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New Jersey

Wharton, New Jersey, Walk to School Day.

New Jersey SRTS Program
Managed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), New Jersey’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.

New Jersey DOT SRTS Coordinator
Elise Bremer-Nei
(609) 530-2765
elise.bremer-nei@dot.state.nj.us
www.state.nj.us/transportation/community/srts/

Click on any of the menu items below for more information:
New Jersey SRTS Federal Funding
Application Guidelines
State Advisory Committee
State Outreach Programs
Evaluation Methods
Success Story
New Jersey Partner Affiliates
Legislation and Policies

New Jersey SRTS Federal Funding
New Jersey’s SRTS funding totals $15,930,009 and includes the following annual apportionments:

Application Guidelines
New Jersey awarded their first cycle of grants in July 2007. The NJDOT received 274 applications for over $75 million in projects. $4.15 million was awarded to programs in 29 municipalities. The request for the second round of applications was announced in January 2008 and the deadline for proposals is April 18th, 2008.

There are a few changes to the application process in 2008. Applications are now online with the System for Administering Grants Electronically (SAGE). Infrastructure and non-infrastructure grants are now separate, however, applicants for engineering projects must still show that they are either already implementing one of the other four E's (enforcement, education, encouragement) or are applying for funds to do so. Guidelines for both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects are all in one document.

For more information, please see New Jersey’s SRTS program.

State Advisory Committee
NJDOT’s Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs convened a Technical Advisory Committee in 2001 to investigate ways to implement SRTS and utilized consultant resources to help develop a statewide program. A SRTS Strategic Plan was prepared by the NJDOT with assistance from The National Center for Bicycling and Walking, The RBA Group, and The Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University.

The New Jersey SRTS Coalition was formed with the official launch of the SRTS program in 2006, made up of members of the former Technical Advisory Committee as well as representatives from various state and county agencies, local advocacy groups, and non-profits. The Coalition, which meets twice a year, is asked to give direction and feedback on progress of the statewide program and to monitor the progress of the program according to the NJ SRTS Strategic Plan. See http://www.njbikeped.org/body.php?page=interest_srsc.

State Outreach Programs
Representatives from the NJDOT Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs have spoken about SRTS at numerous conferences around the state for the last five years. In 2005, a demonstration program was conducted in three towns.  In the fall of 2006, another series of open houses were held to promote the overall program and explain the grant application process. These open houses were run again in early 2008 with the help of New Jersey’s eight Transportation Management Associations (TMAs).

New Jersey piloted the level two training from the National Center for SRTS on June 20, 2007 to local program coordinators and their partners. Local Leadership Workshops were held again in February of 2008. New Jersey’s first Walking School Bus Training will take place in April and plans for Walk to School Day Training are in the works.

The Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University is working with NJDOT to evaluate their success in reaching those most in need of SRTS funds. VTC also runs a SRTS list-serv and a help desk. The VTC produces a Who’s Who Guide for SRTS in New Jersey and a newsletter, Safe Routes Scoop, twice a year. VTC will be assisting NJDOT—along with the RBA Group and the National Center for Bicycling and Walking—with an Urban SRTS Demonstration project in three NJ cities in 2008.

Evaluation Methods
Applicants who are awarded NJDOT SRTS project and program funding are required to submit pre- and post-implementation data on travel behavior and attitudes. The required data is gathered using the National Center for Safe Routes to School Student Arrival and Departure Tally Sheet. A Parent Survey has been modified from the National Center’s original and is available in the Getting Started section of the NJDOT SRTS web site. VTC will be tabulating survey results for NJDOT.

Success Story
Wharton, New Jersey: Innovative Student Involvement
One of the most outstanding aspects of the Wharton SRTS pilot program is how it involved the students of Duffy Elementary and MacKinnon Middle Schools. A collaboration of the Morris County Division of Transportation (MCDOT), the RBA Group of Morristown (consultant team), and school and community representatives, the program utilized student participation in the development of a SRTS travel plan.

Seventh-grade pre-algebra students completed walkability audits, emissions calculations, and walking time-radius maps while fourth graders wrote poems or drew posters for use at the public visioning workshop. Based on the pilot program, MCDOT and the RBA Group are developing a narrated How-To Guide iMovie about how to develop a SRTS travel plan.

Contact:
Deena Cybulski
Assistant Director—Transportation
Morris County Division of Transportation
dcybulski@co.morris.nj.us
(973) 829-8101
http://www.mcdot.org/Accessories/Transportation-SafeRoutesToSchool.asp

New Jersey Partner Affiliates
Find out which organizations in your state have pledged their support for the Safe Routes to School movement. New Jersey Partner Affiliates.

Statewide Health Initiatives
Safe Routes to School has been included in the New Jersey Obesity Prevention Action Plan and the Governor’s Pedestrian Safety Initiative [http://www.state.nj.us/governor/news/news/approved/20060918.html], both announced in 2006.