Safe Routes Matters, May/June 2009

In this Issue:

SRTS National Conference Early Registration ends June 15

The National SRTS Conference will be in Portland, Oregon, August 19–21, 2009

Register today for the Safe Routes to School National Conference August 19–21, 2009 in beautiful, bicycle-friendly Portland, Oregon, and take advantage of the early registration rate of $300, which was extended to June 15. Please go to www.saferoutesconference.org to register and to see the full program.

Keynote speakers confirmed for the conference include:

  • Howard Frumkin, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
  • Richard Jackson, UCLA Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences
  • Larry Seltzer, The Conservation Fund, President/CEO
  • Loel Solomon, Kaiser Permanente, Community Benefit Fund
  • And more

Whether you are a local practitioner, transportation planner, advocate, school official, engineer, parent, health professional, researcher, non-profit partner, or with law enforcement, this conference will provide valuable information for propelling your Safe Routes to School work to the next level. You can view the conference program at www.saferoutesconference.org/conference.php.

Exhibitor spaces are still available. Go to http://www.saferoutesconference.org/sponsors.php to see exhibitor information.

Spring 2009 SRTS Program Tracking Brief now available

During the first quarter (January–March) of 2009, the National Safe Routes to School Program continued to grow. The amount of SRTS funding announced during the first quarter of 2009 was $23.4 million, bringing the total funding states have announced to $355.2 million. State SRTS programs have awarded funding to 5,224 schools or local programs, up from 4,566 at the end of 2008. See the full tracking brief at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/tracking-reports.cfm.

NCSRTS issues call for 2009 Oberstar Award applications

The National Center for Safe Routes to School is now accepting applications for the 2009 James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2009. To access the award application and criteria, please visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/oberstar.

The Oberstar Award is given annually by the National Center for Safe Routes to School to an exemplary Safe Routes to School program in the United States. The 2009 Oberstar Award will recognize outstanding achievement by a school or community in conducting a SRTS program that benefited from the Federal SRTS funding awarded by its State. The Award specifically will recognize a school with a Safe Routes to School program that has achieved success while overcoming challenges in implementing and/or sustaining the program.

"We realize that programs with outstanding achievements have had to find ways to address local challenges," says Lauren Marchetti, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School. "We want to recognize current issues affecting our schoolchildren and how schools are dealing with these issues. We ask the applicants to describe how Safe Routes to School addressed any type of adversity or challenge — in their own terms and within the realities of their own environments."

The award is named for Congressman Oberstar (D-MN) to honor his dedication to American schoolchildren as the pioneer for the National Safe Routes to School Program. Oberstar, current Chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, sponsored the Safe Routes to School legislation that strives to create safe settings to enable more parents and children to walk and bicycle to school.

States have announced funding for more than 5,200 schools and communities throughout the U.S. to conduct Safe Routes to School programs as a way to meet the challenges posed by safety, health and environmental concerns. Please pass along this call for applications to Safe Routes to School programs in your community. www.saferoutesinfo.org/oberstar.

Create online account to collect Parent Surveys and Student Tallies

The NCSRTS has received 180,000 Parent Surveys

The National Center for Safe Routes to School continues enabling local SRTS coordinators to input data directly into an online system. Go to www.saferoutesinfo.org/data/ to view instructions on how to create an account (with a simple user name and password) and collect and enter data. Coming soon: an online version of the Parent Survey that will allow individuals within a program to fill out the forms online.

NCSRTS staff also has updated the look of the Parent Survey and Student Tally Sheet data collection forms to optimize the process of scanning and digitizing the information. The National Center for Safe Routes to School has received data from 2,534 schools in 49 states, including 34,000 Student Tallies and 180,000 Parent Surveys. Go to www.saferoutesinfo.org/data to download forms or access the online system.

New tip sheet from NCSRTS — "Engaging Middle School Students in SRTS Programs"

A new tip sheet from the NCSRTS helps Safe Routes to School leaders address the challenges of organizing walking and bicycling programs at middle schools. The new resource offers ideas on engaging middle school-age students in Safe Routes to School by recognizing and building upon the typical attributes of middle school students, including their desire for self-expression and self-determination and their expanded awareness of social, cultural, and environmental issues. Download the tip sheet "Engaging Middle School Students in Safe Routes to School Programs".

NCSRTS compiles summary of tools for assessing walking and bicycling routes

Staff from the National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center collaborated in developing, "Assessing Walking and Bicycling Routes: A Selection of Tools." This new tip sheet compiles many tools that have been created to assist community members, transportation professionals and others who might be involved in planning for safe walking and bicycling travel for children. The tools included in the tip sheet represent the most common questions addressed in an assessment. The tools are organized by largest scope (school zone) to most focused location (intersection). All tools are downloadable from the SRTS Online Library. Download the tip sheet.

SRTS Snapshot: Windsor, Vermont

Parent volunteers lead Walking School Buses forward

Students head for school at State Street School in Windsor, Vermont, via a walking schoolbus

Safe Routes to School coordinators at State Street School listened to parents while developing a program anchored by walking school buses that addresses worries about safety of children walking and bicycling to school.

Results from the locally administered parent survey showed that parents� biggest barrier was fear of stranger danger and traffic speed, according to physical education teacher Donna Ewald, who spearheaded the SRTS effort. Creating walking school buses provided adult supervision for students walking to school.

"It was really parent-driven," Ewald said. "They weren't ready to have their kids walk to school on their own."

In July 2006, the school received an $18,000 non-infrastructure grant for encouragement and education efforts that paid for a consultant and incentive prizes. This grant was administered by Mt. Ascutney Hospital, which has a continuing outreach program on community health and fitness. In October 2007, the Town of Windsor and State School were awarded $200,400 for infrastructure to fix sidewalks and install radar speed feedback signs.

After receiving the grant in 2006, SRTS organizers held a meeting where parents looked at mapping routes and creating walking school buses. In some cases, neighbors met neighbors for the first time, and students learned which of their friends lived nearby. Six walking school buses were created to walk to school on Wednesdays, and two others also walked on other days when possible. Students wore safety vests, and the Windsor Police Department assisted with speed enforcement, used its radar speed cart and enforced crosswalk laws. In addition, "Slow down, kids walking" temporary signs raised driver awareness about walkers.

A drop-off location serves children who live too far away to walk from home. SRTS organizers are currently researching the issues related to having buses drop students there once a week.

In the first year of the program, the percentage of students walking to school doubled from 17 percent to 35 percent on walking school bus days, and there was a corresponding 20 percent decrease in traffic on Ascutney Street. Safe Routes to School organizers have tracked results with in-class tallies and parent surveys.

Read the full text of the case study.

Contact: Donna Ewald, SRTS Coordinator State Street School
Phone: 802-674-2310
E-mail: ewdssdon@windsor.k12.vt.us

Register for 2009 Walk to School Day

Registration is open for 2009 Walk to School Day, an international event where communities from more than 40 countries join together to walk and bicycle to school. Walk to School Day is October 7, 2009.

To register a Walk to School event, please visit www.walktoschool.org/register. Registration is free and available to individuals or organizations holding an event in the U.S. By registering,Walk to School organizers gain access to a variety of downloadable materials, including certificates, templates for printing stickers and a frequent walker punch card. Registrants can also subscribe to a weekly Walk to School e-newsletter with tips and resources on holding a Walk to School event. Participation reached a record high last year with more than 2,800 events from all fifty states and the District of Columbia registering on the Walk to School Web site (www.walktoschool.org).

SRTS Webinar to discuss making routes accessible for children with disabilities

 

June 30 at 2 p.m. EDT -- Speaker: Lois Thibault, U.S. Access Board

Go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/898643649 to register for this free Webinar.

Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is an important part of Safe Routes to School. Title II of the ADA requires that new construction (and to the maximum extent feasible, alterations) be accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.  A new accessibility standard - the Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) -- for sidewalks and street crossings and related pedestrian facilities is being finalized.  But title II (and other laws) also require that jurisdictions assess their existing pedestrian facilities and prepare a transition plan that identifies and schedules needed improvements. In addition, localities must achieve a degree of usability known as 'program access' in their existing programs and facilities.  'Safe Routes to School' programs, like other Federal, State, and local activities, must meet this objective in implementation as well as in planning and operations.  

In this 60-minute webinar, Lois Thibault, Research Coordinator for the US Access Board, will spell things out.  She is one of three Access Board staff members working on the new PROWAG. The Access Board is the Federal government's specialist in accessible design;  they develop the guidelines that become standards for new construction when adopted by rulemaking agencies.  For more information, see the Board's PROWAG homepage at http://www.access-board.gov/prowac/. An introduction by Jennifer Toole, from Toole Design Group, will give Webinar participants ideas on how to include children with disabilities in SRTS activities. Registration.

 

Free Webinar on "Complete Streets and Context Sensitive Solutions"

ContextSensitiveSolutions.org and the Federal Highway Administration will present a free webinar on June 11, 2009, from 2:00 – 3:30 PM EST to discuss the role of Complete Streets in creating Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) that provide safe and efficient transportation options for all users.

The 1.5 hour-long webinar will provide an overview of the Federal Highways Administration perspective on Complete Streets, including a discussion on the importance of pedestrian and bicycle issues, and what federal programs and policies are available to support communities in their Complete Streets efforts.

Link to join the Webinar: https://admin.na3.acrobat.com/_a55098539/cscss/.

On the login page, enter as a guest by typing your full name and clicking the "Enter Room" button. Please login to the conference at least 10 minutes prior to the start time to secure your space. Phone Number to Join the Audio Portion of the Conference: 800-779-1509. Password: 4033692.

SRTS in the News

The following is a brief compilation of Safe Routes to School-related news stories from across the country. Web links to the following news stories are time sensitive, so some stories may not be accessible after the initial publication date or may require registration.

SF: City to Celebrate First 'Bike to School Day' Thursday
CBS 5, San Francisco
05/27/2009
City awarded funds for safe school routes
Hamilton Journal News, OH
05/24/2009
Pelahatchie gets funds for sidewalks near schools
Rankin Ledger, MS
05/22/2009
U.S. Sen. Harkin: Measure ensuring safe routes to school
Iowa Politics
05/21/2009
Wellington celebrates Walk to School Day
Belmont Citizen-Herald
05/19/2009
Safety is key to new Safe Routes to School program
HometownLife.com
05/17/2009
Biking to school
Nevada Appeal
05/17/2009
Bicycle Rodeo's big message: Ride fun, ride safely
News Chief, Winter Haven, FL
05/17/2009
Biking, walking to school nets rewards
Iowa City Press-Citizen
05/14/2009
Safe schools vital program
Ironton Tribune, OH
05/13/2009
City Council OKs Sidewalk Agreement
News Examiner-Enterprise, OK
05/12/2009
Bozeman projects receive Safe Routes grants
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
05/10/2009
Prescott Alternative Transportation awarded SRTS grants
Read It News, AZ
05/08/2009
Commuters encouraged to take two wheels to work
Bristol Bay Times, AK
05/07/2009
VTrans announces $170,000 in walk-to-school awards
Vermont Business Magazine
05/07/2009
Cape students take to the sidewalks
Cape Cod Times
05/05/2009
School to hoof it on Walk to School Day
Lexington Minuteman
05/03/2009
ODOT grant will help students
Lancaster Eagle Gazette, OH
05/02/2009
Searching for Safer Sidewalks
Holland Sentinel, MI
04/29/2009
One car less in San Carlos
Daily Journal, CA
04/22/2009

For more news stories relating to Safe Routes to School, please visit the NCSRTS News Room at www.saferoutesinfo.org/news_room/

Safe Routes Matters is a free, online publication of the National Center for Safe Routes to School. No permission is needed to reprint from articles, but attribution is requested. To submit article ideas to Safe Routes Matters, please email news@saferoutesinfo.org.