By now, you’ve likely heard that the new transportation bill, MAP-21, consolidated bicycling and walking programs into a new program called Transportation Alternatives, and that overall funding was cut by approximately 30 percent. However, the details vary quite a bit state by state.

“I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."

- Jesse Owens

This fall marks 20 years since I moved to California. I was born in Manhattan and grew up there and in New Jersey – learning important lessons about taking initiative and being direct - but I always had an eye toward the west and a fascination with the innovative ideas and policies that often originate in California and then go nationwide. 

Do you know the key decision-makers in your school district? If you had three minutes to talk with one of them, how would you tell the Safe Routes to School story so that it was clear, coherent, compelling and crisp?

The state network project’s advocacy organizers have been hard at work with one of the project’s most critical tasks – preparing action plans. Each of the seven network states has prepared its own action plan that is being presented to their respective networks for comment and adoption.

I have been thinking a lot about how we can ensure Safe Routes to School, walking and bicycling can continue to flourish around the country in our new “MAP-21” world without dedicated funding. So I’ve pulled together a “top 10” list for how Safe Routes to School can survive and thrive.