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A Toolkit for Building Congressional Champions for Safe Routes to School
How to Plan Site Visits and Member Meetings
Introduction
The federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was first created in August 2005, authorizing $612 million in funding. Already over 3,000 elementary and middle schools around the country are benefiting from millions of dollars made available through SRTS. These grants are allowing schools and communities to retrofit roads, sidewalks, and bike paths to allow children to more safely walk and bicycle to school. Funding also supports walking and bicycling safety education, driver awareness campaigns, more robust enforcement of speed limits and traffic safety rules, promotional events to encourage more children to walk and bicycle, and more. As more children are able to safely walk and bicycle to school, children and their communities are benefiting from reduced traffic congestion, better air quality, and healthier lifestyles. Clearly, in a very short time since its creation, SRTS is already making a difference for children in every state in this nation.
All transportation programs, including SRTS, are up for reauthorization by Congress in 2009. Reauthorization is how Congress reviews existing federal laws and programs to determine if they are still necessary, what changes might be needed to make programs run more effectively, and what funding targets should be set for each program. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (SRTSNP) and our partners are working to ensure that SRTS is included in the next transportation reauthorization bill, and that we are able to strengthen and grow the program. Congress is already considering what the new transportation bill will look like—we must use our time wisely to advocate for SRTS.
This is where we need your help. Members of Congress are elected to represent the needs of their constituents. They want to know what you think, and what federal programs you find valuable and helpful to your daily life. SRTSNP can go to Members’ offices in Washington, DC and talk about the impacts and benefits of SRTS—but only you can show them the positive impact these federal dollars are having on children and families in your community, their Congressional district.
We hope you will use this toolkit to plan an event or meeting that will help your Member of Congress understand the value of SRTS. It’s easier than you would think—you can simply invite your Member of Congress to come to an event you are already planning for your SRTS program. Or, you can gather a group of local program proponents and request a meeting with your Member of Congress to talk about how your community needs additional funds for Safe Routes to School. You are already enthusiastic about SRTS—you just need to convey that enthusiasm and support to your elected official. All it takes is a little planning. And that’s what this toolkit is for.
With your help, we can dramatically increase funding for SRTS in the next transportation bill, and make sure that these funds will be available to your community and others for years to come. And, you will know that you played a critical role in ensuring that children for generations to come will be able to safely walk and bicycle to school, thereby improving the communities we all live in.
To navigate through the toolkit, either use the links in the left-hand navigation, or use the Table of Contents.
Production of this toolkit was made possible due to generous funding from the Bikes Belong Coalition.
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