South Dakota

South Dakota SRTS Program

Managed by the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT), South Dakota’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.

Quick Links

South Dakota SRTS Federal Funding  |  In the News
Application Guidelines  |  State Advisory Committee
State Outreach Programs  |  Evaluation Methods
Success Stories  |  South Dakota Partner Affiliates

South Dakota SRTS Federal Funding

South Dakota’s SRTS funding from FY2005-2009* totals $4,990,000 and includes the following annual apportionments:

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

In the News

South Dakota Safe Routes to School Improving Process for Rural Communities

In 2010, South Dakota funded six new Safe Routes to School projects for a total amount of $754,191. Safe Routes to School provided funding for a wide array of projects including: curriculum development and implementation, bike rodeos, connective shared use paths, ADA crossing improvements and bullying and neighborhood aggression training and materials.

One of the applicants for Safe Routes to School funding was so excited that a husband and wife rode their bicycles from Rapid City to Pierre for their presentation to the selection committee; 177 miles one way!

Application Guidelines

South Dakota’s Safe Routes to School program is accepting applications for fiscal year 2011. All applications for Round Four must be postmarked by March 24, 2011. The selection committee will meet in May 2011 to review applications and listen as applicants present their proposals. Successful applicants will be notified and their projects will be added to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, which will become effective October 1, 2011.

Applications can be found at www.sddot.com/srts. Project proposals will be evaluated on their ability to address the five components of a successful SRTS program which are: Education, Enforcement, Encouragement, Evaluation, and Engineering.

South Dakota is changing the way they handle the Safe Routes to School process in 2011, and has received positive community feedback on proposed changes. Many of the applicants are rural communities, and it is extremely difficult for them or the school districts to fund projects upfront. In the next round of Safe Routes to School funding, the SD DOT will pay the engineering firms and contractors directly.

State Advisory Committee

The Committee is made up of 11 members with one representative from each of the following: SRTS Coordinator, Department of Health, Metropolitan Planning Organization, South Dakota Education Association, South Dakota Bicycle Coalition, Associated School Boards of South Dakota, South Dakota PTA President, Tribal Planning, FHWA, South Dakota DOT, and Law Enforcement.

State Outreach Programs

The South Dakota SRTS Coordinator offers free Statewide presentations to schools and communities. The presentation includes an overview of the SD SRTS Program and SRTS Goals, How to Get a SRTS Program Started and Application Overview and Criteria. The National Safe Routes to School Training Course is also available to interested communities. The "Safe Route News", a bi-monthly newsletter provides updates on the South Dakota SRTS program along with in-depth information about a variety of SRTS topics and concerns.

Evaluation Methods

SDDOT requires grantees to submit evaluations semi-annually. It is required that the data is gathered using the National Center for Safe Routes to School Student Arrival and Departure Talley Sheet and Parent Survey.

Success Stories

Brookings, SD: Schools Add Fleet of Bikes for Physical Education Classes

Sixty-six new Trek bikes arrived at Camelot and Mickelson schools in August 2010 thanks to a grant that school and community officials hope will help teach kids to be responsible bikers. According to Robb Rasmussen, owner of Sioux River Bicycles & Fitness, the bikes couldn’t have arrived at a better time. “This bike movement is catching on here in the Midwest, and it’s a pretty exciting thing,” he said. The bikes will be used for the students’ physical education classes in conjunction with the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. “All of the kids coming through our schools will be getting special training in cyclery and the rules of the road,” says Rasmussen.

The “bike barns” at the intermediate and middle schools were built with the help from Brookings National Guardsmen as well as Camelot staff and volunteers. The new wheels were purchased through Rasmussen’s business for $26,000, which was part of a $143,000 grant written by city officials Mike Struck, Jackie Lanning and Allyn Frerichs. The remaining $117,000 of the grant has been used to put in bike trails and lanes around Brookings to make the city more “bike friendly.”

So that every child in the school can take advantage of their use, four of the bikes are designed for kids with special needs. The bikes, a step up from the basic mountain bike, are manufactured by Trek, a brand Rasmussen says is sturdy and easy to maintain. (Camelot students will get the Trek 220 series, and the Mickelson students will ride the Trek 3500 series.)

Rasmussen has been one of the key promoters in Brookings of Safe Routes to School, an international program started in the 1970s and designed to get community leaders, schools and parents across the United States to improve safety and encourage more children to safely walk and bicycle to school.

Source: http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=8946&page=76

Brookings, SD: New School Supports SRTS

A new 4th and 5th grade school in Brookings, SD has been the focus of Safe Routes To School grant applications. All of the 4th and 5th graders in Brookings attend this new school, which is approximately 450 students. The school's SRTS plans include participating in the Freikers program, providing bicycles during the physical education classes, and giving away water bottles and other such prizes for riding to school during bike to school promotion events. Furthermore, bike lanes connecting to the school are being constructed and bike racks that can accommodate 49 bikes have been installed. The school averages about 75 bikers every day, so there is a need for more bicycle parking facilities. The principal and other SRTS supporters are very excited about this challenge. Click here to view a picture of the bike racks.

South Dakota Partner Affiliates

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