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Virginia

Virginia Bike and Walk Day

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.

Success Stories and Best Practices

Other Statewide and Regional Programs

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.

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 Organizer
Stephanie Smith
(757) 871-8639
virginia@saferoutespartnership.org
www.saferoutesvirginia.org

Virginia State Network Chair
Councilman Rob Krupicka, City of Alexandria

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).

Virginia DOT SRTS Coordinator
Sarah Weisiger
804-371-4868
Sarah.Weisiger@vdot.virginia.gov
www.virginiadot.org/saferoutes

Virginia SRTS Federal Funding
Virginia’s SRTS funding totals $13,329,111 and includes the following annual apportionments:

Application Guidelines
In December 2009, the fourth call .for applications closed. Awards are expected to be announced in late Spring 2010.

The guidelines for the 2009 cycle are available at http://www.virginiadot.org/programs/ted_Rt2_school_pro.asp. VDOT has developed two types of grants—infrastructure and non-infrastructure grants. Non-infrastructure grants are used to develop documented SRTS plans and programs. Infrastructure grants provide infrastructure improvements within a two-mile radius of targeted schools. An approved SRTS school travel plan must be in place and documented before an applicant is eligible to apply for project grants 

Find out more about Virginia’s grant applications.

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
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.

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.