The first Ohio network meeting was held on Tuesday, June 19 at the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Central Office, to kick off the Safe Routes Partnership’s efforts in Ohio.

How can we better promote walking and bicycling to school among girls? Studies show that the odds of walking and bicycling to school are 40 percent lower in girls than in boys (Giles-Corti et al, 2011;

Physical activity has been central in my life since I learned to run and ride a bike as a kid. Though my career military parents moved my family often, they always prioritized living near a neighborhood school so that my sisters and I could walk or bicycle.

School is in session, and getting students to and from home in a safe, timely manner is essential to a healthy learning environment. Students grow, learn and eventually graduate from one school to another. In Gahanna, Ohio the students are growing and maturing, as is the Safe Routes to School program.

THE TREE TRUNK

Next week, the City of Long Beach will host Pro Walk Pro Bike, a multiday conference that will bring together advocates from across the country.

Advocates for Safe Routes to School and active transportation have long recognized the health impacts of our transportation system. The transportation decisions we make – or worse, the opportunities many people lack because of barriers in the built environment – can have beneficial or detrimental effects on our health. During an inspiring week at the Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro

We frequently hear about successful programs getting more youth bicycling and walking to school. But behind those programs are one or more dedicated people, often teachers that make it happen. Pat Davidson is one of them.

October is such a great time of year.Everywhere I look lately, no matter what city or town I am visiting, I see more children and families walking and bicycling to school, the park, other destinations and just for fun.  

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, was formed in 2005 as a response to the dramatic increase in prevalence of childhood obesity across the nation.

The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a region’s approved list of specific transportation projects mandated by federal law. It serves as a multi-year financial schedule for obligating federal funds to state and local transportation projects. The TIP contains funding information for all modes of transportation including bicycle and pedestrian projects.

I recently had the privilege of speaking at the Fairfax County Bike Summit. It was the first Bike Summit in the county. Fairfax County has come a long way through the work of the Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling.

Florida has had great success with Safe Routes to School under SAFETEA-LU, with more than 235 applications ($68.8 million) being funded. The average Safe Routes to School project funded was $292,766. There has been a call for infrastructure applications each fall through spring. Spring 2012 ended the 6^th call for projects. These projects will be in the 2017 work program. The average return on these projects was an increase of 22 percent of children walking to and from school. The program works!

There are a number of exciting Safe Routes to Schools initiatives taking place around the state of Mississippi and the momentum continues. The Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School program has opened up its fourth funding cycle.