Kentucky

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Safe Routes to School Funding in Kentucky | Success Stories | Kentucky Partner Affiliates | Existing Legislation and Policies

Safe Routes to School Funding in Kentucky

To learn more about how Federal funding works, read through the Five Steps to Federal Funding: A Brief Explanation of the Safe Routes to School Program Process. You can find additional resources in our national learning network too.

To see Kentucky's Safe Routes to School federal funding, including total funding available, awarded and obligated to date, look at our State of the States quarterly tracking report.

Application Guidelines

Kentucky has funded 62 local Safe Routes to School projects totaling more than 9.5 million. The Kentucky Safe Routes to School program requires all Safe Routes to School applications be sponsored by a Local Public Agency (LPA). Parents and others in the community who are interested in implementing a Safe Routes to School program should contact their local officials and school board members about applying. Safe Routes to School projects require no local matching funds.

Visit the Kentucky Safe Routes to School program website for more information.

State Outreach Programs

Kentucky is proud to provide the Kentucky Guidebook, Safe Routes to School Curriculum, and Lesson Plans as a resource for those interested in developing a Safe Routes to School program in their school or community. All of these resources were developed by the KYTC specifically for Kentucky, and the curriculum has been approved by the Kentucky Department of Education for use in Kentucky’s classrooms. Additional resources can be found on the Kentucky Safe Routes to School website.

State Advisory Committee

Kentucky does not have a state advisory committee.

Success Stories

If you would like to submit a success story for consideration, please email it to Kate Moening.

Kentucky Announces 2012 SRTS Awards

Jan 2012 - Kentucky announces $1.53 million dollars in Safe Routes to School awards - click here for more information

Bowling Green, Kentucky: City and School Collaboration

The Bowling Green Independent School District, the City of Bowling Green, and the Barren River District Health Department have come together to bring bicycle education and outreach to the community. Five pilot schools are involved in Safe Routes to School programs. The Safe Routes to School team partnered with the City and Tree Advisory Board to host a bike rodeo as part of an Arbor Day Celebration. The event emphasized bike skills and safety, and 35 helmets were given away while 68 children participated.

The Barren River District Health Department provides health educators to teach bicycle and pedestrian safety in the classroom during guidance counselors' class times. The Health Department has also conducted parent surveys. The City of Bowling Green is leading a corridor study for a Complete Streets solution at the Dishman-McGinnis school (one of the five pilot schools). The school serves a large Hispanic and Bosnian immigrant population where baseline walking and biking levels are high and income levels are low. Safety education and infrastructure improvements are important in this area because so many children do walk or bike to school without adult supervision.

Contact:

Helen Siewers
helen_siewers@yahoo.com

Erlanger, Kentucky, Miles Elementary: Walking School Bus

A group of concerned Erlanger City officials, parents, community members, and Miles Elementary principal and staff have been working with the Northern Kentucky Health Department and the cities of Erlanger and Elsmere to create safer walking routes for kids to get to school. The group formed a Safe Routes to School committee for Miles Elementary. This committee has been working on developing the "Walking School Bus" program (a part of the Safe Routes to School Program).

In this program, there are designated Walking School Bus routes that lead to Miles Elementary. With each route, there is an adult who acts as the "bus driver" to walk the students to school. Much like a regular school bus, the students fall into line behind the adult, and are lead safely to school. The adult will also walk the students back home after school. All Walking School Bus coordinators (those adults leading a route) will receive a backpack full of supplies to make sure the students’ arrival to school and from school is safe. Supplies include things like umbrellas and a first aid kit.

Kentucky Partner Affiliates

Find out which organizations in your state have pledged their support for the Safe Routes to School movement. If your organization isn't yet a partner affilate, we would love for you to join us; it's free! Find more info on joining here.

Existing Legislation and Policies

The Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission was created in 1992 as part of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and consists of seven members all appointed by the Governor. Issues considered include promoting the “share the road” license plate and how to spend the $3,000 proceeds collected so far, promoting and assisting local activists for cycling causes, providing some assistance by the state to the Kentucky Rails to Trails Council, and adding “share the road” signage to the bike routes shown in the state brochure.