Safe Routes Matters, November/December 2009

In this Issue:

Getting There Together: A Message from the Director

Before we begin to look forward into 2010, I'd like to reflect on a few experiences we've had over the past couple of months at the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

In December, the National Center announced the selection of 25 Safe Routes to School (SRTS) mini-grants recipients. From social media campaigns to science-based encouragement programs, each mini-grant recipient's planned activities illustrates the potential greater impact of successful SRTS efforts and, to say the least, we were inspired by the vision and creativity of local efforts across the country.

The National Center's recently released Winter 2009 Program Tracking Report shows measured growth of the national SRTS program during the fourth quarter of 2009, the first quarter that the program has operated under a Continuing Resolution. The total number of schools that have benefited or will benefit from funds announced by state SRTS Programs grew to 6,4893 — a two percent increase over the previous quarter.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership recently released a new national report, Safe Routes to School: Putting Traffic Safety First — How Safe Routes to School Initiatives Protect Children Walking and Bicycling, which shows how Safe Routes to School programs can be harnessed to keep children safe from traffic dangers while walking and bicycling to school.

And just last week, I joined representatives from the Federal Highway Administration, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center and the New York City Department of Transportation at the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) Annual Meeting to lead a session entitled "Livability Initiatives: Building Upon Walking and Bicycling Successes." There was great interest in the session and we were asked thoughtful questions about how SRTS and the other topics discussed played a role in the larger livability movement.

We even helped a Japanese broadcast journalist find an operating walking school bus to film in New Jersey in the dead of winter for a story on walking trends in the U.S. that he was producing.

Safe Routes to School can be an important player in a variety of focus areas — transportation, safety, education — and, as First Lady Michelle Obama hones in on obesity as "one of the biggest threats to the American economy," we hope that the relevance of SRTS programs continues to rise in conversations about healthy living as well.

Together, we can achieve great things!

Sincerely,

Lauren Marchetti

New Resource: Winter 2009 Program Tracking Brief


The National Center for Safe Routes to School just released the Winter 2009 Program Tracking Report. This quarterly report provides information about state SRTS programs and includes a tracking table summarizing key attributes from all state programs.

The national SRTS program saw measured growth during the fourth quarter of 2009. In fact, the total number of schools that have benefited or will benefit from funds announced by state SRTS Programs grew to 6,4893 — a two percent increase over the previous quarter.

Highlights from the Winter 2009 report include:

  • Approximately $427 million has been announced for SRTS programs.
  • At least 6,489 schools have benefited or will benefit from funds announced by state SRTS programs.
  • States announced $10.0 million in funding for local and/or statewide SRTS programs during the quarter.
  • This was the first quarter that the national SRTS program operated under a Continuing Resolution.

To access the complete report, please visit http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/resources/tracking-reports.cfm

Q&A With Robin Schepper:

Helping Murch Elementary School Administers Envision a More Active, Safer Future

The National Center had the privilege of meeting Robin Schepper, a dedicated parent volunteer at Ben W. Murch Elementary School in Washington D.C., when the school received the 2009 James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award. We caught up with Robin to ask a few questions about her experience in helping overturn the school's bicycling policy and improving overall walking and bicycling culture at Murch.

Background

Murch Elementary School was selected as the 2009 Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award recipient based on its exemplary SRTS program successes, including: reversing school policy that prohibited students from bicycling to school without special permission; building community support for walking and bicycling to school, including neighborhood support for new sidewalk construction; and implementing an effective student Safety Patrol program to enforce safe driving behavior around the school. Robin's leadership as a parent volunteer and champion of the SRTS efforts was integral to the school's successes.

Q&A Excepts from an interview Robin Schepper, Parent Volunteer

Q: How did the conversation about Murch Elementary School's bicycle policy begin?

Bicycle rack at Murch Elementary

A: Murch has a wonderful neighborhood playground that is filled with kids riding bikes on the weekends. As we started the SRTS project, we asked ourselves why kids rode their bikes to Murch on the weekends and not during the week. No one really knew why, but the non-existence of a bike rack and the lack of encouragement to bike to school was our guess as to why kids did not bike to school.

Q: Who were your greatest supporters for the effort to bring about change?

A: Our greatest supporters were the student council who raised money to install a bike rack. They did not even know about the bike policy but they knew if there was a bike rack more kids would ride to school.

Q: Can you name a particular challenge you faced in your efforts and how you creatively overcame it?

A: We did not have any particular challenges, it was more apathy and no one looking at the parent handbook rules and understanding who the decision-makers were to make the changes. I went to our school board and argued that the existing policy did not work well with our SRTS grant and that we could write a new rule that would not make Murch liable for any thefts of bikes. With the grant and the enthusiasm of the 6th grade, the Board agreed with our plans.

Q: Do you have any tips for navigating altering existing policies of your school system, community, etc.?

A: Like any project, I believe it is important to understand who the decision-makers are for a policy and understand why that policy exists, and then come up with messages that address their concerns.

In our case, we had 4 messages:

  1. The ask: Change the policy and allow us to install the bike rack.
  2. Alleviating concerns: We developed language for the parent handbook that did not make the school liable for thefts.
  3. Value message: We tried to figure out the values of the decision-makers; what do they care about? We said they could create a new policy that would improve the health of our children and alleviate the congested traffic we have around school every morning.
  4. Vision message: We helped decision-makers envision what Murch could like five years from now when more kids biked to school — its 2012 and our bike racks are filled with 100 student bikes. Students come to school more focused because they have already exercised in the morning.

New sidewalk construction near Murch Elementary School.

Q: What advice could you provide to individuals working to create an environment and infrastructure that makes it safer for kids to walk and bicycle to school?

A: I think a key is to get support from kids and parents, as well as expanding into your community. We reached out to senior centers in our neighborhood because they face the same barriers as students do walking in our neighborhood - speeding traffic, pedestrian lights that change too quickly and the lack of traffic lights on high volume streets.

I also think developing a vision for the school is great because parents and administrators can focus on what the school could look like and understand the benefits of more exercise.

Q: What do you see as your team's greatest achievement with this project/initiative?

A: There are so many. The best is seeing more kids walking and biking to school and my other favorite is our School Safety Patrol — these dedicated kids are out in the rain, in the snow and in the cold making sure their student buddies get into school safely. They take their responsibilities very seriously. And since we created 'tickets' for cars that park in our drop off zones, the kids have really learned that adults need to follow the rules as much as kids. You should see their faces when they get to place a ticket on a car that is parked illegally. They know they are right and it's an opportunity to teach an adult about safety.

Thanks to Robin for taking the time to share about her SRTS experiences.

If you'd like to hear more about to address overcoming such barriers and developing policies that promote bicycling and walking, view a recording of a recent webinar on the topic. (More information below.)

Also, check out relevant tip sheets in the National Center's Resource Center: School Bicycling and Walking Policies: Addressing Policies that Hinder and Implementing Policies that Help and 10 Tips for Safe Routes to School Programs and Liability.

This is the second installment of a new "Q&A With:" column of the newsletter. If there is an inspirational person/program in your community that you would like us to consider profiling in a future issue, e-mail Caroline Dickson.

Spotlight on: National Center's 25 SRTS Mini-grant Recipients

On December 8, 2009, the National Center for Safe Routes to School announced the selection of 25 mini-grants recipients to receive up to $1,000 for local projects that encourage student creativity in SRTS activities in the spring 2010 semester.

"We were truly impressed by the creativity and innovation of the mini-grant applications we received," said Lauren Marchetti, director of the National. "Proposed activities ranged from trail construction and letter writing campaigns, to middle school social marketing strategies."

Congratulations:

  • Thorne Bay School Student Council (Thorne Bay, Alaska)
  • Town of Gilbert (Gilbert, Ariz.)
  • Meiners Oaks Elementary (Ojai, Calif.)
  • Dallas Ranch Middle School (Antioch, Calif.)
  • Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School (San Pablo, Calif.)
  • Bridge Street Elementary (Yuba City, Calif.)
  • Get Smart Schools, Inc., (Denver, Colo.)
  • Wood River Middle School (Hailey, Idaho)
  • Keith Middle School (New Bedford, Mass.)
  • Erickson Elementary School (Ypsilanti, Mich.)
  • Lyndale Community School (Minneapolis, Minn.)
  • Fairview Elementary School (Columbia, Mo.)
  • Smithton Middle School (Columbia, Mo.)
  • Oxford School District (Oxford, Miss.)
  • Pinehurst Elementary School (Pinehurst, N.C.)
  • Safe Kids and Century, J. Nelson Kelly and Lewis & Clark Elementary Schools (Grand Forks, N.D.)
  • Saddlebrook Elementary and Activate Omaha (Omaha, Neb.)
  • Fountain Inn Elementary School (Fountain Inn, S.C.)
  • Beardon Elementary School (Knoxville, Tenn.)
  • Roger E Sides Elementary (Karnes City, Texas)
  • Alpine Elementary School (Alpine, Utah)
  • Frances C. Hammond Middle School (Alexandria, Va.)
  • Madison, Roosevelt and Pioneer Elementary Schools (Olympia, Wash.)
  • Orca K-8 (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Cumberland Elementary School (Cumberland, Wis.)

The National Center received 247 SRTS mini-grant applications from schools and community organizations across 44 states and the District of Columbia. Selected proposals distinguished themselves through originality of efforts to help lead local community efforts to promote safe walking and bicycling to school, including the strong involvement of students, protecting the environment, promoting physical activity, and the implementation of measurable activities.

For more information about specific activities and programs planned at the above locations, read our comprehensive mini-grant announcement.

Walk to School Day 2009: Local organizers say…

"We had a great event with awesome participation. At 7:50, there is usually a huge amount of cars in the parking lot. [At Walk to School Day this year] there were maybe three at the most."

"Inspired by international walk to school day, we started a monthly walk n' roll Wednesdays a year ago. We formed a new PTA committee to promote safe biking and walking to school. We've presented at workshops and to our city council as well as received grant awards. We've increased our daily bike rider participation by 50%. We've been supported by our 2 cities' public works and police departments, FDOT SRTS, a local health foundation, and county sheriff's department."

Each year the National Center asks Walk to School Day organizers to complete a post-event survey. This year 797 event organizers completed the survey, representing 24 percent of events registered on the Walk to School Day Website. Here is what we learned in 2009 and a glimpse of what Walk to School Day events look like across the country

  • For the second year in a row, the two primary motivating factors for holding a Walk to School Day event are physical activity/obesity prevention and support for a Safe Routes to School program. Forty-two percent of survey respondents named physical activity/obesity prevention as the primary motivator for their event, up from 35 percent in 2008. Nineteen percent of respondents indicated that support for a Safe Routes to School program motivated their event, the same proportion as in 2009.

  • Walk to School Day serves as a great catalyst for making changes that affect walking and bicycling to school. Over 70 percent of respondents indicated that their school made an environment or policy change to encourage and increase the safety of walking and bicycling to school. One quarter of respondents said their schools had added signs, 35 percent said they have added the promotion of walking and bicycling to existing policies, and one third responded that their school had added sidewalks, paths, crosswalks, or crossing guards.

  • Schools that host Walk to School Day events are increasingly participating in Safe Routes to School programs. In 2009, 42 percent of survey respondents indicated that their school is currently implementing a Safe Routes to School program, up form 35 percent in 2008.

Thanks to all who participated in this year's post-event survey. Save the date for Walk to School Day 2010: Wednesday, Oct. 6!

Upcoming Webinars:

  1. Topic: Multi-Modal School Site Planning, Design and Transportation for Primary Grades

    Through the use of case studies, this joint National Center for Safe Routes to School / ITE (Institute of Transportation Engineers) webinar will focus on policy and planning at the site level. It will provide guidance for addressing existing and redevelopment school sites and for selecting new school sites. At the conclusion of the course, participants should be able to:

    1. Identify key elements in developing a multi-modal school transportation plan.
    2. Recognize strategies that improve safety and encourage walking and cycling to school.
    3. Identify key consideration elements when selecting and designing a new school site.

    When: LIVE on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, 12–1:30 p.m. EST

    Cost: $25 The National Center is subsidizing the cost of the training so it's $25 per site (this means you can invite as many people to view as will fit into your space). Additional charge for more than one quiz for Professional Development Hours (for engineers).

    Where/How: To read a complete description and register, go to: http://www.ite.org/education/webinars_SRTS.asp

  2. Topic: School Bicycle & Walking Policies: Addressing Policies that Hinder and Implementing Policies that Help

    As key partners in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs, schools and school districts can play a big role in establishing a culture of bicycling and walking to school. School policies that encourage and support bicycling and walking can substantially boost a SRTS program, both within individual schools and throughout the community. In contrast, a policy that discourages or prohibits bicycling or walking can stop a SRTS program in its tracks. This webinar addresses overcoming such barriers and developing policies that promote bicycling and walking.

    When: On Demand by Feb. 5, 2010

    Cost: The National Center for Safe Routes to School partners with America Walks to offer a series of free SRTS-related Webinars.

    Where/How: To view an on-demand recording of the webinar, go to: http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/training/can_webinars.cfm

Seeking Examples of How SRTS Programs Include and Accommodate Children with Disabilities

Children with disabilities are an important audience for SRTS efforts, since they are more likely than others to rely on alternative transportation modes throughout their lifetimes. Schools provide a wide variety of educational programs that address and accommodate these children. The National Center would like to know how schools and communities are incorporating this experience into their SRTS initiatives.

The National Center plans to develop case studies based on the examples provided, which will available on the Web site. This effort is part of a larger effort by the National Center to highlight the ways in which SRTS programs can and do benefit all children.

Please send your stories and ideas to Jim Elliott at jelliott@tooledesign.com and/or share this message with others who may have experiences to contribute. Thank you!

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.

Columbia County invests $25,000 in trails plan
Augusta Chronicle
11/12/2009
Mapping out safer routes
The Ridgewood News
11/20/2009
STCRC continues to move Scottdale forward
Daily Courier, PA
11/20/2009
Vail Valley parents seek safe routes to schools
Vail Daily
11/21/2009
Kids, families ride en masse
The Register-Guard, OR
11/22/2009
Two Hanover schools encourage walking, biking to school
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA
11/29/2009
$3.35 Million Promotes Walking and Biking at 51 Indiana Schools
Muncie Free Press
12/4/2009
Maryville institutes Safe Routes to School
stjoenews.net, MO
12/5/2009
Schools cease ban on bicycles
PostStar.com, NY
12/9/2009
UB Grad Students Will Present "Active Commuting" Plan to Amherst Officials, Residents
University of Buffalo News Center
12/15/2009
The Exchange: School Transportation
Iowa Public Radio
12/17/2009
MORPC plans car-pool program for Reynoldsburg schools
The Other Paper, OH
12/18/2009
Push to shovel: Missoula increases enforcement to keep sidewalks clear
Missoulian
12/30/2009
Step by step
The Bulletin, OR
1/7/2009
Campaign to get kids walking, biking to school to fight global warming
Marin Independent Journal, CA
1/10/2009
$360G grant boosts health, fitness initiatives for Kingston kids
Daily Freeman, NY
1/12/10

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.