While Congress passed the new transportation law, the FAST Act, back in December, it takes time for US Department of Transportation to update their complicated formulas for how much states and localities get for various programs. Fortunately, that work is done and we now know the state-by-state breakdown of funding available for Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking projects.
The Safe Routes Partnership submitted our official comments for the record on May 16. Read our comments here.
What the US Department of Transportation chooses to measure has an impact on which transportation projects get built in your state and community—and on your ability to feel safe while walking and bicycling to school and in your neighborhood.
The Safe Routes Partnership and the YMCA of the USA recently released Making Strides: 2016 State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Bicycling, Active Kids and Communities. These report cards have an entire section devoted to state funding for Safe Routes to School, bicycling and walking that provides important information for advocates.
This 2013 Institute of Medicine report is based on work by a committee of experts assembled at the request of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation due to the disturbing trends of increased sedentary lifestyles and decreased health metrics among US children and youth.
What do the US, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Columbia, Australia, Fiji and Nigeria have in common?
If you answered – Walk to School Month – you’re right! At least 42 countries have registered to participate in international promotions to get more kids moving. The official US Walk to School Day is being promoted for Wednesday, October 5, 2011, but we know that schools are organizing events all month long, and many participating schools use the event to propel a cultural and infrastructure shift for how we get around.
As I write this I am sitting on an Amtrak train from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR after leading a technical assistance presentation and workshop for the local CPPW grantees (Communities Putting Prevention to Work, a CDC-funded policy and program effort).
(Note: Pauline Chow and Rye Baerg joined the Safe Routes Partnership in January 2012 as our new regional policy managers in Southern California.)
I am so happy to be in my new position - working to strengthen policies and funding streams to help everyone enjoy a healthier and happier life in the beautiful environment of the San Francisco Bay Area.
We are excited to announce that the National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership are now seeking proposals from host agencies to organize the 4th Safe Routes to School National Conference in August 2013.
Terms like eco-friendly and going green have become popular buzzwords in today’s environmentally-conscious society. In practically all aspects of our lives, the idea of living green has gained traction… and for good reasons. Eco-friendly practices allow us to take better care of our planet as well as our own health.
Complete Streets are now officially supported by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Greater Washington, DC area. At their meeting this week, the TBP adopted a policy in support of Complete Str
The Safe Routes to School movement and interest in improving the built environment continue to grow. Here are two resources that I’m sure the field will be excited about:
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 1 p.m. ET
Join us to learn about the fifth edition of Safe Routes Partnership’s state report cards and report, Making Strides: 2024 State Report Cards on Support for Walking, Bicycling, and Active Kids and Communities.
This report marks nearly a decade of work reviewing and scoring best practices in policy, funding and practices that support walking, biking, and active communities. We are excited to share the milestones and case studies that mark real progress during that time. During this webinar we will walk you through the scoring and indicators, the changes we have seen since our last state report cards in 2022, and how you can use this information to make change.
SPEAKERS:
Deja Vu: House Aims to Eliminate Local Funds for Safe Routes
Act Now to Save Safe Routes to School, Bicycling and Walking Funds
It’s come down to a fight for local control. Negotiations on the federal transportation bill are at a critical point and twenty years of gains on bicycling, walking and Safe Routes to School are at risk.
Parks play a role in supporting public health, from mitigating the impacts of climate change to reducing depression and anxiety. A 2022 systematic review by the Community Preventative Services Task Force – part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and supported by the Centers for Disease Control – emphasized the importance of Safe Routes to Parks for maximizing the health benefits of parks, greenways, and trails. The findings, published in what is called the Community Guide, showed that rates of physical activity improved significantly only when parks were combined with at least one of four key strategies to facilitate their access and usage: community engagement, public awareness, structured programming, and access enhancements. So, why does this matter? It reinforces that Safe Routes to Parks is a research-backed strategy for improving health outcomes. For more information on this research and related strategies, check out: Actionable Public Health Strategies to Boost Community Well-Being with Safe Routes to Parks.
One of the exciting aspects of the Safe Routes Partnership’s state network project is the uniqueness of the seven different states. And while this uniqueness is the culture, the people and the geography, one thing is certain, they just can’t get enough of Safe Routes to School!
The August 2009 issue of Parks and Recreation features National Policy & Legal Analysis Network’s (now called ChangeLab Solutions) Joint-Use Agreement resources in an article about using school recreational facilities as community facilities. Mississippi is one of the states that have now bought in and is now on the path to discovering and implementing healthy al
If you can measure it, you can manage it.
I often think of this business mantra each day as I step on the scale, track my calories and log every minute and mile of physical activity as I pursue a healthier lifestyle. (And apologies to my Facebook friends who are tiring of my new found apps and the postings to cheer me on!)
