Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #122: April 2016
Safe Routes to School E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes Partnership (Safe Routes Partnership). Our mission is to advance safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.
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- Safe Routes to School Conference Kicks Off Next Week
- The Latest from Capitol Hill
- Join the Next #MoveEquity Tweetchat during Anti-Street Harassment Week
- Safe Routes to School List Serve Moves to Google Groups
- Take a Survey About YOUR Safe Routes to School Program
- Benchmarking Our Progress in Walking and Biking: How Are We Doing?
- Two Easy Ways to Support the Safe Routes Partnership
- Better Bike Shre Conference
- Marathon Kids Partnership
- News from the Field
- Highlighted Blogs
1. Safe Routes to School Conference Kicks Off Next Week
The fifth Safe Routes to School National Conference kicks off in Columbus, Ohio next Tuesday! We are thrilled to connect with hundreds of advocates, practitioners, and champions for healthy, active kids and communities. If you can’t be there in person, follow the action with #Intersections2016 on social media.
2. The Latest from Capitol Hill
Measuring bicycle and pedestrian safety: USDOT says it matters
The US Department of Transportation has released a new safety performance measure that requires states to set targets each year for reducing deaths and injuries--including for non-motorized users. Read our new federal policy blog to get a better understanding about how the rule works, and how it can help influence the spending of billions of dollars for safety.
And, we have released our new quarterly tracking of state usage of the Transportation Alternatives Program and the Safe Routes to School program. See how your state is doing!
3. Join the Next #MoveEquity Tweetchat during Anti-Street Harassment Week
On April 13 at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern, join us for a Tweetchat to discuss the challenges and threats that youth might face on the way to and from school, particularly girls, people of color, and the LGBTQ community, and what communities can do to ensure that everyone is safe and protected on the street. Follow #MoveEquity to follow the conversation and join in.
4. Safe Routes to School List Serve Moves to Google Groups
Are you a member of the new Safe Routes to School discussion group on Google Groups? This email forum is open to anyone who is interested in engaging in discussions or seeking insight and advice on issues related to Safe Routes to School and active transportation. If you have an existing Google account, click here to join the group. If not, email margaux@saferoutespartnership.org to be added.
5. Take a Survey About YOUR Safe Routes to School Program
We are seeking information about how you plan, staff and sustain YOUR Safe Routes to School program. This survey will help us understand and share ways communities implement their programs, and help all communities provide safer connections for students walking and biking to and from school. The survey should take less than 15 minutes. Please complete by Friday, April 15, 2016. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SRTSNPSurvey
6. Benchmarking Our Progress in Walking and Biking: How Are We Doing?
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. The report also identifies Safe Routes to School programming as one of the key “input” benchmarks shown to influence walking, bicycling, health, and safety. For active transportation advocates, the full document is a must-read, but we’ll summarize the highlights most pertinent to Safe Routes to School here.
7. Two Easy Ways to Support the Safe Routes Partnership
Amazon Smile
When you shop at Amazon Smile, Amazon donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price to the National partnership to support walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School! Bookmark this link and support us when you shop.
Fitivities and Skillastics Sales in April Benefit the Safe Routes Partnership
A big shout out (or a big THANK YOU) to Fitivities & Skillastics! If you purchase one of these games (see discount below) they will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Safe Routes Partnership!
- Use code: SRTS16 (valid April 1, 2016-June 30, 2016)
- Fitivities discount $5.00 off
- Fitness, Fitness Xtreme, BeFit4 Winter, Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball and Tennis Skillastics=$10.00 off
- Character is Cool Let’s Move in School and STEM Skillastics=$15.00 off
- Fitivities purchases have to be on Fitivities website – not Amazon.
- Skillastics purchases can be either Skillastics website, phone order, or PO.
8. Better Bike Share Conference
Join more than 100 of your peers for the Better Bike Share Conference in Philadelphia from June 22-24. This conference is for city officials, bike share operators, community-based organizations and nonprofits working at the intersection of transportation and equity. If you’re looking for inspiring speakers, tangible takeaways, and productive conversations with others in the field, this conference is for you. Register here: www.bikeshareconference.org
9. Safe Routes Partnership and Marathon Kids Launch Partnership to Combat Physical Inactivity Epidemic
With this partnership, Marathon Kids and the Safe Routes Partnership will provide two distinct opportunities for schools across the country to help their students get running in 2016: the Active Schools Fundraising campaign and the Fire Up Your Feet Marathon Kids Run/Jog Challenge Awards. Click to view press release.
10. News from the Field
CalTrans is set to issue its third call for projects for the Active Transportation Program (ATP) this month. The ATP consolidates federal and state transportation funds for bicycling and walking, making the total amount of available funds one of the largest in the nation. In this cycle, it is estimated that $240 million will be available for winning projects. Previous ATP cycles have garnered more than $1 billion in total requests which demonstrates the demand for funding for active transportation infrastructure. The Safe Routes Partnership’s California policy staff have been working diligently to provide recommendations on the revised grant guidelines and have assisted CalTrans in hosting a number of workshops over the past couple of months. On Wednesday, April 13, the Safe Routes Partnership will host its own informational workshop to provide potential applicants with guidance and insight on how to compete well. More information is available here.
11. Highlighted Blogs
Safe Routes Partnership and Marathon Kids Launch Partnership to Combat Physical Inactivity Epidemic
New Ways to Earn Cash Awards to Support Active Schools with Fire Up Your Feet