Virginia

Virginia SRTS State Network Virginia 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.

Virginia SRTS Program Managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Virginia’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.

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

Quick Links

Success Stories and Best Practices
Other Statewide and Regional Programs
Legislation and Policies

Virginia SRTS State Network

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

Virginia State Network Policy Achievements:

This promotional piece highlights Virginia’s state network policy achievements.

Virginia State Network Partners

Action for Healthy Kids
Activate Martinsville/Henry County
Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation
BikeWalk Virginia
Chester Community Association
City of Alexandria
City of Harrisonburg
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling
Prevention Connections
Richmond Pro Cycling
SafeKids Virginia
Trips for Kids
Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc.
Virginia Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance
Virginia Department of Education
Virginia Department of Health - CHAMPION
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
Virginia Department of Transportation
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth
Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
Virginia Parent Teacher Association

Virginia SRTS Program

Virginia’s Safe Routes to School program is managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

In the News

Virginia Partners to Promote Safe Routes to School

Richmond, Virginia-based nonprofit Prevention Connections, which works to reduce and prevent obesity and tobacco use, has served as the host of the Virginia Safe Routes to School state network since January 2010. This partnership has been key in bridging the connection between health and the built environment in Virginia, and they work with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in a coordinated effort to increase the number of schools engaging in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) activities and encouraging students to walk and bicycle.

In 2010, Prevention Connections received a Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant to establish a Safe Routes to School mini-grant program for Virginia elementary and middle schools. Each $2,000 mini-grant award assists a school in planning and implementing walking and/or bicycling to school activities. The program specifically targets low-income areas, where studies have shown that young pedestrians are at a higher risk of being injured or killed in traffic, and is a catalyst for communities to begin to examine ways to make their environment safer and more accessible for children to walk and bicycle to school.

In support of VDOT’s existing physical activity initiatives, Prevention Connections also helps mini-grant recipients connect with larger funding opportunities. The VDOT Safe Routes to School coordinator plans to provide direct support and technical assistance to mini-grant recipients to increase the likelihood that they will partner with their local government to apply for infrastructure improvement funding. Prevention Connections and VDOT will provide a webinar this spring for schools interested in developing sustainable SRTS programs.

Virginia SRTS Federal Funding

Virginia’s SRTS funding from FY2005-2009* totals $13,404,038 and includes the following annual apportionments:

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

Application Guidelines

VDOT awarded $5.9 million in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funding to 18 communities across the Commonwealth for the 2012 SRTS grant cycle. The funds will be used for projects that will make bicycling and walking to school safer and more appealing for students at 28 elementary and middle schools.

The guidelines for the grant process are available at http://www.virginiadot.org/saferoutes. Localities, organizations or individuals interested in future grant funding cycles for their schools should contact the VDOT SRTS Coordinator for information on putting together a School Travel Plan.

Find out more about Virginia’s Safe Routes to School Program, including the latest grant news and dates.

State Advisory Committee

Created in September 2006, Virginia’s State Advisory Committee is comprised of state-level stakeholders in order to avoid conflict of interest with any local applications for funding. It meets twice a year and is comprised of representatives from: VDOT (Bicycle and Pedestrian and SRTS Coordinators), and Virginia Departments of Health, Education, Motor Vehicles, and Conservation & Recreation.

State Outreach Programs

The Virginia program provides training as requested and attempts to provide free training for all applicants.

Evaluation Methods

Evaluation is required and includes parent and student surveys, crash data when relevant, and anecdotal data indicating safety improvements. Actual evaluation requirements depend on the nature of the actual project proposal.

Success Stories and Best Practices

Alexandria, VA: Reduces Bus Transportation Costs

An Alexandria, VA neighborhood school was adjacent to an active construction site as the community continued to expand, and out of safety concerns, provided hazard busing to all students living within a one-mile radius of the school. In 2008, construction was winding down so parents asked school administrators to rescind the busing policy and allow walking and bicycling to that the school. The parents’ request was aided by the fact that tight school budgets would be aided by reductions in busing costs. As a result, the school principal and the assistant school superintendent rescinded the hazard busing policy so that children could start walking and bicycling to school--a win-win situation for students and the school budget.

Charlottesville, VA: Greenbrier Elementary School: Walking School Buses

Greenbrier was the first school in Charlottesville to initiate a Safe Routes to School program. In 2003, they started weekly Walking Wednesdays events, where families are encouraged to walk to school, and buses drop kids off a few blocks from school allowing them to walk the rest of the way. Greenbrier also introduced Walking School Buses, where one or more families “picks up” other neighborhood kids on their walk to school.

Burnley-Moran Elementary School: Walking Fridays

At Burnley-Moran, parents, teachers, and students have joined forces to make walking a regular part of the school’s culture. Burnley-Moran celebrates Walking Friday events where even kids who must ride to school get a chance to participate in walking by taking a lap around the track before entering the school for the day. In the school’s "Walk to Hawaii" program, each lap around the track earns classes "miles across the country," as they race to see who can make it to Hawaii by the end of the year. Along their route, classes stop to learn about important historic landmarks across the U.S.

Woodbrook Elementary School: Walk and Bike to School Day

Woodbrook was the first school in Albemarle County to initiate a Safe Routes to School program. Beginning with a celebration of International Walk to School Day in October 2005, the school continues to explore safe walking and biking opportunities at their school.

Other Statewide and Regional Programs

Alliance for Community Choice (www.transportationchoice.org)
Since 2002, the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT) has been working on Safe Routes to School in the greater Charlottesville and Albemarle County area.

ACCT’s local programs, made possible with funds from the Virginia DMV, include:

• Providing in-school pedestrian and bicycle safety lessons for thousands of area students.
• Facilitating walk-to-school events at elementary schools in both the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
• Working with school administrators, public officials, and local organizations to promote fitness and safety opportunities for the children of our community.

Harvest Foundation Martinsville/Henry County: Healthier Community

Activate Martinsville/Henry County is a three-year initiative funded by the Harvest Foundation to make this Southern Virginia community a fun, healthy, and desirable place to live by promoting walking, bicycling, and increased physical activity as a part of everyday life. Activate has a strong Safe Routes to School component, and is currently working with four area schools to develop 5-E programs. Learn more at www.activatemhc.org.

TrailsforYouth.Org

TrailsforYouth.org is a Virginia based non-profit focused on providing opportunity and mentoring to youth on the importance of being active outdoors. One of their youth programs is the coordination and implementation of the safe routes to school elements (5 E’s - education, encouragement, evaluation, enforcement, engineering). TYO currently works with twelve (12) schools in the Northern Virginia area. They have created a variety of teams at each school, involving a combination of staff, PTA and parents. There are great variations from school to school regarding economics, location and staff support so they tailor each SRTS program based on the location and needs of the school. Some highlights of the last year are:

• Distributing 4000 pairs of gloves to students;
• Establishing both teacher-led and parent-led walking home clubs for students who are bused;
• Using Fitness Finders tokens as incentives at three schools;
• Conducting bicycle safety rodeos at every school;
• Coordinating assemblies and performances from outside vendors that educate students about pedestrian and bicycle safety;
• Coordinating state-wide poster effort for national submission to Saris Poster Contest;
• Providing over 500 free helmets to students

Legislation and Policies

Virginia’s Secondary Street Acceptance Requirements

As of July 1, 2009, Virginia has a new policy regarding the development of streets for acceptance by VDOT for perpetual public maintenance. The most significant aspect of the revised regulation is that it introduces a change in public policy regarding the design and function a street must meet in order to be added to the state system. In essence, the regulation revises the public-private partnership between the Commonwealth and the development community. The Commonwealth agrees to maintain streets built by developers and accepted by counties to the benefit and marketability of their developments. In exchange, the developer must build streets that connect with the surrounding transportation network in a manner that enhances the capacity of the overall transportation network and accommodates pedestrians, while also minimizing the environmental impacts of stormwater runoff by reducing the street widths allowing the use of low impact development techniques. This is a significant departure from the previous policy of accepting any street that served three or more homes and was built in conformance with state design and construction standards without regards to the impact on the overall transportation network. In addition to this policy change, the new regulation also updates the inspection and surety processes and fees in an effort to streamline the process and better align costs. For more information: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/ssar/

Virginia’s Complete Streets Policy

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) adopted the Policy for Integrating Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodations on March 18, 2004. It established bicycling and walking in Virginia as "fundamental travel modes and integral components of an efficient transportation network."

In late 2005, VDOT initiated two processes to ensure that the many aspects of that wide-ranging, six-page policy statement are actually realized: 1) an internal audit of VDOT’s bicycle and pedestrian programs and how the new policy statement has been interpreted and implemented to date and 2) the creation of a department-wide policy implementation team tasked with writing a detailed policy implementation plan by mid 2006.