Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #145: March 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 March Enews:
- White House Releases Backwards Infrastructure Package and Spending Priorities
- Join Our Active Transportation Networks
- Grow Walking and Biking at your School
- Columbus, Ohio Safe Routes to School Partners with Community Initiatives
- Newton, MA Advocates for High Schools and SRTS in School Design
- #MoveEquity Tweetchat: Transportation Equity for Women
- Free Webinar: Safe Routes to Healthy Food
White House Releases Backwards Infrastructure Package and Spending Priorities
In mid-February, the White House released its infrastructure package, which proposes to invest $200 billion over 10 years in a wide range of infrastructure projects. Unfortunately, the proposal over-emphasizes the role of private investment and undercuts transparency. And the accompanying budget proposal would slash the TIGER program, new transit projects, and Amtrak. This is not a trade that we’re willing to make. Learn more in our latest federal update.
Join Our Active Transportation Networks
The Safe Routes Partnership facilitates quarterly regional active transportation networks (ATNs) in several locations throughout the West Coast as part of our Regional Network Project. These ATNs serve as an informational hub for community based organizations and public agencies to share information on best practices and upcoming funding competitions, to network, and to engage in increasing active transportation investments and policy.
- In Southern California, in partnership with local agencies, we co-lead ATNs in San Bernardino, Orange, and Riverside counties. To participate in any of these networks, please contact demi@saferoutespartnership.org.
- In Northern California, we have an ATN for the San Francisco Bay area and are in the process of creating one or more for the Central Valley, focusing on the counties of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Fresno. To join any of these networks, please contact marty@saferoutespartnership.org.
- In the Pacific Northwest, we are exploring what configuration of networks will work best for the greater Portland, Salem-Keizer, and Eugene-Springfield areas in Oregon, and Clark County in southwest Washington. To join any of these networks, please contact kari@saferoutespartnership.org or becky@saferoutespartnership.org.
If you are working on Safe Routes to School, active transportation, or healthy communities in any of these locations, we hope to see you at our next network meeting!
Grow Walking and Biking at your School
Grow walking and biking at your school this month with resources from the Safe Routes Partnership. Use Let's Go For A Walk: A Toolkit for Planning and Conducting a Walk Audit to assess safe routes to and around your school and neighborhood. Have fun and walk with others at the same time! Look through the Step In to a Walking School Bus Program Handout for ideas on organizing a walking school bus. For detailed information on creating a program at your school, reference Step By Step: How to Start a Walking School Bus At Your School. Have questions or need support on developing your walking school bus or Safe Routes to School program? Visit our free office hours Thursday 12-1pm PST, call or email Hannah@saferoutespartnership.org or 619.729.7318
Safe Routes to Parks Action Program Update
We're excited to share progress on our new Safe Routes to Parks Action Program. The Safe Routes to Parks program will allow us to provide a grant and in depth technical assistance to 10 communities this year to assist communities in planning and implementation around Safe Routes to Parks. The application for our first cohort of grantees closed on Friday, 2/23. We were delighted to receive 88 applications from 26 states. We saw a particularly strong showing of applications from California, Oregon, and Ohio - states that have had Safe Routes Partnership field staff. We received a healthy mix of applications from organizations we are familiar with or already partner with and many that are new to us. We will be reviewing the applications and announcing the awardees in mid-March.
Columbus, Ohio Safe Routes to School Partners with Community Initiative
Safe Routes to School in Columbus has expanded efforts significantly through partnering with a new local community initiative - the YMCA of Central Ohio Americorps program, Community Corps Linden. It is exciting to see Safe Routes to School at work at so many different levels. Read more about how SRTS has integrated itself into the community of Columbus.
Newton, MA Advocates for High Schools and SRTS in School Design
With the help of a big push from students, parents and staff, there is support to do more Safe Routes to School work at the high school level in Newton, so that everyone can arrive safely to school, no matter which mode of travel they choose. Also, because of the tireless efforts of SRTS advocates the design for the rebuilding of a local elementary school was not only more walkable and bikeable, it also saved the district $400k! Keep reading to learn more about their inspiring efforts.
Transportation Equity for Women: Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going
Host: @SafeRoutesNow
It’s women's history month! Let’s celebrate the greatness that women and girls contribute to our communities and our movement while we also tackle the barriers we continue to experience every day. Use the hashtag #MoveEquity to follow the conversation on Twitter and share your stories and resources.
• WHAT: #MoveEquity Tweetchat
• DATE: March 21, 2018
• TIME: 10:00 a.m. Pacific / 1:00 p.m. Eastern
• WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #MoveEquity
Free Webinar: Safe Routes to Healthy Food
Join us on March 22 at 12pm PT/3pm ET
In too many neighborhoods, local stores carry no fresh produce or other healthy options, but getting to healthy foods is dangerous and inconvenient due to unsafe walking conditions and lack of access to public transit or private vehicles. Almost 20 percent of people in the United States experience significant transportation barriers to accessing healthy foods. Cities, towns, and counties have a variety of policies and strategies available to help overcome those transportation barriers by promoting walkable, bikeable, transit-accessible food access. This webinar will share policies and strategies that take into consideration the route, travel mode, and the destination to improve safe, convenient, active transportation to healthy food options, a concept known as Safe Routes to Healthy Food. The webinar will feature communities sharing the policies and plans they have put into place to create or strengthen the transportation connections between neighborhoods and grocery stores. Register here.