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Illinois

Chicago, Illinois, Walking School Bus

Illinois SRTS State Network 
Illinois 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.

Illinois SRTS Program
Managed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois’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

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

Legislation and Policies

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

Interim Illinois State Network Organizer
Shana Hazan
Active Transportation Alliance
(312) 925-9093
shana@activetrans.org
www.activetrans.org

Illinois State Network Chair
To be determined.

Illinois State Network Partners
Action for Healthy Kids - Illinois
Active Transportation Alliance
American Heart Association
America Walks
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Champaign-Urbana Champaign Mass Transit District
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning 
Chicago Public Schools
Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children
Healthy Schools Campaign
Illinois Department of Public Health 
Illinois Department of Transportation
Illinois Park and Recreation Association
League of Illinois Bicyclists
National Trust for Historic Preservation-Illinois
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
TrailNet
Trail Systems Engineering
Two Rivers YMCA
University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital/Injury Free Coalition for Kids
U.S. EPA Region 5

Local School Project
The Illinois State Network is partnering with King Elementary School in Urbana to bring Safe Routes to School programs and projects to their kindergarten through fifth grade students. Local project partners include the City of Urbana and the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District. Parents at King completed school transportation surveys in the spring of 2008 and the program officially kicked off on October 8, 2008 with Walk and Bike to School Day. King Elementary will implement Walking School Bus and Bike Train programs, in addition to offering students an afterschool build-a-bike program.

Urbana’s CU-SRTS Project is working with King, and the surrounding Urbana community to provide bike rodeos, a crossing guard appreciation program, and other educational opportunities to schools and families.

Walkability expert, Mark Fenton, will be presenting a two-day workshop in Urbana on April 8-9. His presentations are open to the public.  Please visit http://www.cu-srtsproject.com/index_files/Fenton_Flyer_April_20091.pdf  for more information.

Please contact Owen Read if you are interested in becoming a partner in this project.

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

Illinois DOT SRTS Coordinator
Megan Holt
(217) 785-2932
SafeRoutes@dot.il.gov
www.dot.il.gov/SafeRoutes/

Illinois SRTS Federal Funding
Illinois’s SRTS funding totals $23,279,528 and includes the following annual apportionments:

Application Guidelines
The 2008 SRTS applications were due in December of 2008. The list of participants with approved School Travel Plans is available in the FAQ section of the Illinois website. From those participants, IDOT is pleased to announce that they received applications for almost 400 projects, totaling nearly $28 million; they have roughly $13 million to award. Project scoring began in late March, and should be complete by early May. IDOT is pleased to be utilizing an efficient online scoring program for this funding cycle.

At this time, the timeframe for the 2009 SRTS planning and funding cycle has not been set, as SRTS funding is pending reauthorization in the next federal transportation bill. IDOT strongly hopes they will have a 2009 funding cycle, and strongly encourages interested parties to begin (or update) the school travel plan for their School District or community. Once they have additional information on future funding for Safe Routes, IDOT will plan the 2009 SRTS Statewide Training sessions, as well as a potential statewide Illinois SRTS Conference.


For more information, please visit the Illinois SRTS web site.

Background on Illinois SRTS Funding Program
The first round of applications were submitted June 29, 2007. There are separate guidelines for infrastructure and non-infrastructure grants, which were used to score these applications. Between 70 percent and 90 percent of SRTS funds support infrastructure projects and 10 percent to 30 percent of funds support non-infrastructure programs.

On March 6, 2008, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich announced $8.3 million for 112 projects across Illinois. IDOT Secretary Milton R. Sees said that the agency received 298 applications that included 1,042 projects for a total of $77.7 million. Examples of projects that received funding include construction and repair of sidewalks and curbs, construction of walking/bike paths, installing pedestrian islands, erecting signs and improving traffic signals, student safety education programs, training of crossing guards and creation of clubs to promote biking and walking.

State Advisory Committee and Implementation Committee
Illinois has an implementation committee required as part of the Illinois SRTS statute. It includes members of several IDOT bureaus, as well as representatives from the Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois State Police, State Board of Education, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Illinois Department of Public Health, along with a FHWA representative. The Implementation Committee was integral in implementing the program and is responsible for scoring applications.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is utilizing the new SRTS State Network as an Advisory Committee for the Illinois DOT SRTS program.

State Outreach Programs
From January 30, 2007 through July 30, 2008, the Illinois Department of Transportation held more than twenty Safe Routes to School training sessions across the state, focusing on the essential elements of a Safe Routes to School program and explaining the School Travel Plan and application processes. These free sessions attracted hundreds of attendees. IDOT contracted with the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) to hold a statewide SRTS conference at Illinois State University in the summer of 2008. The keynote speaker was Mark Fenton.

The Illinois Department of Transportation produces two booklets: "Kids on Bikes in Illinois" for younger children, and "Safe Bicycling in Illinois" for older children and adults. Download both free from http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/kidsonbikes/kidsbike.pdf or http://www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/safekids/safebike.pdf. These materials may also be ordered from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety office.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s office also produces free bicycle safety materials, including a bicycle safety course instruction manual. Free download from http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/kidspub.html.

Evaluation Methods
Grantees are required to submit evaluation data that includes a summary of their student travel tallies and parent surveys using templates from the National Center for SRTS.  For more information on the data collection procedures and tally tool, please visit the National Center for Safe Routes to School (www.saferoutesinfo.org) and click on the Data Tools link.

Success Stories & Best Practices
In addition to the stories posted below, the Success Stories page of the Illinois SRTS website is continually being updated.  Please visit to view the most recent Illinois SRTS success stories.

International Walk to School Month
Each year, communities all across Illinois join millions of people around the world to celebrate the time-honored tradition of walking and biking to school. Governor Rod Blagojevich proclaimed October 2008 International Walk to School Month in Illinois, and October 8, 2008 as Illinois Walk to School Day.  More than 130 schools in Illinois registered to participate in this exciting event!

In 2008, activities kicked off Wednesday, October 8 with International Walk and Bike to School Day. More than 150 schools from all across Illinois participated in 2008, with many activities ongoing throughout the month. Walking and bicycling to school events are energizing, reminding parents and children of the simple joy of walking or biking to school. To learn more about Walk to School Day, and to see which schools are participating in your community, please visit www.walktoschool.org.

Ten schools in Northeast Illinois received mini grants, which included a cash awards and supplies for implementing a successful Walk and Bike to School Day. Awardees implemented programs that included parades, walking celebrations, assemblies, and bike parades and decorating contests.

2009 Walk and Bike to School Day Mini Grant applications will be available beginning in May. Please contact Melody Geraci for more information on this program, or to become a mini grant sponsor.

Chicago, Illinois:

Wilmette, Illinois, the Helmet Reward Program gives "tickets" for treats to young cyclists caught wearing their helmets.

Lock Library Program
Students who ride their bikes to McAuliffe Elementary School in Chicago can feel confident that their bicycles will be safe while they are in class. Through a Lock Library program, the school provides high-quality “u-locks” for students to use while in school. A school staff member greets cycling students when they arrive each morning, signs out the locks for the day, and assists children in locking their bikes properly.

Naperville, Illinois: Walk to School Week
The City of Naperville, Illinois sponsors Walk to School Week for all schools in the city. Support from the City includes a training and toolkits for Walk to School Week leaders, coordination of police department participation and safety presentation, development of internet-based safe walking maps for all schools, and soliciting donations and giveaways for schools. The City promotes Walk to School Week through street banners, newsletters and media mentions. For more information, visit Naperville's Walk to School program.

Blue Island, Illinois: Bike Week
Each May, the 6th 7th and 8th grade students at Veteran’s Memorial Middle School look forward to "Bike Week". At the end of the school year, all students are treated to a day of bike education, followed by a bike repair clinic. All activities culminate in a day-long neighborhood Bike Parade, with approximately 300 students, teachers, police officers and administrators participating. The Bike Parade travels all around town, providing students with an opportunity to practice safe on-street bicycling skills while enjoying time with friends.

Chicago, Illinois: Mayoral Outreach Support
In Chicago, Mayor Daley and the Chicago and Illinois Departments of Transportation (DOT) have teamed up to offer the children several Safe Routes to School resources. The innovative Mayor Daley’s Safe Routes Ambassadors program provides free outreach and training on safe traffic behavior and the benefits of active transportation to elementary school children.

The Chicago DOT has also developed a SRTS toolkit for teachers, school administrators, and community members that includes planning materials, promotional flyers and letters, lesson plans, safety presentations, and other resources. 

In May 2009, Mayor Daley’s Safe Routes Ambassadors will kick of Chicago’s inaugural Crossing Guard Appreciation Month. 25 crossing guards from across the city will be recognized for their efforts to make the walk and ride to school safer for children and families. Please contact Somilia Smith to nominate your crossing guard today!

For more information on this project, please contact:

Somilia Smith
Program Manager
Mayor Daley’s Safe Routes Ambassadors
somilia.smith@cityofchicago.org
(312) 744-3019
http://www.chicagowalks.org/sra.shtml

Safe Routes Ambassador photo album

Other Statewide and Regional Programs
Statewide Bicycle Education Materials
The League of Illinois Bicyclists produces a variety of educational materials, including a safety tip sheet for kids and a seven-minute video for motorists demonstrating how to share the road with cyclists. View both at www.bikelib.org.

Southland Safe Routes to School Program
The south suburban region of Chicago, the site of some of the region’s highest child pedestrian and bicycling crash rates, is participating in a pilot program that will fund the implementation of a comprehensive Safe Routes to School program in five schools. Funded through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ), “Southland Safe Routes to School” is a two-year project, bringing both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects and programs to the region. The project is a partnership of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, Robinson Engineering Ltd., and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.

Walk Across Illinois
In 2001, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn hiked 167 miles from Rock Island on the Mississippi River to Chicago on Lake Michigan to promote quality health care for everyone. Subsequently, Quinn initiated Walk Across Illinois (WAI) in August 2005 as a health initiative to address the growing obesity problem in the state, especially among children.  Click here to view the 2007 Walk Across Illinois Year in Review.

Participants in this free program are encouraged to walk at least 167 miles over the course of a year, and many schools have signed up to participate in the School Fitness Program, which provides schools across Illinois with a free 20-week physical education curriculum to increase physical activity and encourage students to become more fit. Students can track their progress using an online map, and learn about Illinois history along the route. Learn more by visiting www.walkacrossillinois.org and clicking on the Schools link.

Thanks to funding from the federal SRTS program, Walk Across Illinois will be expanding to provide programming in each of the nine IDOT districts during the 2008-2009 school year.

Schools may register for the 2008-2009 Walk Across Illinois School Fitness Program by visiting www.WalkAcrossIllinois.org, and clicking on the “Schools” link. Teacher trainings for the 2008-2009 program are scheduled for August and September of 2008. Please contact Dan Persky at dan@biketraffic.org for more information.

Northeastern Illinois Walk and Bike to School Day Mini Grant Program
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, along with other partner organizations, is sponsoring the third annual Northeastern Illinois Walk and Bike to School Day Mini Grant Program. Through the Mini Grant Program, nine schools across the Chicagoland region, and one Decatur school will be awarded $500 in cash, promotional items (banners, signs and mile markers), healthy snacks as well as a $100 credit toward training and equipment for AAA’s School Safety Patrol Program. With these mini grant packages, schools are given the resources to execute high quality Walk and Bike to School Day festivities, and promote walking and biking to school as safe, popular modes of transportation.

Mini Grant Program awards have been distributed to ten very deserving schools in northeastern Illinois. Please contact Shana Hazan at shana@biketraffic.org  for more information.

Northeast Illinois Safe Routes to School Task Force
Convened by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, the Northeast Illinois SRTS Task Force includes over 25 agencies and organizations. The Task Force seeks to increase the number of SRTS programs operating in the region through advocacy, networking, and monitoring efforts.

Chicago Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School
In Chicago, Mayor Daley and the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Transportation offer several Chicago SRTS resources including Mayor Daley’s Safe Routes Ambassadors program provides and a SRTS toolkit for teachers, school administrators, and community members.

Legislation & Policies

SB 75
This bill provides school districts with flexibility in their use of school zone safety violations fines. The bill authorizes use of the funds for any Safe Routes to School or School Safety and Educational Improvement Block Grant program. This will provide a stable funding source for Safe Routes to School. The funding will supplement the school safety block grant funds. 

HJR 6
This bill creates a School Transportation Task Force to review school busing policy in Illinois. 

HB 72
This bill bans the use of cell phones by drivers while traveling on a roadway through a marked highway construction or school zone. The law contains an exemption for people using voice-activated mobile phones. 

Illinois Complete Streets: SB 314
The Illinois House’s vote on October 11, 2007 to override Governor Blagojevich’s amendatory veto of Senate Bill 314 marks the final chapter of efforts to enact this important legislation that protects pedestrians, bicyclists and other vulnerable road users. While the legislation passed through the House and Senate, Governor Blagojevich effectively vetoed the SB314 August 30 by changing its meaning. During this month’s veto session, the Senate voted to override the veto October 3 and the House did the same October 9.

The Complete Streets law requires that bicycle and pedestrian ways be established in or near urban areas in all state transportation projects. It is effective immediately for project planning and required in construction beginning August 2008. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation worked with the Healthy Streets Campaign, the League of Illinois Bicyclists and the bill’s co-sponsors Senators Edward Maloney and Joseph M. Lyons to gain support for the legislation.

This is the fourth successful piece of bicycling- and pedestrian-related legislation to become law this session - Senate Bill 80, which requires motorists to give at least 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist; Senate Bill 639, which identifies police on bicycles as emergency vehicles;
and House Bill 508, which increases the penalty for hitting a crossing guard near a school.

Illinois SRTS Construction Program – HB 0744
Passed in August 2005, the Illinois SRTS Construction Program sets forth criteria by which applications under the federal SRTS program will be scored. One unique criteria is the proximity of parks to a school location. This acknowledges the dynamic relationship between schools and the places where children play. The law also requires that IDOT study the effectiveness of SRTS programs on reducing crashes.

Meetings & Events
The Northeast Illinois Safe Routes to School Task Force meets on a quarterly basis in downtown Chicago to discuss issues and initiatives for SRTS throughout the region.