Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #149: August 2018

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Safe Routes to School August Enews:

  1. Taking Steps Toward Equitable, Safe Park Access: A Toolkit for Planning and Conducting a Safe Routes to Parks Walk Audit
  2. Shuster Proposal Sets Stage for Transportation Reauthorization
  3. Improving Arrival and Dismissal for People Walking and Biking
  4. Advocacy Improves Portland’s Transportation Plans
  5. It Doesn’t Take As Long as You’d Think!
  6. New Infographics from Mobility Lab
  7. Join the Voices Action Center
  8. What We’re Reading

1. Taking Steps Toward Equitable, Safe Park Access: A Toolkit for Planning and Conducting a Safe Routes to Parks Walk Audit

Walk audits are a great tool for creating communities where residents can participate in making their vision of healthy, safe, walkable streets real. In an effort to create walkable park access for all, a Safe Routes to Parks walk audit can bring community residents together to identify what makes their streets feel comfortable for walking to parks and open spaces and what needs to be improved. This toolkit provides information, example checklists, and other resources to hold your own Safe Routes to Parks walk audit that will help you improve safe access to parks for people walking and biking.

2. Shuster Proposal Sets Stage for Transportation Reauthorization

The House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee chair, Rep. Shuster (R-PA) has released an infrastructure discussion draft that floats ideas for solving the transportation funding shortfall. His ideas may help shape the next transportation bill—work on that will start in earnest in 2019. Learn more about the proposal and the next reauthorization in our latest federal policy blog. Also, 14 states have a good chunk of Transportation Alternatives funding to obligate before the end of September; check out our latest quarterly update to see whether your state is one of them!

3. Improving Arrival and Dismissal for People Walking and Biking

A new infobrief, Keep Calm and Carry On to School: Improving Arrival and Dismissal for Walking and Biking, provides information on how schools, districts, cities, counties, and community partners can address arrival and dismissal in school travel plans as well as other planning, policy, and programming efforts.

The infobrief includes an overview of key principles and describes specific strategies and techniques in three categories: engineering, operations and programming, and education and enforcement.

4. Advocacy Improves Portland’s Transportation Plans

In Portland, OR, Metro (the regional MPO) has been working to update its Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) to map out the region’s future investments in transportation. Unfortunately, the projects local governments submitted to the RTP did not reflect the region’s priorities on equity, safety, climate, and congestion. The Safe Routes Partnership joined with members of the Getting There Together Coalition to express concern, and as a result, Metro asked local agencies to redo their project lists. The newly updated project lists have been released, and they prioritize more transit, biking and walking projects—a clear victory for safety, mobility, and equity. Read more.

5. It Doesn’t Take As Long as You’d Think!

According to a recent study from Penn State, most people say they don’t walk or bike to work, because they don’t have time and that it would just take too long. But the same study debunks that myth! Our latest research blog postexplores why people overestimate the time it would take them to walk or bike.

6. New Infographics from Mobility Lab

Mobility Lab has created three new infographics that make connections between health, transportation, the built environment, and human behavior. Check them out!

7. Join the Voices Action Center

Voices for Healthy Kids Action Center leaders are a group of extraordinary individuals who are working in their communities to support policy change to ensure all children grow up healthy. If you are passionate about effecting change in your community and across the country, we would like to extend a special invitation to you to become a Voices for Healthy Kids Action Center leader. Sign up today.

8. What We're Reading

  • Reflections on why building quality parks is not enough – safe and equitable access is also key.
     
  • Guest blog post with America Walks looking at our 2018 State Report Cards with a deep dive into walking and walkable communities.
     
  • Article on why schools in the UK are banning car drop-offs and recommending walking, biking, and busing to school instead.