July 2017

Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #137: July 2017

Safe Routes to School E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes Partnership. We are also on Facebook and Twitter. Join us!

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  1. Vital and Vibrant: Safe Routes to School at the National Walking Summit
  2. Fits and Starts on Infrastructure and Health Care Legislation
  3. Free Webinar! July 20: Get Inspired By Our Shared Use Ambassadors
  4. Not All Pedestrians Walk: Creating an Equitable Active Transportation Network
  5. Goods Movement and Environmental Justice in the Inland Empire
  6. Going the Extra Mile for Family Health and Physical Activity
  7. Bike Days of Summer With PeopleForBikes
  8. Featured Partner: Dero
  9. News and Events

1. Vital and Vibrant: Safe Routes to School at the National Walking Summit

Interested in joining discussions around walking and Safe Routes to School at the National Walking Summit this September? Meet the Safe Routes Partnership staff who will be moderating panels and facilitating discussions around walking and Safe Routes to School at the National Walking Summit. 
 
Early bird registration is open until July 15! View the full conference program and register here.


2. Fits and Starts on Infrastructure and Health Care Legislation

The Trump administration tried to call attention to its infrastructure proposal by holding an “infrastructure week,” and the majority of members of Congress responded by sending a letter supporting a long-term fix for the Highway Trust Fund instead. The Senate has also put off a vote on its health care bill, which would eliminate the Prevention and Public Health fund. Learn more in our federal policy blog post.


3. Free Webinar! July 20: Get Inspired By Our Shared Use Ambassadors

Attend this webinar to learn about our newest individual Shared Use Ambassadors, and how they improve physical activity opportunities in communities through policy, programs and community engagement.  
 
Meet Erika Hood, REACH Community Fellow and Active Living Coordinator at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, and Ruth Bell, Health Program Analyst with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health in Los Angeles, California, to learn about how their outstanding shared use initiatives improve access to physical activity  in their communities.
 
Register here.


4. Not All Pedestrians Walk: Creating an Equitable Active Transportation Network

While many active transportation policies and plans focus almost exclusively on walking and biking, other human-powered ways of getting around the community tend to take an invisible back seat. This guest blog post by Dr. Mojgan (Mo) Sami, Program in Public Health at UC Irvine, discusses how we can make our transportation network more equitable by including wheelchair users, skateboarders, and other human-powered movers in our planning, policies, and data sources. Read more.


5. Goods Movement and Environmental Justice in the Inland Empire

The Safe Routes Partnership works on regional policy in several jurisdictions around the country, including Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California, which are known as the Inland Empire. Close to 40 percent of the nation’s consumer goods travel through these counties and sit in warehouses before they are trucked out to other locations. The booming goods movement industry means that Inland Empire residents are exposed to high levels of air pollution from truck tailpipes, traffic safety concerns from fast, heavy, and dense truck traffic, and poor land use planning that places truck depots near schools and housing. Read our latest blog post to learn more about the work of the Safe Routes Partnership and other key local partners to bring these environmental justice concerns to the forefront of regional and state policy.


6. Going the Extra Mile for Family Health and Physical Activity With Fire Up Your Feet

As a low-income school in an urban area, RL Stevens Elementary in Santa Rosa, CA has some of the most successful and long-running walking school buses in the country. What's their secret? A principal who champions walking, biking, and healthy lifestyles, a creative and motivated staff, and an enthusiastic student body all helped propel RL Stevens to victory during the Fire Up Your Feet Spring Activity Challenge.
 
Read RL Stevens’ story and more inspiring success stories from schools that encouraged walking, biking, and physical activity during the Fire Up Your Feet Spring Activity Challenge here.


7. Featured Partner: Dero

Looking for bike parking solutions? Dero knows bike parking. Inside and Out™. Dero offers innovative bicycle parking and transit solutions, such as bike racks and custom bike storage. Get 15 percent off select Dero bike racks with the code SRTS and the Safe Routes Partnership will receive a portion of the proceeds. Click here for more details.


8. Bike Days of Summer from PeopleForBikes

Make the most of sunshine and long days by celebrating summer on your bike. Celebrate the season by fixing flats, riding to ball games and with friends and going through the mud. Learn more at peopleforbikes.org/summer#bikedaysofsummer


9. News and Events

  • EXTENDED: There's still time to shape a session for the 17th New Partners for Smart Growth Conference! Submit a proposal by July 11th! http://bit.ly/2qAZRJI
     
  • This could happen in your state: Alaska forfeits $2.6 million that could have funded trails and other bike/ped projects. Read more.
     
  • Congratulations to Ohio's fearless active transportation leader, Julie Walcoff, for winning the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals' Public Sector Professional of the Year award!