November 2012

Florida has had great success with Safe Routes to School under SAFETEA-LU, with more than 235 applications ($68.8 million) being funded. The average Safe Routes to School project funded was $292,766. There has been a call for infrastructure applications each fall through spring. Spring 2012 ended the 6^th call for projects. These projects will be in the 2017 work program. The average return on these projects was an increase of 22 percent of children walking to and from school. The program works!

In North Carolina this year, thanks to the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) Safe Routes to School Coordinator Ed Johnson, the waters are “turning over” for Safe Routes to School and the prioritization of bicycle and pedestrian safety in a variety of ways and partnerships. 

I’ve been immersed in our latest progress reports for the regional network project, and it is so easy to get lost in the minutiae of editing. But when I stop and think back upon our efforts this year, I am proud of the work of everyone involved in our regional efforts. 

I recently had the privilege of speaking at the Fairfax County Bike Summit. It was the first Bike Summit in the county. Fairfax County has come a long way through the work of the Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling.

To date, Georgia Safe Routes to School has awarded 48 projects (totaling approximately $18.5 million). Some examples of the various types of infrastructure projects are installation of sidewalks, multi-use paths, crosswalks, raised crosswalks, multi-use paths, LED crossing signs, ADA ramps, bike lanes and bike racks.