Take Action Now
Now is an excellent time for communities to make decisions that will create environments that encourage walking and bicycling to school. This issue is particularly timely because of expected school construction and the recently approved federal funding for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs. Decisions made now will determine whether walking and bicycling to school are feasible options for children for generations to come.
Monarch Elementary School, Louisville, Colorado.
The U.S. Department of Education estimates that the U.S. student enrollment will grow by more than 1.7 million between 2000 and 2006. More than 92,000 public school facilities will be needed to accommodate that growth.[48] In addition, more than half of U.S. school facilities are at least 40 years old. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects that $100 billion to $300 billion will be spent in the next few years to bring these facilities into good teaching condition.[49] With the growing demand for new and renovated facilities, communities need to make informed decisions about implications of school construction, renovation and the importance of maintaining walking and bicycling as an option.
SAFETEA-LU: Federal Funding for Safe Routes to School
In July 2005, Congress passed federal legislation that established a national SRTS program. The program, which was signed into law in August 2005, dedicates a total of $612 million towards SRTS from 2005 to 2009. These funds are being distributed to states in proportion to the number of primary and secondary school students in the state, with no state receiving less than approximately $1 million per year.
The legislation requires each state to have a Safe Routes to School Coordinator to serve as a central point of contact for the state. Designated percentages of SRTS funds must be used for both infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure activities. Specifically, the federal SRTS program provides funds that can be used for “planning, design, and construction of infrastructure-related projects that will substantially improve the ability of students to walk and bicycle to school, on any public road or any bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail within approximately two miles of a primary or middle school,” and “non infrastructure-related activities to encourage walking and bicycling to school, including public awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community leaders, traffic education and enforcement, student training, and funding for training, volunteers, and managers of SRTS programs.” The federal SRTS program allows state, regional and local agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations to receive funds for SRTS activities.
For more information on about the federal SRTS program go to http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes and www.saferoutesinfo.org.