May 2014

Safe Routes to School E-News
Issue #99: May 2014 

Safe Routes to School E-News is a monthly email newsletter published by the Safe Routes Partnership (Safe Routes Partnership), which is leading the national movement for Safe Routes to School by coordinating and energizing more than 600 organizations, government agencies, schools and professional groups. Our mission is to advance safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.

The Safe Routes Partnership is on Facebook and Twitter. Join us!

To receive future issues of E-News, email info@saferoutespartnership.org.

In this issue:

  1. A Tribute to Congressman Oberstar: The Father of Safe Routes to School
  2. Celebrate National Bike Month and National Physical Fitness Month
  3. The Latest from Capitol Hill
  4. A Complete Streets Win on New Jersey's Route 35
  5. Register for our Next Free Webinar
  6. Now Hiring: Technical Assistance Project Manager
  7. Making Equity Count in the Built Environment with NAACP as Our Equity Partner
  8. New Resource: Creating Healthier Communities Through the Shared Use of Hospitals
  9. Regional and State Network Update
  10. Highlighted blogs

1. A Tribute to Congressman Oberstar: The Father of Safe Routes to School

It is with a very deep sadness and extremely heavy heart that the Safe Routes Partnership mourns the passing of 79-year-old Congressman James Oberstar, D-MN from 1974-2010,on Saturday. Congressman Oberstar served in Congress for 36 years, and as chairman and ranking member of the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for many years, he played a critical role in authorizing a national Safe Routes to School program. In her blog post, Safe Routes Partnership founder Deb Hubsmith reflects on the life and legacy of Congressman Oberstar and the impact his work has on kids and families each and every day across the nation.


2. Celebrate National Bike Month and National Physical Fitness Month

May is National Bike Month AND National Physical Fitness Month, which means there are lots of reasons for kids and adults to get motivated to add physical activity into their daily lives through bicycling and walking to school and around the community.

Here are three ideas for harnessing the momentum around physical activity to get your school moving this month:

  • Fire up your active school: It’s not too late to register and start tracking your physical activity as part of the May Fire Up Your Feet Activity Challenge. Schools in Oregon, SW Washington, Virginia, Baltimore, DC, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire could win awards of up to $2,000 for health and wellness initiatives!
  • Start a walking school bus or bike train: Walking school buses and bike trains are fun ways to interact with other families and strengthen community connections.
  • Strengthen your school’s wellness policy: School policies can impact the amount of physical activity that children receive on a regular basis. Find resources to help you develop and improve your school’s wellness policy.

3. The Latest from Capitol Hill

Obama Administration Sends Transportation Bill to Capitol Hill

As we continue to wait for action on a transportation bill in Congress – which may happen as soon as next week in the Senate – the Obama Administration put forward their own proposal earlier this week: the GROW AMERICA Act.  The current transportation bill is set to expire this September and the Highway Trust Fund, which funds our nation’s surface transportation programs, will run out as soon as August.  The administration’s bill would reauthorize our surface transportation programs for an additional four years at $302 billion, and includes several provisions we had specifically advocated for in the Transportation Alternatives Program. You can read more on our blog.
 
In addition, we have just released our newest Transportation Alternatives snapshot, capturing how states are implementing the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP).  We capture information on which states are transferring money away from the program, which states are prioritizing Safe Routes to School, and which ones have started the application process for TAP funding.See how your state rates!


4. A Complete Streets Win on New Jersey's Route 35

As a leader in the Complete Streets movement, New Jersey has one of the top rated internal policies by the National Complete Streets Coalition, with 90 municipalities and six counties statewide that have adopted their own policies. The state also has an active Complete Streets working group that encourages local government to adopt their own policies. Recently, the working group had the opportunity to make a difference with effective advocacy to strengthen Complete Streets improvement along Route 35, which suffered significant damage from Superstorm Sandy. Read more and see the difference in before-and-after design drawings.


5. Register for our Next Free Webinar

Our monthly technical assistance webinar series features expert speakers, a chat feature for participants, and archived downloadable post-webinar recordings. Join us for our next webinar:
 
Recruiting and Training Volunteers for Long Term Success! (Part 1)
May 15th at 2pm Eastern – Register here
 
Join our expert panel of presenters for part one in a series of two webinars that will explore tried and true methods for recruiting and training volunteers to participate in Safe Routes to School Programs.
 
Managing and Retaining Volunteers for Long Term Success! (Part 2)
June 19th at 2pm Eastern – Register here
 
Part two in a series of two webinars will focus on managing and retaining volunteers to participate in Safe Routes to School Programs. 


6. Now Hiring: Technical Assistance Project Manager

The Safe Routes Partnership is seeking a motivated and committed professional with excellent research, writing, and business skills to be our new technical assistance project manager. The technical assistance project manager will assist in building the Safe Routes Partnership’s emerging consulting program, identifying a business strategy, exploring opportunities, and developing proposals. The technical assistance project manager will also develop national reports and analyses, and will provide technical assistance to local communities around the country that are seeking to improve their built environment and Safe Routes to School initiatives. Qualifications include strong business skills, excellent research and writing abilities, and knowledge of active transportation. See the detailed job description here. Applications are due by May 21.


7. Making Equity Count in the Built Environment with NAACP as Our Equity Partner

Twice as many low-income kids walk or bike to school than affluent kids, and 65 percent of families below the poverty line do not own a car. Yet despite the great need for access to safe streets and physical activity, sidewalks in African American communities are 38 times more likely to be of low quality. This lack of access puts the health of our children at stake: children in neighborhoods that lack access to parks, playgrounds and recreation centers have 20 to 45 percent greater risk of becoming overweight. The Safe Routes Partnership is proud to partner withNAACP on our National Active Transportation Diversity Task Force, a group of organizations lending their advocacy muscle to the work occurring in the built environment and active transportation movements. Learn more about how your organization can become a task force member or a partner affiliateof the Safe Routes Partnership.


8. New Resource: Creating Healthier Communities Through the Shared Use of Hospitals

New Resource Explores the Role of Hospitals in Increasing Physical Activity Opportunities

Often when we talk about shared use, we talk about it within the context of school settings, which are natural starting places to look for great opportunities for communities to be physically active. But the potential world of shared use is bigger than just schools. In the South, we are seeing the exploration of shared use in faith based community facilities. In California, key leaders have discussed partnering with school clinics or community clinics, to encourage patients to be more physically active. And in Ohio, we are collaborating with the Health Policy Institute of Ohio to explore the role of hospitals in increasing physical activity opportunities in low-income communities. Check out our new resources, Creating Healthier Communities through the Shared Use of Hospitals, and all of the shared use resources in ourLibrary of Resources.


9. Regional and State Network Update

State Network Update: Funding in California and New Jersey
In California, the President pro Tem of the state Senate announced a proposal for long-term expenditure of Cap-and-Trade revenue, including 10 percent of funds for Complete Streets investment in road rehabilitation.  Initially, the proposal would have put the 10 percent towards general road repaving and rehabilitation without a focus on Complete Streets or reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the final proposal specifically called out Complete Streets as the focus for this 10 percent investment and could result in up to $450 million annually.
 
In March, the New Jersey DOT announced $20 million available for Safe Routes to School and Transportation Alternatives.  Our New Jersey Advocacy Organizer worked with our partners and the DOT to develop a series of workshops to help communities successfully apply for this new funding, and our team successfully advocated for an extension from the DOT so that disadvantaged communities who may need more time and assistance in completing their application would have it.
 
Regional Network Update: San Francisco Leading the Way for Safety and a Better Environment
The Safe Routes Partnership’s regional network project seeks to improve policies in major metropolitan regions so that families can walk and bicycle to school and in daily life. One area where that is proving particularly successful is in the San Francisco Bay Area and in San Francisco, in particular. San Francisco’s Safe Routes to School program has been growing since inception in 2009. The emphasis on Complete Streets and a recently-enacted resolution supporting Vision Zero is encouraging more participation in programs like Bike to School days. Read more here.


10. Highlighted blogs

Diving Into the Research Around Getting Kids Outdoors (Jane Ward)
 
Innovative Ways to Share Space for Physical Activity (Mikaela Randolph)


For more information, contact:

Margaux Mennesson, Communications Manager
Safe Routes Partnership
margaux@saferoutespartnership.org
www.saferoutespartnership.org