“Wear lights, especially at night,” “no texting while walking,” “make them see you.” It seems to be that time of year in the Greater Washington, D.C. metro region where every jurisdiction is finishing up or rebranding their Pedestrian Safety Campaigns.
Major polls show that Americans want to live in places where it’s safe to walk and bicycle. The demand for walkable, livable communities has prompted many municipalities to make more investments in multi-modal transportation and adopt policies such as Complete Streets that institutionalize planning, design and construction for all types of road users.
This week, both the House and Senate are considering their transportation appropriations (or funding) bills. Because most transportation funding is locked in through MAP-21, we don’t have to fight for funding every year like most programs. (See more on timing updates below)
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness month, which in recent decades has been the time to reflect on sobering statistics, like the fact that between 1971 and 2008, the rate of childhood obesity among children age 6 to 11 rose from 4.2 percent to 19.6 percent.
Safe Routes to School Programs and activities have unique opportunities and needs in rural areas. At the Safe Routes Partnership Annual meeting in August, several advocates from rural areas shared their creative ideas to creating thriving programs in rural areas.
As part of the Regional Network Project, we are tasked with advocating for walking and bicycling at the regional level and specifically working with our local metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs).