Safe Routes to School Update by Aimee Pope, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, VTrans

Due to funding and time constraints, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) did not have a non-infrastructure grant cycle during 2010. We have switched our approach to offering schools direct services instead of grant money while still achieving the same outcomes. We hope to begin this process during the spring semester of school in 2011. In addition, VTrans has updated the Vermont SRTS website by creating a one-stop location for all resources available to schools and communities in Vermont. Please check the SRTS website for updates to the site. The National Center for Safe Routes to School will also be updating their website to provide a more comprehensive website to help communities create SRTS programs.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has issued two new guides called Getting Students Active through Safe Routes to School: Policies and Action Steps for Education Policymakers and Professionals, and Implementing Safe Routes to School in Low-Income Schools and Communities: A Resource Guide for Volunteers and Professionals. These publications and additional information are available for download by going to the SRTS National Partnership's

website http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/mediacenter/publications

Safe Routes to School Update

by Aimee Pope, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, VTrans

With the anticipation of spring weather approaching, you might be looking for ways to get some physical activity outdoors with your family. What better way to do this than to walk or bike with your child to school! There are many reasons why parents do not allow their children to walk or bike to school alone. One is the speed of traffic; another is the lack of facilities. Walking or biking with your child to or from school will give you the opportunity to talk to your children about safety, rules of the road, and the importance of looking “left-right-left” when crossing the road. Not only is this an opportunity to spend time with your children, but it’s also a time to talk to them about your enthusiasm for walking and biking.

The SRTS program was happy to hear a few weeks ago that the US Congress passed a yearlong extension of the transportation authorization SAFETEA-LU which will provide additional funding of the Safe Routes to School Program. We are researching what that dollar figure will be, but we are expecting around $1 million in funding. We are in the middle of our infrastructure grant cycle and we hope to be able to award more projects due to our increase in funding for this year. With the remainder of the funding, we will work on providing another opportunity for schools and communities to become part of the Vermont SRTS program through education, enforcement, evaluation and encouragement activities in their programs. Look for more details on the SRTS website in late summer.

Safe Routes to School Update

by Aimee Pope, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, VTrans

The Vermont Agency of Transportation Safe Routes to School program (SRTS) is in the process of developing the final schedule and announcing the application and the deadline for the 2010 infrastructure grants. In order to be eligible for the infrastructure grants, a school or community must have been part of the Vermont SRTS program or have on their own conducted the WalkSmart/Bike Smart Curriculum in their school, conduct two walking or biking events, evaluate their program and develop a school travel plan.

VTrans has been waiting since September to learn more about the U.S. Congress' decision identifying additional funds for the SRTS program over the next five years before announcing the final application and deadline. We do not have any further information at this point, and it looks like we are several months before a final Transportation bill will be developed. We want to offer enough funding for our second round of infrastructure funds so the chance of receiving an award by most of the applicants is possible. However, we currently have around $1 million in infrastructure funds, and a large scale sidewalk project often costs around $250,000 or more, which will not provide for many projects around the state.

We plan to release the application and the deadline within the next month or so, but no later than March, and announce the funding available. If additional funds become available over the period of time that we release the application and the deadline, we will award funding up to $2 million.

Please continue to check our website http://saferoutes.vermont.gov/ for more information and updates on the announcement.