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Take Action Statewide
Take Action Now in Your State to Shape the Safe Routes to School Program
Background
SAFETEA-LU, the new federal transportation bill that became law on August 10, 2005, includes $612 million for a new national Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program that will provide at least $1 million per year to each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia through 2009. Communities will use this funding to construct new bike lanes, pathways, and sidewalks, as well as to launch Safe Routes education and promotion campaigns in elementary and middle schools.
Opportunity for Action
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides Safe Routes to School funding to each state Department of Transportation (DOT) for the DOT to administer. There is now an opportunity for health, bicycle, pedestrian, and school advocates (as well as other interested parties, including local government) to provide input and work with their state DOT to establish a successful and community-oriented state SRTS program. Your input will help ensure that the state program will be set up in a way to maximize community benefits, promote a participatory process, and help guide long-term strategies to integrate the program with state health and wellness programs and other bicycle and pedestrian programs. It’s important for interested parties in your state to connect with other health, bicycle, pedestrian, and school advocates to form a strong network and a united voice for Safe Routes to School.
Working Productively with Your State DOT
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership created a set of guiding principles for the implementation of Safe Routes to School which will help you (or ideally your coalition) to work productively with the state DOT. Here are three things to focus on initially:
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Get to know your SRTS Coordinator: Your state SRTS Coordinator is the point person in your state for the SRTS program. We encourage you to meet and communicate with your coordinator regularly, learn about what they are working on, and offer your expertise. If your state has not yet hired a permanent full-time SRTS Coordinator, we suggest you check with your state’s bicycle and pedestrian coordinator regarding the process and timeline. If you are not getting any information or assurance that the hiring will take place, we invite you to call us for help. Click here to see a list of the contact information for SRTS Coordinators.
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Encourage a Statewide SRTS Advisory Committee: The Federal Highway Administration has encouraged state DOTs to include multi-disciplinary input from a diverse array of state agencies and stakeholders in the development of their SRTS programs. Encourage your state to form a SRTS Advisory Committee, and if one already exists, see if your organization might serve on the committee. State SRTS Advisory Committees will ideally work on developing application guidelines, long range plans for the state’s SRTS program, integrating the program with other state processes, and helping the DOTs to prioritize and select the awards from grant applications.
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Encourage the separation of Infrastructure and Non-Infrastructure Activities in the state’s funding program: It’s imperative that states get their funding programs started soon, as communities have an urgent need for SRTS activities. We urge you to understand more about your DOT’s timeline for establishing the funding program. Also, the federal law requires that 70–90% of the SRTS funds go toward infrastructure projects, and that 10–30% go toward non-infrastructure activities. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is advocating for states to treat these two functions as separate grant-making processes with separate application forms. Creating two distinct funding streams is permitted by FHWA, and will allow the program to serve a maximum number of students in the state. Separating the infrastructure and non-infrastructure applications is being utilized by the State of Colorado, which was the first state to release their new SRTS guidelines.
FHWA Guidance, State Coordinators, and Funding Table
Before talking with your state DOT, we encourage you to review the FHWA guidance on Safe Routes to School. On this website, you can also view how much money your state is programmed to receive for fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
Additional Funding for SRTS
The funds available for Safe Routes to School will not fulfill all programmatic needs. Thus, it’s a good idea to look for additional funding for Safe Routes to School programs. There is still a window of opportunity in many states to influence the development of the state Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), the adoption of which is a new requirement in the federal transportation bill. The SHSP will detail how the state will spend its federal safety funds. States are supposed to seek community input to help shape the plan. The legislation indicates that the SHSP for each state should be adopted by October 1, 2006, and must be adopted by October 1, 2007. Several other federal transportation funds are flexible, and might also be utilized for SRTS. Local funding mechanisms which originate through an MPO or at a county or city-level, including transportation sales taxes, are other places to advocate for SRTS funds.
Local Program Implementation
All states will probably have some sort of competitive grant application process for Safe Routes to School funds. Once the state program is developed and the guidelines for grant applications are released, there will be a deadline by which applicants must respond. (Note: Hopefully your SRTS state network will have helped influence the creation of these program guidelines.) The Safe Routes to School National Partnership encourages local counties, cities, and schools, as well as non-profit organizations, to get ready now so that you are prepared when the state application guidelines are released. We have developed some suggestions for how to implement SRTS programs locally, and a PowerPoint presentation to assist you. When developing your program plans, think about how you can make SRTS as cost-effective as possible. For example, non-infrastructure activities could be organized through a school-district-wide, countywide, or citywide forum, and the education and encouragement services might be delivered by a non-profit organization.
Join the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a growing coalition of national, state, and local organizations, agencies and businesses that are working to advance the Safe Routes to School movement nationwide. Joining is free; your group simply needs to sign our consensus statement and memorandum of understanding. Initial funding for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership has been generously provided by the Bikes Belong Coalition.
For more information, contact:
Deb Hubsmith, Director
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
P.O. Box 663
Fairfax, CA 94978
Phone: 415/454-7430
E-mail: deb@saferoutespartnership.org
Web: www.saferoutespartnership.org
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