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Georgia

Decatur, Georgia, Bike Parents

Georgia SRTS State Network
Georgia is one of ten jurisdictions participating in the SRTS National Partnership Network Project. This initiative creates state networks that bring together advocacy groups, government agencies, and other leaders.

Georgia SRTS Program
Managed by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), Georgia’s federally funded Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is the source for state coordinator contact details, federal SRTS funding amounts, SRTS applications and guidelines, and state SRTS program information.

Success Stories and Best Practices

Other Statewide and Regional Programs

Georgia SRTS-Related Research

Georgia Partner Affiliates
Find out which organizations in your state have pledged their support as partner affiliates of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.

Georgia SRTS State Network
Georgia is one of the ten jurisdictions nationwide participating in the SRTS National Partnership’s State Network Project. The Georgia SRTS State Network Organizer works for a sponsoring organization, which is under contract with the SRTS National Partnership.

Georgia SRTS State Network Organizer
David Crites
Georgia Bikes!
(404) 634-6745
david@saferoutespartnership.org
www.GeorgiaBikes.org

Georgia SRTS State Network Chair
Fred Boykin
Decatur City Commissioner
fboykin@bicyclesouth.com

Georgia SRTS State Network Partners
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
American Heart Association
Bike Walk Northwest Georgia
G-PAN
GDCA Office of Planning and Quality Growth
GDOT SRTS Program
Georgia Action For Healthy Kids
Georgia Parks And Recreation Association
Georgia PTA
Georgia Rural Health Association
Georgia Tech Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development
North Georgia Bicycle Dealers Association
PEDS
SafeKids Georgia
Safe Routes Athens
Voices For Georgia Children

Georgia SRTS Program
Georgia’s Safe Routes to School program is managed by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

Georgia DOT SRTS Coordinator
Kelechi Nwosu
(404) 631-1775
knwosu@dot.ga.gov 
Georgia SRTS website

Georgia SRTS Federal Funding
Georgia’s SRTS funding totals $17,177,280 and includes the following annual apportionments:

Application Guidelines
Georgia announced program awards from their Cycle 1 call for applications in June 2009.  On Georgia’s SRTS website (under “SRTS Updates”) a list of the selected SRTS projects along with project descriptions can be found. 

On October 13, 2008, GDOT’s SRTS program released its 1st Call for Infrastructure Projects. The application was available on the following website – http://www.dot.ga.gov/localgovernment/FundingPrograms/SRTS/Pages/Application.aspx
– and applications had to be submitted to the Department by December 12, 2008.

The Department hosted four SRTS Infrastructure Application Workshops statewide during the month of October 2008. The workshops were open to all and pre-registration was not required. Workshop and application Q&A listings were also available at: www.dot.ga.gov/localgovernment/FundingPrograms/SRTS/Pages/Application.aspx

Program Updates
The Infrastructure portion of the program, which consists of projects such as crosswalks, sidewalks, and traffic calming devices, will be implemented through an engineering consulting firm. The Department has completed negotiating this contract with the selected firm and the contract has begun.

The Non-Infrastructure portion of the program will be implemented through Georgia’s SRTS Resource Center. On September 9, 2008, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was advertised for the Resource Center. We are excited about this direction and look forward to executing the selection process as expeditiously as possible. Once the Center is established in early 2009, any K–8 school in Georgia can enroll and receive SRTS services free of charge. The Center will assist schools with all education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation, planning and other non-construction related activities.  It is anticipated that the Center will be operational in the Spring of 2009.

We encourage all prospective applicants to establish or maintain their comprehensive SRTS program for their schools/communities in order to encompass the 5 Es of the SRTS program – engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation.

State Advisory Committee
In October 2006, GDOT formed a SRTS Advisory Committee that is managed by the GDOT SRTS Coordinator. The committee’s role is to assist in developing and recommending selection criteria, project eligibility, application requirements, marketing and outreach, and project delivery. The committee also works with the GDOT SRTS Coordinator to create an evaluation process, training and workshops and shape the overall development of the Safe Routes to School program.

The SRTS Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting on October 5, 2006 with 30 participants and has met five times since then. The next meeting is anticipated to occur soon after the signing of the Georgia SRTS Resource Center consultant contract.

The SRTS Advisory Committee includes GDOT staff (State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, Transportation Enhancement Coordinator, at least one District Traffic Operations Engineer, Traffic Safety & Design Engineer), FHWA, Georgia Departments of Public Health and Education, Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, Metropolitan Planning Organization and Regional Development Center representatives, law enforcement representative(s), local government representatives, local school officials, PTA representative, bicycle and pedestrian advocates, and nonprofit organizations with experience in conducting SRTS programs.

The Advisory Committee includes the SRTS Plan, Evaluation, and Application Development subcommittees.
Another subset of this group is the Georgia SRTS Project Review Panel, which reviews and recommends infrastructure project proposals to be selected for funding. This Project Review Panel does not include any member of an organization applying for funds.

State Outreach Programs
GDOT offered SRTS information at workshops around the state in June 2007. GDOT has also developed a comprehensive PowerPoint training presentation on the SRTS Program that is downloadable. GDOT will be hiring a consultant to administer a GDOT SRTS Resource Center (for their non-infrastructure program).

For more detailed information, please visit http://www.dot.ga.gov/localgovernment/FundingPrograms/srts/ or contact Kelechi Nwosu, SRTS Coordinator.

Evaluation Methods
Program evaluation will be carried out through the Resource Center once it is in place.

Decatur, Georgia: City and School Collaboration
The SRTS program in Decatur, Georgia has been built by a team that includes parents, volunteers, city staff, city commissioners, school administration, and the school board. Transportation goals identified by the Decatur program are were incorporated into the Community Transportation Plan. The city’s new Active Living Division is taking on much of the program’s managing functions. The program is exploring a partnership with the School Wellness Council to incorporate SRTS into the district’s Wellness Plan.

The Decatur SRTS program has significantly reduced drop-off and afternoon pick-ups at four schools. One elementary school does Walk & Wheel Tuesdays every week. Other programs include: Frequent Walker Clubs, a weekly Bicycle Mechanics Class, bicycle safety training for all 4th graders and pedestrian training for 1-3rd graders.

Contact:
Fred Boykin
Decatur City Commissioner
fboykin@bicyclesouth.com

GDOT’s Safe Routes to School Demonstration Project
Through funding from GDOT’s Office of Research and Materials and a contract with the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, the Metro Atlanta SRTS Coalition conducted a Safe Routes to School demonstration program in four metro Atlanta region schools. The four-year program produced a final report on the effectiveness of SRTS programs, as well as a statewide how-to guide on developing SRTS programs at the local school or school district level. For more information, visit http://www.dot.ga.gov/localgovernment/FundingPrograms/srts/Pages/TrainingandResources.aspx and http://www.dot.ga.gov/localgovernment/FundingPrograms/srts/Pages/Projects.aspx.

KidsWalk
Through funding from the Atlanta Regional Commission from 2000 to 2008, PEDS (Pedestrians Education Drivers About Safety) was working at schools in eight counties throughout the metro Atlanta region. The KidsWalk project encouraged kids to walk to school, and improved pedestrian safety in the vicinity of the schools. Due to the region’s transportation funding crisis and the start of the GDOT’s SRTS Program, the Commission decided to discontinue funding of the project.  For more information, visit www.peds.org.

Athens Safe Routes to School Program
Through sponsorship and assistance by individuals, business, and government, Bike Athens is working on a SRTS program at Barrow Elementary, with hopes to expand their program. For more information, visit http://www.saferoutesathens.com/.

DeKalb County Public Schools Bike and Ped Upgrades.
SAFETEA-LU includes $3.4 million of High Priority Projects (HPP) funds to “…upgrade safety of bicycle and pedestrian access to public schools in Dekalb County.”

Clean Air Campaign
The Clean Air Campaign runs a “Better Air Schools” program which contains some Safe Routes to School elements such as encouraging children to walk or bike to school. The program is operating in twenty schools in the metro Atlanta region, and is always seeking new school partners. For more information, visit http://www.cleanaircampaign.com/for_schools.

Georgia Regional Development Centers (RDC)
Through funding from the GDOT (planning funds, not SRTS funds), the 15 state RDCs, have been working on at least 1 local SRTS program in each of their RDC areas. For more information, contact the Transportation Planner at your RDC: http://www.gardc.com/downloads/rdc2004.pdf.

Georgia SRTS-Related Research

The following are three, Georgia SRTS-related items worth noting. Two physical activity/exercise items are also noted that might be of interest and useful if considered as bicycling and walking to and from school.

Georgia Youth Fitness Assessment 2006
From the Georgia State University’s Georgia Health Policy Center 

The Philanthropic Collaborative for a Healthy Georgia launched the Georgia Youth Fitness Assessment (GYFA) to study fitness and physical activity in our youth, as part of its effort to identify ways to reverse the trends in childhood obesity and sedentary behavior in our state. The Assessment report was released in September 2007 and is now available to download online.

Please note the conclusions on page 17 including:
• Assure that children have safe routes on which to walk or bicycle to school and encourage them to do so
• Locate schools in close proximity to the neighborhoods they serve
• Give priority to capital improvements such as sidewalks and local parks that enable children to be physically active
• Improve the safety of pathways for walking or bicycling to school


Estimating the Proportion of Children Who Can Walk to School
From American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Designing and constructing neighborhoods where residents can easily engage in active transportation has a broad range of benefits for the entire population.  Click here to view the full article.

This research has particular relevance to school siting issues. Select excerpts (identified by others) include:
• The purpose of this study was to estimate the percentage of children in Georgia who live within a safe and reasonable walking distance from school and to identify demographic, school, and neighborhood connectivity characteristics associated with the potential to walk to school.
• Using preferred parameters of distance and safety we estimated that 6% of elementary school students (K-5), 11% of middle school students (6 to 8), and 6% of high school students could walk to school.
• High population density, small enrollment size, and high street connectivity were associated with higher percentages of potential walkers.
• Higher population density increases the likelihood that more children will live within walking distance of the school. This effect was observed after adjusting for urbanization.
• Lower school enrollment increases the likelihood that a higher proportion of students can live within walking distance of the school; larger schools tend to draw from larger geographic areas.
• Higher street connectivity indicates a larger land area from which students can reach school using local streets without exceeding a specific walking distance (e.g., 1 mile).
• Neighborhoods with high connectivity are more likely to have gridded street layouts, high street densities, high intersection densities, and relatively fewer cul-de-sacs.

And the 2007-2008 Better Air Schools Are...
From the Clean Air Campaign

The Better Air Schools program, launched three years ago, teaches students about air quality through educational projects that involve air quality lesson plans and Smog Alert awareness as well as action- oriented projects such as the anti-idling campaign and walking school buses to create a healthier environment on school grounds and in the community.  On October 29, 2007 the Better Air Schools were announced.

Exercise Builds Strong Children’s Brains, Too
From USA Today, Nanci Hellmich

Kids who play hard every day may be making their brains, as well as their bodies, stronger. A new study reports that children who play vigorously for 20 to 40 minutes a day may be better able to organize schoolwork, do class projects and learn mathematics.

Enhancement of Fat Metabolism by Repeated Bouts of Moderate Endurance Exercise
From the Journal of Applied Physiology

This study compared the fat metabolism between "a single bout of prolonged exercise" and "repeated bouts of exercise" of equivalent exercise intensity and total exercise duration. Seven men performed three trials: 1) a single bout of 60-min exercise (Single); 2 ) two bouts of 30-min exercise, separated by a 20-min rest between exercise bouts (Repeated); and 3) rest. Each exercise was performed with a cycle ergometer at 60% of maximal oxygen uptake. In the Single and Repeated trials, serum glycerol, growth hormone, plasma epinephrine, and norepinephrine concentrations increased significantly (P < 0.05) during the first 30-min exercise bout. In the Repeated trial, serum free fatty acids (FFA), acetoacetate, and 3-hydroxybutyrate concentrations showed rapid increases (P < 0.05) during a subsequent 20-min rest period. During the second 30-min exercise bout, FFA and epinephrine responses were significantly greater in the Repeated trial than in the Single trial ( P < 0.05). Moreover, the Repeated trial showed significantly lower values of insulin and glucose than the Single trial. During the 60-min recovery period after the exercise, FFA, glycerol, and 3-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were significantly higher in the Repeated trial than in the Single trial (P < 0.05). The relative contribution of fat oxidation to the energy expenditure showed significantly higher values (P < 0.05) in the Repeated trial than in the Single trial during the recovery period. These results indicate that repeated bouts of exercise cause enhanced fat metabolism compared with a single bout of prolonged exercise of equivalent total exercise duration.