This week, the Safe Routes Partnership published a new report, “North Carolina: Writing the Next Chapter of Its Transportation Legacy."  The report is being released as the newest NC General Assembly convenes in R

The Safe Routes Partnership is pleased to support the For Every Kid Coalition in the Pacific Northwest region. For Every Kid is a growing coalition calling for Safe Routes to School for every kid in the Metro-area; vocal support from cities and school districts is an outcome of key partners coming together to promote the benefits and work with communities and we have been an active part of the leadership of this effort.

Local leaders agree: creating safe options to walk, bike, or ride the bus to school is critical to improving the health of kids.

If you have been following our federal transportation updates for a while, this update may sound a bit like Groundhog’s Day.  Yet again, Congress has voted to extend the MAP-21 transportation law and yet again, lack of funding is the culprit.

This summer has been a busy one for transportation.  In addition to the late June committee consideration of the DRIVE Act, both the House and Senate are moving forward on transportation.

While members of Congress have been back in their districts meeting with constituents, House transportation committee staff has been huddled in Washington working on a transportation bill. You may recall that in July, the Senate completed action on its version of the transportation bill but the House instead pushed to extend current transportation law a few more months.

Bayard Rustin, the orchestrator behind the scenes of what we hail today as the civil rights movement, once said, “We need in every bay and community a group of angelic troublemakers.”  Today, I bore witness to one of those angelic troublemakers by the name of Olatunji (Oboi) Reed, Co-Founder of Slow Roll Chicago, as he was recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a 2015 White House Transportation Champion of Change.

To increase physical activity opportunities available through schools over the long term, we need to put it in writing – through policy.

The Alliance for Biking and Walking recently released its 2016 Benchmarking Report, a biennial update on walking and biking across the United States intended to promote access to data, measure progress, support policy and advocacy efforts, and connect to health initiatives. More than half of member organizations in the Alliance for Biking and Walking are involved in Safe Routes to School efforts.

While we could only give one Hubsmith award, we were impressed by all of the dedicated individuals who were nominated for an award. We’ll be profiling each of the nominees over the next few months and look forward to lifting up great work from all around the country.

After the wrap-up of the 2016 Safe Routes to School Conference in Columbus, OH, we’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about when the next conference will take place. Thanks again to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission for hosting an informative, inspiring, and fun gathering that has generated even more interest and excitement around bringing together advocates and practitioners from across the country for information-sharing and networking.

Fired Up! That’s the best way I can describe the energy on the first day of the 3rd Safe Routes to School National Conference, which is being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. About 600 people from nearly every state in the US came here seeking to learn, share and build connections so that they can go home with new tools to improve their communities, making them safer for kids to walk and bike – improving health, communities and the environment.

With Congress in recess this week, we have a short breather. So I’m taking this opportunity to bring you up to speed on where things stand on the transportation bill. The past three weeks have been action-packed—and there’s more to come next week and beyond.

Hi, my name is Kathy Cooke, and I'm network coordinator for the Safe Routes Partnership! Even though I battle daily to get my two sons to put on a jacket or long pants during Portland's rainier months, I've found ways to make sure other "systems" are in place that help them get safely to and from school. We have tools at the ready to fix their bike brakes or pump air in their tires.

Please note that the Request to Host for the 2013 Safe Routes to School National Conference was not released on April 16 as stated below. Stay tuned as we will send it out as soon as possible!

As I learn more about the communities in the Greater Washington, DC region, I am learning about the unique approaches and challenges to increasing walking and bicycling in each community. For example, some schools do not allow kids to walk or bicycle to school.

From Bicycling Magazine to NPR's Talk of the Nation, the topic of Safe Routes to School is in the headings and creating a national conversation!