North Carolina

North Carolina SRTS Program

Managed by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Transportation Mobility and Safety Division, North Carolina’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.

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North Carolina SRTS Federal Funding | Application Guidelines
State Advisory Committee | State Outreach Programs
Evaluation Methods | Success Stories
Other Statewide and Regional Programs | North Carolina Partner Affiliates

North Carolina SRTS Federal Funding

North Carolina’s SRTS funding from FY2005-2011* totals $25,981,930 and includes the following annual apportionments:

2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	Total FY05-11*
$1,000,000	$2,333,556	$3,175,243	$4,050,525	$5,034,374	$5,034,374	$5,353,858	$25,981,930

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

Through the 2005 federal transportation bill, Congress has provided approximately $950 million for Safe Routes to School for FY2005-2011. Funding is allocated to each State Department of Transportation based on its national share of the overall population of children in grades K-8. The vast majority (70 to 90%) of funds are spent on infrastructure improvements near schools, such as sidewalks, paths, crosswalks, school zone signage and traffic calming. The remaining 10 to 30% is for programs to teach children traffic safety skills, traffic enforcement around schools, and encouragement activities. The availability of Safe Routes to School funding has helped galvanize a new focus on prioritizing safety improvements around schools—improving safety, traffic congestion, busing costs and physical activity. These benefits can reduce local costs and budget burdens.

Application Guidelines

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has held two cycles of its competitive grant reimbursement program. The first cycle launched awards of nearly $2.45 million in SRTS funds in May 2008 for 6 demonstration projects, 5 non-infrastructure projects, and 16 action plan service award projects. In September 2009, the North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded more than $3.6 million in SRTS funds to 22 municipalities and local agencies for infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects.

The NCDOT also continues to seek requests for SRTS Division Fund projects on a rolling basis. As of July 1, 2011, thirty-four (34) infrastructure projects have been approved for SRTS Division funds. Please see the variety of funding categories the state offers as described below.

Infrastructure Grant Reimbursement Program: This program was first offered during NC’s second funding cycle to encourage communities to plan, design, and construct infrastructure projects that will encourage and enable children to walk and bicycle to school. Funding requests range from $100,000 to $300,000 per project. Any agency that has authority to construct and maintain infrastructure within public right-of-way (or on land with an easement) is eligible and encouraged to apply. Projects must be implemented within two miles of a school serving K-8 grades. For more information about the Infrastructure Program, please visit http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/traffic/congestion/CM/msta/.

Non-Infrastructure Grant Reimbursement Program: This program provides funding to create and implement education, encouragement, enforcement, and/or evaluation programs and activities that aim to shift community behavior, attitudes, and social norms to support increased safety and convenience for children to walk and/or bicycle to school. Any state, local, or regional agency, tribal government, school or school district, or non-profit organization is eligible and encouraged to apply. Funding requests can range from $10,000 to $50,000. For more information about the Non-Infrastructure Program, please visit http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/traffic/congestion/CM/msta/.

Action Plan Service Award Program: Offered in the state’s first grant cycle, this award provided assistance to schools or communities beginning a SRTS program through the development of a plan. Recipients receive assistance in developing an action plan through the services of a consultant assigned to them by NCDOT. These action plans provide a framework for identifying projects, programs and activities that will cover all five “E’s” to make walking and bicycling to school safer and more appealing. Plans may encompass up to five schools within a community or school district.

SRTS Division Fund Program:

North Carolina also provides for infrastructure projects through its SRTS Division Fund program. Each Division has been allocated up to $430,000 of SRTS funds for eligible projects along or intersecting with state-maintained roads. Projects must be within two miles of a school serving grades K-8. These funds are primarily intended for small safety improvements, as project requests can range from $10,000 to $100,000. Requests for projects are made directly to the Division contact, who determines whether the potential project should move forward as a formal request to the SRTS Coordinator.

In its first award cycle, North Carolina awarded six Demonstration Grants, which are a combination of infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure programs and activities, totaling $1,462,000. Five non-infrastructure grants were awarded, totaling $135,500. Sixteen communities were selected for Action Plan Service Awards. Approximately $315,000 is allocated for these action plans. The SRTS Program also has received over 50 requests for Division projects across the state.

State Advisory Committee

North Carolina currently does not have a State Advisory Committee.

State Outreach Programs

North Carolina’s SRTS program offers the SRTS National Course workshops to interested schools on an as-requested basis. State-trained instructors teach these courses at no cost to attendees. There have been to date, 68 workshop schools, 48 APSA schools, 19 IN schools, 6 Demonstration schools, 22 NIN 2nd cycle schools, 13 NIN 1st cycle schools, and 42 Division schools. Not all requests that are received can be granted.

North Carolina is honoring requests for speakers at various Rural Planning Organizations (RPO), Metropolitan Planning Organizations, public health conferences, individual schools, and communities interested in starting Safe Routes to School programs. In addition, North Carolina has presented at the state’s Department of Public Instruction’s Healthy Schools Institute and the NC Pupil Transportation Association Conference, and Department of Health and Human Services Successful Students Committee.

Evaluation Methods

An evaluation requirement is included as a condition of grant award for all SRTS projects. At a minimum, each grant recipient must utilize the In-class Student Travel Tally and the Parent Survey provided by the National Center for Safe Routes to School as a means of collecting pre- and post-implementation data. Questions regarding other evaluation techniques are included in the grant applications.

Success Stories

Other Statewide and Regional Programs

North Carolina currently promotes a statewide program that enhances pedestrian and bicycling safety and encourages walking and biking by school children. The program is the Basics of Bicycling Curriculum Initiative. This elementary school-level course was developed in 1990 by the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation (DBPT) and the Bicycle Federation of America (now the National Center for Bicycling and Walking). More than half of the 120 school systems across North Carolina have used the program, which currently reaches approximately 60,000 fourth and fifth graders annually. The curriculum includes seven lessons, requiring seven classes that cover bike handling, traffic, high-risk situations, and rules of the road.

North Carolina Partner Affiliates

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

State/Local Organizations

City of Raleigh
Gaston Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Healthy Buncombe
Mecklenburg County Health Department
North Carolina Department of Transportation

Schools

Sedgefield Elementary School
Thomasville City Schools

Businesses

DeFeet International

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