliation Bill for Active Transportation?

This month’s federal policy blog explores the new Reconnecting Communities program that focuses on rectifying past harms of transportation investments with $1 billion in funding over the next five years. With the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in the Senate, we’ll also re-cap the active transportation components of the reconciliation bill, including the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program and Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants. Read the federal policy blog here.
5.  Get to Know Our Staff – Brittany Jones
 
 
As the Communications & Equity Manager, Brittany oversees our communications efforts and serves as a co-leader to provide support for our strategic priorities to advance equity and racial justice. She is passionate about working to improve park connectivity and neighborhood access to quality green spaces in all communities. Get to know more about Brittany here.

 6.  League of American Bicyclists “Drive Less, Bike More”

The League of American Bicyclists and Love to Ride are challenging more Americans to "Drive Less, Bike More". Last year, the "Drive Less, Bike More" campaign far exceeded its goal of turning 1 million miles of would-be car trips into 1 million miles of bike trips, resulting in a grand total of 1,500,000 miles ridden by bike and over 167,337 lbs of CO2 spared for the planet. Now, they want to take it one step greener in 2022 by aiming for 2 million miles of bike trips. Any type of bike trip for transportation: from commuting to work or school, running errands around town, getting coffee with a friend, and even picking up groceries counts towards the mile goal, and transportation trips are often shorter—and more fun—by bike. Click here to get started logging your trips!