Since 2017, the Safe Routes Partnership has worked with community-based organizations to make park access safe, convenient, and equitable for people walking and biking. However, making changes to a sidewalk or holding one community engagement meeting is not going to have as long-term of an effect if we don't zoom out to see the whole system that created unsafe routes or inequities in the first place. That is why in 2021, after assessing the national landscape of planning and funding opportunities at the state and regional levels, we built a cohort of state agencies along with state-based local leader networks to begin applying promising practices that engage grassroots and grass tops, then assessing how they work in the field. Below is a summary of our approach and high-level take-aways.
This week, Congress is voting on a new two-year transportation bill, called MAP-21, that will make significant changes to federal transportation policy that negatively impact bicycling and walking programs. Please see our joint statement with the America Bikes coalition for information on the effec
Since Congress released their new MAP-21 Transportation Bill two weeks ago, which eliminated dedicated funding for Safe Routes to School and leaves most of the decision making for active transportation up to states and locals, people have been asking me “what’s next?”
On May 17, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approved the One Bay Area Grant program to provide $800 million more than four years to cities and counties for transportation projects.
I have been thinking a lot about how we can ensure Safe Routes to School, walking and bicycling can continue to flourish around the country in our new “MAP-21” world without dedicated funding. So I’ve pulled together a “top 10” list for how Safe Routes to School can survive and thrive.
It is back to school time in North Carolina and time for an IF/THEN deductive reasoning lesson that will make a difference for all moms, dads and kids heading back to school. Here are three important IF’s and THEN’s
One of the things I’m most excited about in my position as Bay Area policy manager is how perfectly the work fits my interest in public health. As someone who spent almost a decade working in public health policy, the shift to transportation-related policy such as working on Complete Streets was indeed a change. But in another way it wasn’t a change at all.
The Safe Routes to School Mississippi network prides itself on the ability to connect with those organizations within the state that are passionate about ridding the state of the childhood obesity epidemic.
Seeing all the bicyclists and their interactions at Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place, in my home town of Seattle, and many other places I travel makes me wonder. Is bicycling a non-electronic version of social media?
Mississippi has certainly been busy with Safe Routes to School initiatives. For starters, they have awarded a total of 39 projects representing 31 communities and 87 schools. They have also had four statewide projects. In the most recent cycles, they awarded $2.5 million involving 12 communities, 26 schools and three statewide partners. The most recent awards were announced in September 2012, which brings their total amount awarded to date to $10.9 million.
As I continue to work regionally, across two states and a federal district, I am always looking for opportunities where people are already collaborating beyond their own jurisdictional lines. The National Capital Transportation Planning Board (TPB) is the metropolitan planning organization for the Greater Washington, DC region.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this one is no exception. This is me on my 16th birthday. Yes, I asked for and was given a bicycle for my 16th birthday.
Many of the ideas presented are simple, but have immense potential to improve the overall success, health and well-being of our City’s students. This Active Design Toolkit for Schools provides ideas and resources to incorporate active design into your school.
California’s climate change legislation continues to provide opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian advocates to influence regional transportation policy and finance.
While the overwhelming majority of driving occurs within metropolitan areas, many large urban highways and arterial roads cost substantially more money to maintain than they generate in fuel taxes.
I’ve been immersed in our latest progress reports for the regional network project, and it is so easy to get lost in the minutiae of editing. But when I stop and think back upon our efforts this year, I am proud of the work of everyone involved in our regional efforts.
The first weekend of December, I joined 18 fellow citizens at the National Capital Transportation Planning Board (TPB) Community Leadership Institute (CLI). The purpose of the CLI is to learn more about how transportation decisions are made in the region and how to become more involved in the decision-making process. This was the 10th CLI since it started in 2006.
This website provides a list of different audits for various settings and environmental attributes. The general purpose of an audit is to identify concerns for pedestrians and bicyclists related to the safety, access, comfort, and convenience of the environment.
Since it has been a full six months since MAP-21 was signed into law, we are now seeing progress and decisions on the implementation of the law.
As the project progresses, it will offer more precise benchmarks and recommendations for advocates and government officials so that they have the data they need to improve bicycling and walking in the United States and eventually all of North America.