Get movin' and start a Safe Routes to School program in your neighborhood
Ames , Iowa - Grant application forms for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) are now available on www.dot.state.ia.us/saferoutes. The deadline for grant application submittals is Oct. 1, 2006.
SRTS is a new program which resulted from the enactment of the 2005 SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users) federal transportation bill. SRTS is a growing international effort to increase safety and promote walking and bicycling to school through the “5 Es”: engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement and evaluation.
The federal funding for SRTS is $612 million over five years for both infrastructure and noninfrastructure reimbursement grants. Iowa will receive about $1 million each year throughout the five-year period.
Parents, teachers or community volunteers can start an SRTS program in their community. The steps to take are: identify community partners and form a local SRTS team; develop a plan on a school, district, city, or regional level; take inventory and prioritize where improvements are needed, with the help of parent and student surveys; learn what is possible, both in infrastructure and policy; determine gaps in pedestrian and bicycle safety education; start encouragement programs such as International Walk to School Day, Walking Wednesdays and incentive programs and prioritize easy steps and those that require funding.
Kathy Ridnour, Iowa 's SRTS program coordinator, encourages as much involvement as there are willing participants. “Programs that involve students, school officials, parents, city officials and law enforcement are the programs that will be most successful,” said Ridnour.
Examples of infrastructure projects eligible for SRTS funding include sidewalk improvements, traffic calming and speed reduction improvements, pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, on-street bicycle facilities, and off-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Some eligible noninfrastructure projects include public awareness campaigns and educational materials; traffic education and enforcement in the vicinity of a school and student sessions on bicycle and pedestrian safety, health and environment, or training workshops that target school and community audiences.
The competitive grant program is administered by the Iowa DOT with no required local funding match. Eligible applicants include state, local and regional agencies, including nonprofits, schools (both public and private), parent-teacher associations, etc. Infrastructure projects must be within two miles of a school and on public property or private land with legal public-access easements. Primary beneficiaries of the program must be students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Award recipients must comply with strict federal and state funding requirements and demonstrate efforts in plans for both infrastructure and noninfrastructure projects. Infrastructure projects will be awarded 70 to 90 percent of the total funding.
For additional resources, specific guidelines and grant application forms visit www.dot.state.ia.us/saferoutes or contact Kathy Ridnour, 515-239-1713 or kathy.ridnour@dot.iowa.gov
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