Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #27: March 2008
Safe Routes to School E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, a growing national network of more than 300 non-profit organizations, government agencies, and professional groups that are working to set goals, share best practices, secure funding, and provide detailed policy input to implementing agencies for advancing the Safe Routes to School national movement.
Please forward Safe Routes to School E-News to others who may be interested!
To receive future issues of E-News, email info@saferoutespartnership.org.
In this issue:
1. Deb Hubsmith Requested to Supply Written Testimony to Congress
Testimony features the need for health performance measures in transportation bill
2. Safe Routes Partnership: Call for Steering Committee Nominations
The deadline to apply is May 2, 2008
3. Safe Routes to School: State of the States – March 2008 Update
Implementation of the Federal SRTS program is off to a strong start!
4. SRTS Partnership Hires New Policy Manager
Please help us welcome Sylvia Brown as our newest staff member
5. National Public Health Week is April 7-13
Climate Change theme includes a Travel Differently day on April 8
6. The National Center for SRTS Makes New Resources Available
Evaluation, research and media outreach
7. Active Living Research Call for Proposals Released
Proposal Deadline: May 14, 2008
8. Louisiana’s SRTS Program Enters Second Year
Policy changes to be a top priority for the State Network
9. Indiana Department of Transportation Awards SRTS Funds
10 infrastructure and 3 non-infrastructure projects chosen from 55 proposals
10. SRTS News Throughout the Country
Local and state SRTS program news links
1. Deb Hubsmith Requested to Supply Written Testimony to Congress
Testimony features the need for health performance measures in transportation bill
Congressman James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, invited Deb Hubsmith, Director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, to provide written testimony on the “Transportation for Tomorrow” report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the House of Representatives. While the Report aimed to achieve a new transportation vision for America, it unfortunately omitted walking and bicycling as modes of transportation, and it did not evaluate or note the considerable financial and health impacts of the surface transportation system’s built environment on physical inactivity. This is a major flaw with the Report that should not be overlooked in its analysis by Congress.
Deb points out in her testimony that there are numerous studies that cite the relationship between the built environment and public health. Doctors and medical institutions increasingly indicate that a built environment that is hostile to walking and bicycling is an important contributing factor leading to sedentary lifestyles and increases in obesity. Today in America, 67 percent of adults are overweight or obese and nearly 1/3 of all children are overweight or obese. In addition, childhood obesity has increased nearly five-fold for children aged 6-11 over the past 40 years, and doctors state that this current generation might be the first in more than 200 years to live shorter live spans than their parents.
To see a Deb’s full written testimony, please visit the Partnership’s website.
2. Safe Routes Partnership: Call for Steering Committee Nominations
The deadline to apply is May 2, 2008
The Partnership is now accepting nominations for several Steering Committee positions representing government agencies, non-governmental organizations and professional associations. Each organization that holds a seat on the Steering Committee must appoint an individual representative to serve on behalf of his or her organization. Open seats and terms are:
• National pedestrian group – one seat (2008-2011)
• National group representing bicyclists and pedestrians – one seat (2008-2011)
• National group representing local government agencies – one seat (2008-2011)
• State or local bicycle group – one seat (2008-2011)
• State or local bicycle and/or pedestrian group – one seat (2008-2011)
• Local school or school district – one seat (2008-2011)
• State or local at large seat – one seat (2008-2011)
• State or local at large seat – one seat (2007-2010; fills a vacated seat)
The Steering Committee, a diverse group of up to 21 members, functions as the Partnership’s Board of Directors and holds decision-making responsibility for the Partnership. The estimated time commitment for Steering Committee members is eight hours a month. The deadline to apply is May 2, 2008. For more information on the call for nominations and to view and download the call for application and instructions, click here.
3. Safe Routes to School: State of the States – March 2008 Update
Implementation of the Federal SRTS program is off to a strong start!
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership tracks state progress on the implementation of the new federal SRTS program. Our State of the States March 2008 chart shows that the federal Safe Routes to School program is off to a strong start. The milestones documented represent accomplishments achieved as of March 13, 2008. Fifty of the 51 state agencies have released application guidelines so that local communities can apply for funding for infrastructure and/or non-infrastructure projects. South Dakota and the District of Columbia both released application guidelines in early March 2008.
In February E-News, it was incorrectly stated that North Dakota had not released application guidelines. We are pleased to say that they have indeed released them, and apologize for mistakenly including them in the list of those who hadn’t. We hope that Georgia will stay on schedule to release their application guidelines as soon as possible.
Forty-two of the 51 state agencies have announced project awards for funding, and because eight additional states have released application guidelines, more awards will soon be announced. Illinois recently announced project awards for funding on March 6, 2008. In most states, requests for project funding have far exceeded available resources, a fact that indicates a large demand for SRTS programs.
To see what is going on in your state, please visit our interactive state map and link to your state. Applications guidelines for each state that has released them are available on our website as well.
4. SRTS Partnership Hires New Policy Manager
Please help us welcome Sylvia Brown as our newest staff member
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership welcomes Sylvia Brown as our new Policy Manager. As Policy Manger, Sylvia will be working on getting Safe Routes to School secured in federal legislation such as the next transportation and the climate bill, policy research and analysis, and the development of policy reports.
An Arkansan by birth and a Washingtonian by choice, Sylvia has worked in the government affairs profession for nearly a decade. She worked for six years on Capitol Hill--two years in the U.S. Senate and four years in the U.S. House of Representatives. As an advocate and lobbyist, Sylvia has worked closely with grassroots advocates and grasstops leaders to secure resources and support for issues ranging from critical health care topics to community economic development projects.
One of her proudest legislative accomplishments was sheparding legislation establishing the Congressional Taskforce to Study the History and Contributions of African-American Slave Laborers in the Construction of the U.S. Capitol, the beacon of democracy and civic empowerment for the country. Last year, as a result of the taskforce’s nine recommendations on how to honor African-Americans who built the Capitol, the Congress adopted a measure to name the great hall in the newly-constructed $621 million Capitol Visitor Center "Emancipation Hall."
Sylvia lives in the District of Columbia’s Ward 7, which is often recognized as one of the "greenest" wards in the city. Living a few blocks from the Watts Branch, a tributary of the Anacostia River, she is afforded the opportunity to experience nature and the environment firsthand. As president of her neighborhood association, the Deanwood Citizens Association, she is a vocal advocate for and participant in community engagement and civic activism.
Sylvia starts full time with the Partnership on April 1, 2008. For her full bio and contact information, click here.
5. National Public Health Week is April 7-13
Climate Change theme includes a Travel Differently day on April 8
For over a decade, for the first full week in April, the American Public Health Association has organized National Public Health Week. This year, the theme for National Public Health Week (NPHW 2008) is “Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance.” During NPHW 2008, APHA will help make the connection between the way we lead our lives, our impact on the planet, and the planet’s impact on our health. We can make smart decisions about the lifestyle we lead which will help lead to both a healthier lifestyle now and a healthier climate now and into the future. Each day of the week is devoted to a different theme. Tuesday, April 8 is devoted to the theme "Travel Differently." APHA is recommending that we can all take some simple steps to Travel Differently such as leave your car at home and take public transportation, walk or bike. If you are already doing these things, APHA thanks you and suggests you organize your friends and neighbors to follow in your healthy footsteps.
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership encourages you to publicize this event and to promote it as part of Safe Routes to School.
6. The National Center for SRTS Makes New Resources Available
Evaluation, research and media outreach
The National Center for Safe Routes to School recently released new resources to assist local communities in evaluating their Safe Routes to School programs. The Center has launched the Evaluation section within the SRTS Guide available at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/evaluation. The new section includes a step-by-step process for conducting an evaluation with an accompanying worksheet for program implementers to organize their program information for each step. It also reviews the benefits of evaluation and how the timing of evaluation corresponds to the life of a SRTS program. Readers are also given an overview of commonly used ways to collect data, including the standardized data collection forms developed by the Center in 2007. The Student Travel Tally is used to identify frequency of various transportation modes for travel to school. The Parent Survey, also available in a Spanish-language version, measures parent attitudes that may influence whether children are allowed to walk or bicycle to school.
These new resources are a component of a comprehensive national research program launched by the Center to determine the impact of Safe Routes to School programs. The research program will result in the collection of nationwide SRTS-related data and the identification of effective SRTS strategies. Elements of the research program include: Standardized Data Collection Forms, National SRTS Tracking Database, NCSRTS Tracking Reports, SRTS Strategy Evaluation and Safety Index Development.
Safe Routes to School programs now have a new resource to help promote walking and bicycling for children. The National Center for Safe Routes to School has launched the Media and Visibility module within the SRTS Guide at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/guide/media. The new module, which expands the already comprehensive Web-based SRTS manual, offers programs guidance and tools for expanding their media outreach. The module offers the basics of working with the news media, tips for conducting interviews, ideas for securing program spokespeople and guidance on increasing the newsworthiness of an SRTS program.
7. Active Living Research Call for Proposals Released
Proposal Deadline: May 14, 2008
Active Living Research is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This call for proposals is the first to reflect a new emphasis for Active Living Research. Their program will now focus on supporting research to inform policy and environmental strategies for increasing physical activity among children and adolescents, decreasing their sedentary behaviors and preventing obesity. Findings are expected to advance RWJF’s efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015.
RWJF will place special emphasis on strategies with the potential to reach racial/ethnic populations and children living in low-income communities who are at highest risk for obesity. Proposed studies must address one of the topics identified in the call for proposals.
For more details and to apply, click here.
8. Louisiana’s SRTS Program Enters Second Year
Policy changes to be a top priority for the State Network
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) recently closed its second application period for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. Application received in this cycle contained much greater substance. Most applications are comprehensive in nature addressing both infrastructure and non-infrastructure activities. The SRTS program attributes this increase in quality to effective training and communication with local communities and partnerships throughout the state. Outreach efforts throughout the State including the 1st Louisiana SRTS conference in October 2007 have definitely provided a great opportunity to educate existing and potential grantees. LaDOTD is planning a second SRTS conference that will be held in Fall 2008. The focus of this conference will be to highlight program features and requirements, to share information on existing SRTS programs in the State, and to engage participants in a focused discussion on policies.
The Louisiana DOT SRTS program has expressed an interest in coordinating policy discussions with the Louisiana Network of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. For the past eight months, the Louisiana Network has engaged stakeholders from the public health, transportation, education, safety, and planning sectors on policy issues relevant to the health and safety of school-aged children. The timing of these two efforts coincides with LaDOTD’s revisions to the State Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which will specifically address policy needs relevant to bicyclists and pedestrians of all ages. For more information about the Louisiana program, please visit the Louisiana SRTS website or contact Shalanda Cole, the Department’s SRTS Coordinator.
9. Indiana Department of Transportation Awards SRTS Funds
10 infrastructure and 3 non-infrastructure projects chosen from 55 proposals
In November 2007, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) announced the selection of thirteen projects following its second round of Safe Routes to School applications. Ten infrastructure projects and three non-infrastructure activities were chosen from a field of 55 proposals submitted during May and June of 2007. Selections are made based on a competitive process that features reviews by the seven-member interdisciplinary team that makes up the Indiana SRTS Advisory Committee.
Over $9.2 million in applications were submitted in 2007, while awards totaled just over $2.3 million. The 2007 submittals represented an increase of nearly $2 million over the $7.3 million requested in 2006. Of the thirteen awards, ten will support infrastructure and non-infrastructure improvements in areas of the state where populations exceed 50,000, while three will fund sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps and signs in small Indiana towns.
Cities, towns and counties sponsored most of the successful applications this year. Individual schools and school districts will receive four of the awarded projects.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is looking forward to cooperating with local project sponsors again this year as they implement a variety of projects to increase walking and bicycling to school in the Hoosier State. For more information about the Indiana program, please visit the Indiana SRTS website or contact Michael O’Loughlin, the Department’s SRTS Coordinator.
10. SRTS News Throughout the Country
Local and state SRTS program news links
Safe Routes to School news around the country keeps growing! Updated regularly, see our new SRTS in the News media center for the latest in local, state, and national SRTS news.
Help Grow the Partnership!
Joining the Partnership is free. Please encourage other organizations, schools, businesses, and government agencies to join the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
Funding for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership has been generously provided by the Bikes Belong Coalition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Harvest Foundation, and partner affiliates.
For more information, contact:
Deb Hubsmith, Director
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
deb@saferoutespartnership.org
www.saferoutespartnership.org
(415) 454-7430