Safe Routes to School E-News

Issue #17: May 2007

Safe Routes to school E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes to School Partnership, a growing network of more than 280 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.

Don’t miss the 1st Safe Routes to School National Conference: Creating, Building and Sustaining Momentum, November 5-7-2007. Sign up at: http://www.saferoutesmichigan.org/nationalconference.htm.

To receive future issues of E-News, email kathy@saferoutespartnership.org.

In this issue:

1. Call for Steering Committee Nominations for SRTS National Partnership
Nominations must be emailed to kathy@saferoutespartnership.org by June 25, 2007

2. National Governors Association Addresses School Siting, SRTS Policies
"Integrating Schools into Healthy Community Design" issue brief available at www.nga.org/center/healthycomm

3. Seeking SRTS Success Stories
Send news of your local or state program for our future website

4. SRTS National Partnership State Network Project Update
State Organizer Kick-Off meeting takes place this month in Denver

5. Giant Bicycle and The Biking Solution Bring Special Safe Routes Bikes to 28 Dealers Nationwide
Sales will benefit the SRTS National Partnership

6. SRTS News Around the Country
Local and state SRTS program news links

7. Montana SRTS Program Hosts Training and Fields First Applications
Collaboration takes place between the DOT and Department of Health Services

8. Kentucky SRTS Program Fields 70 Applications
More than $10 million in funding requests received

9. 2007 Richard Riley Award Open for Submissions from Schools
Entries accepted online at www.richardrileyaward.org until July 9, 2007.

10. SRTS National Partnership Requesting Donations for 2007 Projects
Donations of any size are gratefully accepted and tax-deductible

1. Call for Steering Committee Nominations for SRTS National Partnership
Nominations must be emailed to kathy@saferoutespartnership.org by June 25, 2007

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (the Partnership) is accepting nominations for several Steering Committee positions from organizations representing the perspectives listed below. Each organization that holds a seat on the Steering Committee must appoint an individual representative to serve on behalf of his or her organization.

  • National bicycle group - one seat*
  • National group representing bicyclists and/or pedestrians - one seat*
  • National group representing transportation professionals - one seat
  • National group providing at-large representation - one seat
  • State or local bicycle and/or pedestrian group - one seat*
  • State or local health group - one seat
  • State or local at large seat - one seat*

*Denotes seat with an incumbent running.

Additional information, including the Call for Nominations and Nomination Form, is available at http://bikesbelong.org/page.cfm?PageID=406. Please complete the nomination form within the actual document by tabbing through the fields. Send this completed form and required attachments via email to kathy@saferoutespartnership.org by June 25, 2007.

2. National Governors Association Addresses School Siting, SRTS Policies
"Integrating Schools into Healthy Community Design" issue brief available at www.nga.org/center/healthycomm

The National Governors Association (NGA) has published an issue brief that examines state policies on school siting, school construction financing, and Safe Routes to School programs, focusing on how policies can benefit communities, improve children’s health, and reduce the need for infrastructure expansion.

Recognizing the benefits of past school development patterns, states are undertaking efforts to integrate school facilities into the broader community planning process. They are encouraging the siting of new schools near population centers and are promoting renovation and expansion of existing facilities to conserve land and to reduce infrastructure costs. These efforts, along with programs such as Safe Routes to School, are helping to make it safer and more convenient for children to walk or bicycle to school and to be engaged in routine physical activity.

Specific strategies that states are using include:

  • reducing or eliminating minimum acreage requirements for schools; 
  • revising school funding formulas to promote renovation or expansion of existing sites; 
  • requiring that schools be located in areas designated for growth that already have sufficient existing infrastructure to support school facilities; and 
  • creating, funding, promoting, and implementing Safe Routes to School programs.

To read the complete issue brief, please go to www.nga.org/center/healthycomm.

3. Seeking SRTS Success Stories
Send news of your local or state program for our future website

Coming this summer, the new Safe Routes to School National Partnership website (www.saferoutespartnership.org) will be an important information tool for organizations, cities, schools and individuals looking to build SRTS programs at the local and state levels. The website’s available resources will include success stories, best practices, policy examples, and case studies. You can help us build this library of resources by providing examples of your local SRTS success stories.

To outline your summary, please complete our short success story questionnaire. Cut and paste the questions into an email and provide your answers to SRTS National Partnership Program Associate Kathy Gutowsky at kathy@saferoutespartnership.org. Thanks for sharing your work, so that others don’t have to reinvent the wheel!

4. SRTS National Partnership State Network Project Update
State Organizer Kick-Off meeting takes place this month in Denver

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is pleased to announce that eight outstanding individuals and organizations have been selected to initiate the new Safe Routes to School State Network Implementation Project.

BikeWalk Virginia/Stephanie Smith
Be Active New York State/Justin Booth
California Walks/Wendy Alfsen
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation/Melody Geraci
Georgia Bikes!/David Crites
Kentucky Rails to Trails Council/Cheryl Wyatt
Texas Bicycle Coalition Education Fund/Fernando Martinez
Washington Area Bicyclist Association/Glen Harrison

These new State Network Organizers are preparing to convene in Denver, Colorado in May to begin strategic planning and team building, and building partnerships with Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School state coordinators during their annual meeting. The Network Organizers’ first assignments will be to assemble a diverse network of stakeholder groups, agencies, and leaders. They will lead a process to develop a Safe Routes to School action plans for their state networks that will result in:

  • more children walking and bicycling to schools;
  • full obligation of their states’ federal funds;
  • and policy changes that will remove barriers and increase funds for walking and bicycling to schools.

We are very excited to be working with such a great group of organizations and people! The Partnership is still looking for qualified candidates in Oklahoma and Louisiana. The contract position is for 10 hours/week through December 15, 2009. If you know of a promising organization and/or individual, please contact Robert Ping at: 503.289.0441 or robert@saferoutespartnership.org.

5. Giant Bicycle and The Biking Solution Bring Special Edition Safe Routes Bikes to 28 Dealers Nationwide
Sales will benefit the SRTS National Partnership

Giant Bicycle, Inc., The Biking Solution , and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership have joined forces to create a Special Edition Cypress DX bicycle that sports key features highlighting the Safe Routes to School program. For every Special Edition Cypress DX sold, $20 will be donated to the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.

The Safe Routes to School Giant bicycle will be available for a limited time in a wide range of sizes and in both men’s and women’s models. Beginning May 11, the bicycles can be purchased only through Giant bicycle retailers partnered with The Biking Solution.

See the complete press release for a list of retailers and photos of the bicycle.

6. SRTS News Around the Country
Local and state SRTS program news links

Safe Routes to School news around the county keeps growing! Here’s a sampling of the latest in local and state SRTS program news:

Marin County, California "Bridges" Safe Routes to School

Gilbert, Arizona Roads Get $36,000 SRTS Makeover

Sidewalk Work Begins for Schools in Boone County, Ohio

Massachusetts’ Communities Tout Benefits of Walking School Buses

2007 Tour de Montclair, New Jersey Features Safe Routes Theme

Louisiana Community Gets SRTS Funding for sidewalks, Walking School Bus, and "Roadrunner" Program

Quincy, Illinois Parents Share Safe Routes Safety Concerns

South Carolina Announces Applications; Requires SRTS Preliminary Workshop

7. Montana SRTS Program Hosts Training and Fields First Applications
Collaboration takes place between the DOT and Department of Health Services

A collaborative effort between the Montana Safe Routes to School Program and the Montana Department of Health and Human Services’ Nutrition and Physical Activity Program (NAPA) brought walkability expert Mark Fenton to Shelby, Montana last month. Fenton facilitated a training focused on safe walking and bicycling strategies for rural communities. Various members of the community, including educators, law enforcement, and government officials took part, including Shelby Mayor Larry Bonderud who spearheaded an effort to build a six-mile walking/bicycling trail around the city to promote active lifestyles.

"The Safe Routes to School workshop was invaluable in identifying practical, workable solutions, many within city finance capabilities," said Lorette Carter, Shelby community development director. "Small communities such as Shelby have an advantage in forming strong partnerships in moving a project forward like Safe Routes to School."

Montana’s SRTS program is currently reviewing the first round of funding applications.
For more information on the Montana SRTS program, contact Montana SRTS Coordinator Virginia Summey at vsummey-hmhb@qwest.net or visit www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/saferoutes/.

8. Kentucky SRTS Program Fields 70 Applications
More than $10 million in funding requests received

The Kentucky Safe Routes to School Program closed their second call for applications on March 15th. Local government agencies as well as local school boards throughout the Commonwealth submitted 70 applications to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The amount of SRTS funds requested for this cycle totaled more than $10 million for $2 million that was available.

Local agencies submitted applications for both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects to help promote walking and biking to and from school, and to help make improvements to make it safe to walk and bike. The funding requests ranged from just over $11,000 to $250,000. Some of the activities outlined in the applications included: construction of bike lanes, sidewalk improvements, media and outreach campaigns, and funding to hold bike rodeos in local communities for children.

The Cabinet plans to make funding announcements throughout the summer. For more information on the Kentucky Safe Routes to School Program, please visit www.saferouteskentucky.com.

9. 2007 Richard Riley Award Open for Submissions from Schools
Entries accepted online at www.richardrileyaward.org until July 9, 2007.

The American Architectural Foundation, in partnership with KnowledgeWorks Foundation, is please to announce the 2007 Richard Riley Award. This annual award recognizes design and educational excellence in "schools as centers of community." Sometimes referred to as "community learning centers," schools that serve as centers of a community provide a rich array of social, civic, recreational, and artistic opportunities to the broader community and to students, often clustering educational and municipal buildings together. These additional services and opportunities can improve student achievement and help maximize local tax dollars.

The winning school will receive a $10,000 prize and representatives will be invited to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony where former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley will present the award. All public schools, including charter schools, are eligible to submit entries. Entries will be accepted online from until July 9, 2007.

For more information, please visit www.richardrileyaward.org or contact Joyce Tsepas at jtsepas@archfoundation.org.

10. SRTS National Partnership Requesting Donations for 2007 Projects
Donations of any size are gratefully accepted and tax-deductible

The SRTS National Partnership has ambitious plans for 2007, and we hope that you will consider supporting these efforts with tax-deductible donations. We’re in the midst of implementing a State Network Project that will take the SRTS movement to a whole new level. Our ambitious plans for 2007 include:

  • Developing a new website at saferoutespartnership.org with pages and updates for all 50 states, including relevant state and local links, to share best practices, success stories, and contacts;
  • Publishing a primer for how to create a SRTS State Network to bring together state leaders to advance SRTS policy goals in all 50 states;
  • Analyzing resources (needed and available) for SRTS program implementation in urban and rural areas, and for children with disabilities;
  • Creating and releasing a report evaluating progress on the federal SRTS program with recommendations for future action, and distributing the report to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Congressional members, and the public.

Tax-deductible donations of any size can be sent to Bikes Belong Foundation (our host agency for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership). Be sure to write "Safe Routes to School" or "SRTS" in the memo field on your check. Please mail donations to: Bikes Belong Foundation, P.O. Box 2359, Boulder, CO 80306. Thank you for your consideration.


Help Grow the Partnership!

Joining the Partnership is free. Please encourage other organizations, schools, businesses, and government agencies to affiliate with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership at Bikes Belong.

Funding for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership has been generously provided by the Bikes Belong Coalition, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and partner affiliates.

For more information, contact:
Deb Hubsmith, Coordinator
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
deb@saferoutespartnership.org
www.saferoutespartnership.org
(415) 454-7430