Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #23: November 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 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!
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In this issue:
1. 1st SRTS National Conference in Michigan Sold Out - November 5-7, 2007
Nearly 400 attendees currently registered!
2. SRTS Congressional Hearing A Success
Testimony sparked interest among Congressional members
3. California Busy with SRTS Efforts
AB57 signed by Governor ensures $52 million in additional state funding
4. Michigan DOT receives James L. Oberstar SRTS Award
Join us in congratulating them on this great accomplishment
5. Law Enforcement Guidebook on Decreasing School Traffic Congestion
The Urban Institute produced the report for the U.S. Department of Justice
6. New Student Tally and Parent Survey from NC for SRTS
Available on-line starting November 5: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources
7. November is PTA’s Healthy Lifestyles Month
Encouraging Health-Related Events and Activities
8. Idaho Announces SRTS Funding Awards
Idaho Awards $1.5 million in funding to 36 schools
9. Wyoming Announces SRTS Funding Awards
Wyoming Awards $1.8 million in funding to 12 projects
10. SRTS News Throughout the Country
Local and state SRTS program news links
1. 1st SRTS National Conference in Michigan Sold Out - November 5-7, 2007
Nearly 400 attendees currently registered!
The 1st Safe Routes to School National Conference is currently sold out for November 5-7 in Dearborn, MI. It is presented by the National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. Nearly 400 attendees are currently registered from national, state and local levels representing non-profits, transportation agencies, health professionals, practitioners and planners from 44 different states. The conference registration includes: more than 25 workshops, including one on the Partnership’s State Network project, an evening at The Henry Ford museum following the opening program, three inspiring plenary speakers, fabulous meals and three days of valuable networking with Safe Routes to School advocates, champions and leaders from around the country.
Conference sponsors include: Michigan Department of Transportation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, AAA Michigan, 3M, Bikes Belong Coalition, Alta Planning and Design, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, Crafco, Inc., Cycle Safe, Inc., Ruth Mott Foundation, SpeedCheck, The Reflectory and Traffic Safety Corporation.
For more information, please visit http://www.saferoutesmichigan.org/nationalconference.htm.
2. SRTS Congressional Hearing A Success
Testimony sparked interest among Congressional members
On Tuesday, October 2, 2007, Deb Hubsmith, Director, SRTS National Partnership, Lauren Marchetti, Director, National Center for SRTS, Scott Bricker, Executive Director, Bicycle Transportation Alliance (Oregon), and Lisa Koch, Coordinator, SRTS Kansas DOT, testified before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit regarding the Federal Safe Routes Program.
The Sub-Committee is chaired by Representative DeFazio from Oregon, and he asked the speakers to testify regarding their involvement and assessment of the federal SRTS program. Many thought-provoking questions were asked about SRTS issues ranging from school siting to evaluation methods. In addition, the Partnership’s Safe Routes to School: 2007 State of the States Report was provided to Sub-Committee members. The report was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is intended to serve as a progress report on the implementation of the $612 million federal SRTS program that was included by Congress in the 2005 federal transportation bill SAFETEA-LU.
You can read Chairman Oberstar’s written statements and written testimony from Deb Hubsmith and others at the Committee’s website.
3. California Busy with SRTS Efforts
AB57 signed by Governor ensures $52 million in additional state funding
On Sunday October 14, 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB57, California’s 2007 Safe Routes to School bill which was sponsored by the SRTS National Partnership. The bill enables $52 million in existing state SR2S funding to be spent after January 1, 2008 and creates a framework for state SR2S funding to be included in the state budget. It is important to note that ongoing appropriations for the state program must be considered each year as part of the state budget process. The $52 million in state legislated SR2S funds is currently available, and the deadline to apply for grants is November 16, 2007. To view the updated SR2S application and guidelines, please visit Caltrans website. During this legislative season, AB321 was also approved, providing local jurisdictions with the opportunity to reduce the speed limit to 15 miles per hour within 500 feet of school zones.
Additionally, a call for applications for the $46 million in remaining federal funds is expected to take place within the month, with a three-month window for submitting applications.
The California SRTS State Network has been thriving with input from many state and local organizations and agencies. The State Network includes approximately 25 entities, all of which are working on SRTS programs and policies. Some of the groups involved include: Caltrans, California Department of Public Health, Local Government Commission, Association of Cities, Counties, Schools Partnership, California State PTA, Kaiser Permanente, the Prevention Institute and many more.
On October 9th, the California State Network adopted a SRTS State Action Plan. This Action Plan is a “living” document, which will be modified regularly to address new opportunities. Currently, the top four SRTS Priority Focus issues named in the Action Plan include: implementation of the federal and state SRTS programs in California (a total of $120 million), school facilities planning such as school siting and joint use facilities, the Strategic Highway Safety Implementation Plan, and evaluation tools and policies. To get involved, contact Brooke Driesse.
4. Michigan DOT receives James L. Oberstar SRTS Award
Join us in congratulating them on this great accomplishment
The National Center for Safe Routes to School awarded the 2007 James L. Oberstar Award to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for the exemplary establishment of the Michigan Safe Routes to School Program. The award is named for Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN) to honor his dedication to America’s school children as the pioneer for the National Safe Routes to School Program.
State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle said that MDOT could not have achieved this recognition without the core network of state level partners working with the department. "Our most important partner from the beginning has been and continues to be the Michigan Fitness Foundation/Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness (MFF). MDOT and MFF have worked together on Safe Routes in Michigan since 2003, when MDOT funded MFF to develop Michigan’s Safe Routes to School Handbook," said Steudle.
The Michigan SRTS Program demonstrated a number of key program elements that allowed them to lay the groundwork for effective program development. MDOT first established a SRTS Handbook providing tools and guidance to schools planning SRTS strategies. Along with partner organizations and various subcontractors, MDOT is also creating a number of specialized educational modules for specific program participants such as urban and disabled children, who may face special challenges surrounding walking and bicycling to school.
For more information on the James L. Oberstar Award, please visit
http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/news_room/oberstar_award/.
5. Law Enforcement Guidebook on Decreasing School Traffic Congestion
The Urban Institute produced the report for the U.S. Department of Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) recently released a publication designed to guide law enforcement agencies on how to partner with schools, residents, and local planning agencies to reduce traffic congestion around schools. The report, Traffic Congestion Around Schools, is part of a series of policing guides that employ a problem solving approach to preventing crime and public disorder problems.
Authored by Nancy G. La Vigne of The Urban Institute, the report advises law enforcement to identify the different types of stakeholders who contribute to or are affected by traffic around schools, such as students, parents, teachers, school administrators, residents, and parking and planning agencies. Through the use of observation, surveys of parents and staff, and analysis of historical data on traffic complaints in an affected area, police can identify the underlying causes of the congestion problem. Common causes include the physical design and layout of the school and the surrounding streets, as well as the share of parents who drive their children to school. The guide proscribes a collaborative approach to reducing congestion around schools, which may entail solutions such as the rerouting of traffic, the use of incentives for car pooling, and/or the development of a "walking school bus."
For more information on other problem solving approaches to policing see The Center for Problem-Oriented Policing.
6. New Student Tally and Parent Survey from NC for SRTS
Available on-line starting November 5: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources
The National Center for Safe Routes to School has updated its student tally and parent survey data collection forms, and these will be publicly available starting on Monday, November 5 at: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources. These new evaluation tools use a “scannable” format, which will allow for the National Center for SRTS to process the forms for schools and communities and send back a report to SRTS organizers with the findings. Schools and communities participating in SRTS programs are encouraged to use these evaluation tools, so that consistent statistics can be developed regarding the effects of the SRTS program on changing behavior and attitudes.
7. November is PTA’s Healthy Lifestyles Month
Encouraging Health-Related Events and Activities
The PTA national organization developed a campaign to celebrate Healthy Lifestyles Month during the month of November in support of their year-round Health and Wellness programming. They are challenging each of their 25,000 units to plan a health-related event or activity during November. The overall goal of the proposed project is to increase grassroots participation in national program initiatives and to further awareness of the problems facing students, parents and educators in the arena of health and wellness today.
More than 5 million members of the PTA national organization are directly served by their programs. The effectiveness of the project will be evaluated by the effectiveness of the grassroots events planned during the month of November as well as the usage of the PTA’s nationally distributed Healthy Lifestyles Leader’s and Parent’s Guides.
The proposed program is aligned with the following PTA national organization priorities:
• Organize and optimize nationwide assets in health and wellness programming for improved academic results
• Develop, expand, and deliver a healthy lifestyles literacy initiative
• Use health and wellness awareness efforts to improve student achievement
For more information about the plans and the resources the PTA has developed to support their units’ work, please visit: http://www.pta.org/healthylifestyles
8. Idaho Announces SRTS Funding Awards
Idaho Awards $1.5 million in funding to 36 schools
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) recently announced the 2007 Safe Routes to School project awards for the state of Idaho. A total of $1.5 million has been allocated to infrastructure and education projects in Idaho communities, ultimately benefiting 36 of Idaho’s elementary and middle schools.
The 2007 Idaho Safe Routes to School awardees are: Ada County Highway District, City of Ammon, City of Bellevue, City of Dayton, City of Driggs, City of Coeur d´Alene, City of Grace, City of Hailey, City of Ketchum, City of Lewiston, City of New Plymouth, City of Rockland, City of Salmon, City of Sandpoint, City of Troy, Boise School District/YMCA Treasure Valley, Bonneville School District and Wood River Rideshare.
In recent news, several Idaho school districts participated in the 2007 International Bike and Walk to School Day on October 3, 2007. All five Blaine County elementary schools participated, with over 42% of the District’s 1200 students in grades 1-5 walking or bicycling to school."The kids overfilled the bike racks!" says Jim Finch, Safe Routes to School Coordinator for the Wood River Valley.
Along with school districts around Idaho, Blaine County elementary schools will
be hosting more events in the spring of 2008 to encourage walking and bicycling to school as a way of life. For more information, see the Idaho SRTS program, contact Idaho SRTS Coordinator, Josephine O’Connor or Sean McLaughlin with Mountain Rides.
9. Wyoming Announces SRTS Funding Awards
Wyoming Awards $1.8 million in funding to 12 projects
Wyoming’s DOT recently announced $1.8 million in SRTS funding awards. The 12 communities receiving funding include: Bar Nunn, Burlington, Cheyenne (2), Cowley, Green River, Laramie, Lovell, Jackson, Sheridan, Ten Sleep and Thermopolis. These communities received infrastructure funding mainly for sidewalks, with funding being used for crosswalks and lighting.
Wyoming is also using $67,500 in non-infrastructure funds to purchase bicycle helmets, crossing guard vests and promotional materials for statewide distribution. For Walk to School Day this year, Wyoming DOT purchased 3,000 water bottles and draw string backpacks that students could earn for walking or bicycling to school.
In addition to the funding of Wyoming’s 2006-2007 SRTS projects, one of Wyoming’s 2005 projects (Green River) had a ribbon cutting celebrating the completion of their 0.8 mile trail project on Saturday, October 20! The Green River pathway provides a link for elementary students attending both Truman and Harrison Elementary schools. For more information, contact Wyoming SRTS Coordinator Sara Janes.
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, 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