National Policy & Advocacy
Championing Youth Well-being Through Physical Activity: A Teen’s Perspective during National Pedestrian Safety Month
This guest blog post was written by Emma Wu, a 15 year-old Houston YMCA Youth and Government student. Emma attends a public school in Houston, the most diverse city in the nation. She assumed all teens had the same access to healthy lifestyles and physical activity. That changed when she began working on the Active Communities mock legislation project.
Reader Mail – What’s in my Federal Policy Inbox this Month
I love hearing from our Safe Routes to School and active transportation community with questions about what’s happening on Capitol Hill and with federal policy. Here are some of the questions I got this month while Congress was on recess – and answers to those questions.
What federal funding programs are open that I can apply for to improve walking and bicycling?
Checking in on State Implementation of the Transportation Alternatives Program
At the close of the third quarter of 2023, a few things stand out when we review the quarterly State of the States spreadsheet tracking states’ implementation of the Transportation Alternatives Program. For starters, states are doing a great job obligating funds. In quarter 3, which ended on June 30, 2023, states obligated over $255 million in projects that support walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School.
Urgency Meets Opportunity: $3 Billion This Year Alone to Build and Repair Community Connections Through Safe, Equitable Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Transit Improvements
This blog post was collaboratively written by Marisa Jones (Safe Routes Partnership), Caron Whitaker (League of American Bicyclists), and Mende Yangden (National Resources Defense Council).
July Federal Policy Roundup
After a federal policy blog hiatus due to parental leave, we’re back with a roundup of what’s been happening and what to watch for on federal policy related to Safe Routes to School, walking, and bicycling.
Transportation Alternatives Program Implementation
Checking in on TAP Implementation
While we await the President’s budget and meet with members of Congress on our appropriations requests, it is a nice time of year to check-in on how states are doing implementing the Transportation Alternatives Program.
Safe Routes to School Fares Well in Safe Streets for All Awards!
Last summer, we wrote a blog post about opportunities for Safe Routes to School programs to get involved in Safe Streets for All projects.
New Year, New Congress – What We’re Going to Work On, But We Need Your Help to Achieve! (Plus, What Happened on the Hill While We Were Out)
Happy new year! January 3rd marked the start of the 118th Congress, and we are enthusiastic about our ongoing work to keep Safe Routes to School relevant and prioritized in federal policy. As we shared last month, the majority of our legislative priorities were included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, so this year, we are working toward the following: