Michigan

Michigan SRTS State Network
Michigan is one of twenty jurisdictions participating in the SRTS National Partnership Network Project. This initiative creates state networks that bring together advocacy groups, government agencies, and other leaders.

Michigan SRTS Program
Managed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and non-profit partner the Michigan Fitness Foundation, Michigan’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.

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

Michigan SRTS State Network

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

Michigan State Network Policy Achievements:

This promotional piece highlights Michigan's state network policy achievements.

Michigan SRTS Program

Managed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and non-profit partner the Michigan Fitness Foundation, Michigan’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.

Michigan’s Primary Contractor for SRTS Non-Infrastructure-related Work

Michigan Fitness Foundation
(800) 434-8642
www.michiganfitness.org
www.saferoutesmichigan.org

Michigan State Network Partners

Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission
Crim Fitness Foundation
Fitness Council of Jackson
League of Michigan Bicyclists
Marquette County Healthy Department
Michigan Association of Planning
Michigan Department of Community Health
Michigan Department of Education
Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan Environmental Council
Michigan Fitness Foundation
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance
Sault Tribe Strategic Alliance for Health
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission

Quick Links

In the News  |  Michigan SRTS Federal Funding
Application Guidelines  |  State Advisory Committee
State Outreach Programs  |  Evaluation Methods
Success Stories  |  Other Statewide and Regional Programs
Michigan Partner Affiliates  |  Legislation and Policies

In the News

MDOT Announces Safe Routes to School Grants

On October 25th, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced that seven Michigan schools in four counties will receive federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grants averaging approximately $148,000 per school. The grants will pay for safety improvements and education programs aimed at encouraging students to travel safely between home and school. Other important news and resources can be found in Michigan’s Safe Routes to School e-newsletter.

Walking School Bus Program Grants

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF) awarded fourteen (14) Walking School Bus Program grants of up to $5,000 each. Please contact Rosie Mesterhazy at (517) 908-3828 for more information.

2011 Safe Routes to School State Coalition Annual Meeting

On March 3, 2011, Safe Routes to School supporters networked with others across the state and learned more about partnering with MDOT Transportation Service Centers, how to create a strong team, addressing SR2S liability concerns, choosing pedestrian education programs, 2010 success stories and lessons learned from 2008-2010, the new Complete Streets legislation, how to address parent concerns about personal security, how to engage youth through our new Make Trax curriculum, and hear about exciting program updates. The 2012 SRTS State Annual Coalition meeting will take place on January 11, 2012 in Lansing, Michigan. Please see saferoutesmichigan.org/calendar for more information.

State program provides several resources to promote the movement and the planning process

The Safe Routes to School state network consists of a core team of 10 state agencies, organizations and universities who lead development of the state program, provide sub-contractual technical assistance, outreach and local person-power through their existing agency and university networks. The following activities demonstrate how the network helps deliver the Safe Routes to School message statewide:

• Wayne State University’s Center for Urban Studies (WSU-CUS) developed a website documenting lessons and key themes learned while assisting several Detroit schools with Safe Routes to School planning activities. One of the schools developed a video about walking school buses, pedestrian safety and the benefits of Safe Routes to School.
• The League of Michigan Bicyclists (LMB) developed a Safe Routes to School Bikeability Assessment Guide to help schools improve their bikeability landscape.
• The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance mapped the state’s trails in relation to elementary and middle schools. Trails serve as an important artery for children walking and biking to school if they are aligned to connect the school and neighborhood where students live.
• This year, educators from Michigan State University Extension’s new Greening Michigan Institute and Institute for Preparing Michigan’s Children and Youth for the Future will convene multidisciplinary school and community groups to foster sustainable Safe Routes to School action plans. Also, the Safe Routes to School Design Initiative, a program of the Department of Landscape Architecture Small Town Design Initiative, will provide assistance to schools and community groups in the design of innovative solutions to calm traffic and improve pedestrian safety around schools and along the routes students travel to and from school.

Michigan SRTS Federal Funding

Michigan’s SRTS funding from FY2005-2009* totals $18,819,192 and includes the following annual apportionments:

* Funding for SRTS is being continued into FY2010 and FY2011 at FY2009 levels.

Application Guidelines

The Michigan program accepts applications at any time. The Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF) assists MDOT with application review, awards, and award implementation. The Michigan SR2S Handbook describes the five-step planning process required prior to the submission of an application for SRTS funding. These steps include: program registration; formation of a representative local team; completion of parent and student surveys and in-class travel tally; completion of a walking audit and, if appropriate, bicycle audit; and completion of SRTS action plan focused around the 5 Es (engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation).

The Michigan SRTS funding application guidelines can be viewed and downloaded by visiting www.saferoutesmichigan.org/application.htm. Other important news and resources can be found in Michigan’s Safe Routes to School e-newsletter.

The electronic grant application management system (EGrAMS) now available to Safe Routes to School grant applicants is the preferred method to submit a funding application to the Michigan Department of Transportation. It is currently possible to record all Safe Routes to School planning activities, including your action plan, in EGrAMS; the budget section of the funding application is expected to be available this fall.

It is strongly recommended to record SR2S planning activities in EGrAMS. There are many benefits to doing so, including team member completion and review of planning documents on-line, and SR2S staff review and provision of technical assistance. To begin, visit www.egrams-mi.com/portal and follow the directions to work in EGrAMS.

State Advisory Committee

The Michigan Safe Routes to School state coalition includes over 800 member schools, agencies, organizations, universities, and individuals. The coalition was developed during the 2003 Michigan SRTS pilot project and provided guidance during the pilot phase. The coalition is multidisciplinary with representatives from transportation, health, safety, education, planning, parent groups, students, K-8 schools, law enforcement, engineering, populations with disabilities, bicycle advocates, pedestrian advocates, trail advocates, and others. The Coalition meets once a year for capacity building activities.

Within the coalition, the SRTS Network Partners, a core team of 10 state agencies, organizations, and universities who led development of the state program, provide sub-contractual technical assistance, outreach, and local person-power through their existing agency and university networks.

State Outreach Programs

The Michigan Physical Fitness, Health and Sports Foundation provides statewide SRTS training, outreach, technical assistance, funding award administration, and SRTS Network Partner subcontract administration. Strategies and materials focused around the 5 Es are developed by the Foundation to include middle school youth/schools, underserved populations, and students with disabilities in the state program.

Outreach and technical assistance includes: the state website www.saferoutesmichigan.org; assistance via e-mail and telephone; presentations and site visit services; Walk to School Day coordination and resources; e-news and updates; and materials development and distribution. Training opportunities include regional (general) training sessions and specialized sessions focused on developing action planning capacity within local SRTS teams. MFF, in partnership with SRTS Network entities, extends the reach to local health departments and extension offices, populations with disabilities, trail and bicycle advocacy groups, urban core areas, the planning profession, engineering specialists, and others as identified.

Evaluation Methods

The statewide evaluation of SRTS in Michigan began with the pilot project in 2004 when baseline data from eleven pilot schools was collected. State parent and student surveys were developed, as was a classroom travel behavior tally. Applicants for funding must complete baseline parent and student surveys, the classroom tally, commit to the completion of post-test surveys and tallies, and develop a school-specific action plan prior to submitting the funding application. A school action plan must be all inclusive, addressing or including all issues identified during the planning process. A school funding application must include those priority items from the action plan best suited for federal funding that logically improve safety and or increase student participation in walking and bicycling to school.

Success Stories

Highland Park, MI

Highland Park, MI prioritized a number of infrastructure improvements, including sidewalk repair, replacement and installation, demolition of abandoned buildings and cleanup of vacant lots. Federal funding was awarded in late 2008 in the amount of $900,000 to construct the infrastructure improvements and close to $54,000 for traffic safety education, volunteer recruitment and encouragement activities. Safety has improved with uniformed parent crossing guards help students safely cross streets, and adults are more visible on the street during arrival and dismissal times. Older students are regularly walking together with younger students, and the police have increased their presence around the schools and in the neighborhoods.

Make Trax CD Materials Now Available

Make Trax is an 8-lesson research project that provides the youth voice of Safe Routes to School in Michigan. The Make Trax curriculum CD is now available to assist schools with Make Trax classroom or after-school activities. Join the Make Trax Network to receive periodic updates about activities, training, and other Make Trax opportunities. To be added to the network contact Rosie Stern.

Community Collaborations

In Michigan, local Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) teams identify barriers to walking/bicycling/rolling to school and develop a 5 Es action plan of priority steps to address local concerns. The Michigan SR2S Handbook details these action planning steps. SR2S outreach to urban underserved communities in 2006 and 2007 resulted in local leaders identifying not only barriers to walking/bicycling to school – but barriers to the action planning process itself.

Exceptional local partnerships developed in 2007 and 2008 to assist local Safe Routes to School teams with planning activities. In Detroit, local foundations, The Skillman Foundation and the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, were joined by city officials, the school district and others from a wide spectrum of Detroit initiatives, including the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, to promote the value of safe routes to school planning and bring human-power to the task of completing plans. In Highland Park, the Reggie McKenzie Foundation took a leadership role and brought their seasoned community development skills to the task. In Hamtramck, the Arab Community Economic Support and Services (ACCESS) organization led the way in a school-district wide effort. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority was an early leader as well and brought LISC AmeriCorps volunteer staff to SR2S initiatives in 8 of Michigan’s poorest cities. Michigan Department of Transportation staff have also recognized the collaborative power of the SR2S movement and continue as strong state partners.

Safe Routes to School success is measured in a number of ways. Of the over 50 Safe Routes to School funding awards in Michigan as of September, 2008, Michigan is proud to say that over 50% of those awards were made to schools in urban underserved communities who completed the action planning process. Much is still being learned – stay tuned!

Contact:
Rosie Mesterhazy, SR2S Program Coordinator
Michigan Fitness Foundation
(517) 908-3828, RMesterhazy@michiganfitness.org

Frost Elementary, Jackson, MI: Community Collaboration

Frost Elementary started its Safe Routes to School program in the 2003-2004 school year. The team at Frost wanted to start a program at their school, while also incorporating a larger vision including collaboration with the wider community of the City of Jackson. The first step in this endeavor was Frost Elementary school’s Walk to School Day in the fall of the 2004. The team sought to highlight the joy and fun of walking and bicycling to school. The event was such a big hit at Frost Elementary that other schools in the area participated the following year and over 1200 students participated in Walk to School Day in October 2005 in Jackson!

With the cooperation of the Fitness Council of Jackson, the team at Frost developed a marketing campaign to recruit other area schools to join the program. Five schools teams, which included students, parents, administrators, seniors, city officials and law enforcement, have grown their program to include Walking School Buses every day with 10 designated routes throughout the city. Low youth involvement moved the teams to encourage walking to and from school by offering incentives such as punch cards and “Walking Around the World” passports.

Since 2004, the data collected from Frost Elementary suggests a 15 percent increase in walking to school, as well as a 12 percent increase in walking home from school. For more information or to download a free Walking School Bus brochure with map, please contact Andrea Cawthray.

Contact:
Meg Thomas
SRTS Director
Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Michigan Fitness Foundation
(517) 908-3814
MThomas@michiganfitness.org

Other Statewide and Regional Programs

Partners providing additional regional or statewide assistance with SRTS include: Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance, League of Michigan Bicyclists, Michigan State University Extension Agency, Programs to Educate All Cyclists, Wayne State University, Michigan Department of Community Health, Michigan Department of Education, Michigan State University Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation, and Resource Studies, Michigan Association of Planning, The Skillman Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan.

Michigan Partner Affiliates

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

Legislation and Policies

The Jasmine Miles School Children Safety Act, 2204

In 2004, the Jasmine Miles School Children Safety Act, introduced after Jasmine Miles was struck and killed as she walked home from school, was signed into law. The Act amended the Michigan Vehicle Code as outlined on Michigan’s Policy and Legislation page.

In 2006, the Michigan State Board of Education officially endorsed the state’s Safe Routes to School program.