Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #148: July 2018
Safe Routes to School E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes Partnership. We are also on Facebook and Twitter. Join us!
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Safe Routes to School July Enews:
- How Does Your State Score on Support for Walking, Biking, and Active Kids and Communities in 2018?
- New Resource: Incorporating Equity into Safe Routes to Parks
- Join our #MoveEquity Tweetchat on July 25: Equitable Access to Quality Parks
- Federal Policy Update: State Report Cards are a Tool to Improve Your State’s TAP
- Free Webinar on July 24: Safe Routes to School during Parks and Recreation Month!
- Shaping Transportation Options in Central Valley
- New Infobrief: Engaging Students with Disabilities in Safe Routes to School
- A Lifetime of Discovery with the National Recreation and Parks Association
- Summer Events with PeopleForBikes
1. How Does Your State Score on Support for Walking, Biking, and Active Kids and Communities in 2018?
The Safe Routes Partnership and the Y have released Making Strides: 2018 State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Bicycling, and Active Kids and Communities, a report that helps state leaders and decision makers prioritize transportation investments, resources, and policies that support walkable communities.
The rankings show that there is enormous opportunity for states to enact new, health-promoting, evidence-based policies—and strengthen existing ones that will benefit our communities. The report finds that a majority of the states rank in the middle categories of “Warming Up” and “Making Strides,” with only two states ranking in the highest category of “Building Speed,” and three states ranking as “Lacing Up,” the lowest category.
Click here to explore the report, fact sheets guides to using the information, and detailed maps showing each state’s status and progress across various indicators of support.
2. New Resource: Incorporating Equity into Safe Routes to Parks
Incorporating Equity into Safe Routes to Parks is a webinar recording that organizations can watch to learn how to assess and develop their capacity to do equity work. It then offers actionable steps to take to ensure equity is part of creating safe access to parks. While the content focuses on park access, active transportation advocates and Safe Routes to School practitioners can apply the same principles to other important community destinations. This webinar was offered as a training through our Safe Routes to Parks Activating Communities program.
3. Join our #MoveEquity Tweetchat on July 25: Equitable Access to Quality Parks
Parks help people be physically active, enjoy the outdoors, and connect with their neighbors. But what about places where parks are inconvenient to get to, run down or unsafe, or don’t exist at all? During this #MoveEquity tweetchat, we’ll discuss the importance of making sure that parks are accessible to people who bike, walk, and take transit, ideas for bringing pop-up and temporary parks to places that lack parks and natural spaces, and creative and collaborative ways communities have worked with neighbors to improve local parks and park access.
When: July 25 at 2:00pm ET
Where: On Twitter with hashtag #MoveEquity
4. Federal Policy Update: State Report Cards are a Tool to Improve Your State’s TAP
Hopefully you’ve seen our 2018 Making Strides State Report Cards. The funding section examines your state’s scores for how it makes use of the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) to support biking, walking and Safe Routes to School. Check out this month’s federal policy blog for profiles of two states and how they’ve changed in two years, and ideas for how you can push for change in your state.
5. Free Webinar on July 24: Safe Routes to School during Parks and Recreation Month!
It’s Parks and Recreation Month! What does that mean for Safe Routes to School practitioners and active transportation advocates? Join our webinar on July 24 at 2:00pm ET to learn how improving safe access to parks aligns with and can strengthen Safe Routes to School and active transportation advocacy efforts. It will feature the innovative Schools on Trails program from Anchorage, Alaska, which connects Anchorage schools to local parks and outdoor spaces and how the New Bedford, Massachusetts Department of Parks, Recreation, and Beaches has used the Safe Routes to Parks Action Framework to engage the community in its park access improvement efforts. Participants will also learn about new resources and upcoming funding opportunities to work toward walkable, bikeable park access. Register here.
6. Shaping Transportation Options in Central Valley
The inland Central Valley in California faces high transportation and housing costs, which puts financial stress on families. Learn more about our work with key Central Valley partners to try and shape the regional transportation plans in 3 Central Valley counties towards more affordable, healthy and safe options.
7. New Infobrief: Engaging Students with Disabilities in Safe Routes to School
Equity is a core principal of Safe Routes to School. How do we best ensure all types of walkers, riders, and rollers are provided access through Safe Routes to School? A new infobrief, Engaging Students with Disabilities in Safe Routes to School, provides information for Safe Routes to School staff, volunteers, or program leaders on how to plan and develop a program that considers and meets the needs of students with disabilities. This infobrief describes the benefits of Safe Routes to School for students with disabilities, strategies for including students with disabilities within the six E's of Safe Routes to School, important components of inclusive Safe Routes to School programming, considerations for students with different kinds of disabilities, and ways to partner and build your resources.
8. A Lifetime of Discovery with the National Recreation and Parks Association
This July, celebrate A Lifetime of Discovery with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) for Park and Recreation Month! NRPA challenges you to redefine how you think about your local parks and rec and explore the many “undiscovered” offerings — like science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programming, senior programs, innovative health and wellness opportunities, flood mitigation, and so much more! You can celebrate by heading out to your favorite local park, rec center or pool during July and sharing photos via social media using #DiscoverJuly. You can learn more about how to get involved by visiting NRPA’s website.
9. Summer Events with PeopleForBikes
Planning an open streets event or community bike ride? Spread the word with PeopleForBikes' Get Local calendar! PeopleForBikes is uniting millions of individuals, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities to make better bike riding for everyone. When people ride bikes, great things happen.