Oklahoma
Oklahoma SRTS State Network
Oklahoma 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.
Oklahoma SRTS Program
Managed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), Oklahoma’s federally funded SRTS program is the source for state coordinator contact details, federal SRTS funding amounts, SRTS applications and guidelines, and state SRTS program information.
Success Stories & Best Practices
Oklahoma Partner Affiliates
Find out which organizations in your state have pledged their support as partner affiliates of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.
Oklahoma SRTS State Network
Oklahoma 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.
Oklahoma State Network Policy Achievements:
This promotional piece highlights Oklahoma’s state network policy achievements.
Oklahoma State Network Partners
American Heart Association
Association of Central Oklahoma Governments
City of Lawton, OK
Council for Educational Facility Planners International
Eagle Ridge Institute
Edmond PD
Indian Nation Council of Government
Norman Bike Committee
Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition
Oklahoma City Planning Department
Oklahoma Department of Education
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Oklahoma Fit Kids
Oklahoma Department of Health Injury Prevention
Oklahoma Department of Health Physical Activity and Nutrition Program
Oklahoma Department of Health Turning Point
Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
Oklahoma State PTA
Oklahoma State University Seretean Wellness Center
Oklahoma Turning Point Council
Safe Kids OK
Schools for Healthy Lifestyles
Strong and Healthy Oklahoma
Tulsa HUB
Tulsa Mayor's Fitness Challenge
YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City
State Network Update
- The video of the Tulsa HUB after-school bicycle safety programs is now available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y48-9jhV6c4. It is an exciting documentary on the excellent work done by Ren Barger and her Tulsa HUB crew, as well as James Wagner of the Indian Nation Council of Governments in Tulsa.
- In preparation for introducing the newly revised Safe Cyclist curriculum into the Oklahoma elementary schools, the training class for the Oklahoma Field Trainers was held on August 5 and 6. To be eligible for the training, candidates must be Certified League Instructors through the League of American Bicyclists, IPMBA certified police officers or firefighters, or have passed the LAB Traffic Skills 101 course. The training was conducted by personnel from Bike Texas. A total of 18 people were trained, and are now available to teach and certify elementary school teachers to take the Safe Cyclist course into the classroom. To date, 22 teachers have been trained and certified to take the curriculum into the classroom.
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Governor Brad Henry signed SB 1876 into law on May 28, 2010. This bill requires that all students Grades K-5 be in physical education or exercise programs for a minimum of 60 minutes per week, not to include recess. In addition, there must be an additional 60 minutes per week of physical activity, which may include PE, exercise programs, fitness breaks, recess, classroom activities and wellness and nutrition education.
The bill also strongly encourages that schools provide physical education instruction for Grades 6-12. Schools are also required to provide to parents or guardians showing how these requirements are being incorporated into the school programs.
Unfortunately, the OK Network cannot claim credit for the bill in any way, but we welcome the progress.
- House Bill 2774 was signed into law and became effective on November 1, 2010. This new law requires that two advisory committees be appointed by the governor. One committee is the Certified Healthy Communities Advisory Committee. This committee will establish and maintain a program for the voluntary certification of communities that promote wellness, encourage the adoption of healthy behavior, and establish safe and supportive environments. The Oklahoma SRTS Network Organizer has been appointed to serve as an expert advisor to that committee. The other is the Certified Healthy Schools Committee, which has the same charge as the Communities Committee except that its efforts will apply specifically to schools. The Oklahoma SRTS partner from OK Fit Kids has been appointed as an expert advisor for this committee.
Oklahoma SRTS Program
Oklahoma’s Safe Routes to School program is managed by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT).
Oklahoma SRTS Federal Funding
Oklahoma’s SRTS funding from FY2005-2009* totals $7,104,216 and includes the following annual apportionments:
| 2005 Actual | 2006 Actual | 2007 Actual | 2008 Actual | 2009 Actual |
| $1,000,000 | $1,010,647 | $1,332,691 | $1,664,295 | $2,096,583 |
* Funding for SRTS is being continued into FY2010 at FY2009 levels.
Application Guidelines
ODOT announced the opening of the third application cycle for SRTS grants in late February. Travel plans are due to ODOT by May 26, 2011. Approximately $3 million will be available for this cycle.
The first application cycle for SRTS funding ended on June 12, 2008. ODOT received 38 applications requesting a total of $6.5 million in infrastructure projects and $197,000 in non-infrastructure projects. In December 2008, a total of $3 million was awarded for this cycle. The maximum grants were $200,000 for infrastructure and $20,000 for non-infrastructure projects. The second funding cycle began on January 27 with the opening of the Travel Plan portion of the application process.
Awards for the second application cycle were announced in December of 2010. Just over $3 million in grants went to 22 schools.
State Advisory Committee
The Oklahoma SRTS Advisory Committee was formed March 19, 2007. The Committee is comprised of representatives from: ODOT Traffic Engineer, ODOT Transportation Enhancement program, FHWA, Highway Safety, Department of Education, the three Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) for the state, the Department of Health, and the Department of Public Safety, and the Safe Routes to School Network Organizer.
State Outreach Programs
The OK SRTS program has received a grant of $47,000 from the CDC through the Oklahoma State Department ot Health. This funding will be used in three different areas:
- Training and materials to a pilot program for the Safe Cyclist program for Grades 3-5;
- Funding to establish the American Automobile Association’s School Safety Patrol program in 30 additional schools;
- Funding for media and promotional activities for the OK SRTS program.
Through the efforts of OK Network Partner Jan Fees, the City of Edmond recently adopted the first Complete Streets resolution in Oklahoma. Efforts are underway in Guthrie and Stillwater to encourage their City Councils to pass similar resolutions.
An OK Network Action Team lead by Network Partner Mary Talley of the Oklahoma State University Seretean Wellness Center has completed the development of a pedestrian safety curriculum for Grades K-2. This classroom ready curriculum, called WalkSmart!, is available for free download on the State Department of Health website at www.ok.gov/strongandhealthy.
A new curriculum subcommittee has been formed to start working on a bike/ped safety curriculum for grades K-2. They will be reviewing existing curricula with an eye towards adapting or adopting rather than originating.
Evaluation Methods
Applicants receiving funding for SRTS will be required to submit evaluation data using the National Center for Safe Routes to School’s Student Arrival and Departure Talley Sheet and Parent Survey.
Success Stories & Best Practices
Lawton Safe Routes to School - Walking School Bus
Lawton Safe Routes to School is currently operating at Howell and Whittier Elementary, and officially kicked off with International Walk to School Day in October 2007.
Lawton SRTS is a subcommittee of a larger community coalition called Lawton Fit Kids. The coalition provides the opportunity to work with many partners such as schools, city officials, local physicians, parents, county health department, local YMCA, Lawton Police Department, and other organizations to maintain the SRTS program. The initial goals were to increase the number of children safely walking and/or biking to school, and to reduce traffic congestion during drop off and pick up times. They have achieved both of these goals. The Walking School Bus (WSB) has helped tremendously with increasing the amount of children walking/biking to school. Parents feel much more at ease about letting their children walk to school since there is adult supervision. Parents are also utilizing the drop off and pick up points. These points are where the children can be dropped off away from the school with an adult and then proceed to school with the WSB. As an extra safety measure they identified safe houses along the routes. Every person residing in the home had a background check. The students are taught that these are "safe" places to go if they feel threatened or bad weather arises. Since the SRTS program began, they have doubled the number of children walking to and from school!
A favorite story from the Lawton WSB is from one morning when the children were walking to school a garbage truck was in the road, followed by car one and car two. Car two decided to pass car one and the garbage truck. Car two didn’t get very far because the garbage man blocked the street yelling at the car “Watch out for our kids, don’t you see them walking!" The kids cheered for the garbage man as he continued to block the road until the students had safely passed.
Lawton SRTS has received $15,000 in funding from STIPDA, which helped establish safe houses, and install signage including walking school bus drop off signs. It also allowed them to provide training, purchase a few incentive items for students, and to establish the Lawton Safe Routes to School website.
Contact:
C. Janette New
jeanette@health.ok.gov
www.lawtonsaferoutes.org
Legislation and Policies
School Siting
In the fall of 2009, the Oklahoma SRTS Network, in partnership with the Sustainable Oklahoma Network and Neighborhood Alliance of Oklahoma City, has been awarded a $6000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to investigate school siting policy in Oklahoma. The program will be termed the Neighborhood Schools Planning and Preservation Project.
Senate Bill 399 passed the Oklahoma Senate and House of Representatives and was signed into law by the Governor on April 20, which establishes a revolving fund to be used exclusively for Safe Routes to School funds. While the bill does not have any funding attached to it, the language will establish a process for distributing future Safe Routes to School funding, when it is received. The bill was introduced by Senator Cliff Brannon, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.