At a recent grantmaking conference, one of the speakers emphasized the role of evaluation by saying that if you can’t measure something, it doesn’t matter. Thanks to a new rule from the US Department of Transportation, all states will now be required to measure and be held accountable for bicycle and pedestrian safety.
This blog post was written by the Safe Routes Partnership's research reviewer, Christina Galardi.
“It’s just like riding a bike.”
This is an expression we often use to refer to a learned skill that comes naturally and is retained for a lifetime.
But how do you learn to ride a bike—and do so safely—in the first place?
This blog post was authored by Safe Routes Partnership research advisor Christina Galardi.
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.
Welcome to the new website of the Safe Routes Partnership! The beginning of a new year seems to be the perfect time for a change to the Safe Routes Partnership’s website. The new color scheme, graphics and wonderful photos now reflect the vibrancy and energy of the national Safe Routes to School movement.
It is an exciting time of new beginnings and opportunity - the beginning of my role as network director, a new blog and a huge expansion of the Safe Routes Partnership.
When I was about eight years old I decided to start a lemonade stand. My stand, which was rudimentary in design, included the front steps of my house, a pitcher of watered down lemonade and no cups.
March has been quite a month for Congressional action on the transportation bill. Unfortunately, it is looking like the momentum will have a tough time carrying over into April.
In 2008 and 2009 we managed a Safe Routes to School project at five lower income schools around the country, launching and growing Safe Routes to School programs in those five schools for two years.
Both the House and Senate have decided to get down to business on a transportation bill.
Our work to expand the region’s Active Transportation program at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is progressing.
We love it when Safe Routes to School volunteers and champions share what is happening in their community with us!
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:
The Indiana Safe Routes to School program is alive and well! Having completed six application rounds since its inception in 2006, there are now 114 infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure activities that have been awarded funding in the Hoosier State. For a map of Indiana’s Safe Routes to School awards click here.
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.
Safe Routes to School is about walking and bicycling to school and in communities. The Safe Routes to School momentum spreads to players at all levels. There are only three communities with designated Safe Routes to School coordinators in the Greater Washington, DC region.
This week, Congress is voting on a new two-year transportation bill, called MAP-21, that will make significant changes to federal transportation policy that negatively impact bicycling and walking programs. Please see our joint statement with the America Bikes coalition for information on the
Since Congress released their new MAP-21 Transportation Bill two weeks ago, which eliminated dedicated funding for Safe Routes to School and leaves most of the decision making for active transportation up to states and locals, people have been asking me “what’s next?”
