By now, we hope you know that every state received a massive influx of funding to the Transportation Alternatives Program, the primary source of federal funding for walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School.

When I reflect on my Hispanic heritage, the first thing I think about is food. I think about the savory aroma of Cuban rice and beans or sweet, syrupy flan. I hear the laughter of my family mixed with our particular brand of Spanglish and the inevitable music that leaves chairs and tables banished to the edges of the room to make way for our dancing.

As 2022 chugs along, so does the rollout of new funding and programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

USDOT is competing out $1 billion in funding to support communities to plan for and implement strategies that reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries, and it is an opportunity to elevate or re-invigorate Safe Routes to School in your community! With $1B in federal funds available to communities, Safe Routes to School practitioners can collaborate with community leaders to make sure Safe Routes to School is part of the solution to reduce traffic injuries and deaths.

Juneteenth was originally celebrated in Galveston Texas, on June 19, 1866. It marked the first anniversary of the day that African Americans there first learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, more than two years after it was initially issued.

The Federal Highway Administration released guidance on the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) (2/2/22) and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) (3/30/22) and held a webinar on the Transportation Alternatives Program guidance (6/2/22).

Our hearts break for the Robb Elementary School community in Uvalde, Texas where 19 children and two teachers were murdered by a person with a gun. They break for the community of Buffalo, New York where parents, grandparents, children, friends, and neighbors were gunned down in the grocery store by a white supremacist. And they break for parents, caregivers, and communities all across the country where guns claim the lives of children and young people whose deaths do not even make headlines.