Iowa Department of Transportation



 

 


Safe Routes to School

Iowa - Safe Routes to School logo

 

Approved projects and funding amounts awarded for:

Next Application Deadline:
October 1, 2008


What is Safe Routes to School (SRTS)?

SRTS is a rising international effort to increase safety and promote walking and  bicycling to school through the “5 Es”:  engineering, education, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation.  The 2005 SAFETEA-LU federal transportation bill included a new SRTS federal funding source of $612 million over five years for both infrastructure and noninfrastructure reimbursement grants.
 

 Children Crossing Street

Reasons for the program

Over the past two to three decades, there has been an incredible rise in obesity and physical inactivity in kids and adults.  The impact on health and health-care costs is high and will continue to rise dramatically.  In 1969, roughly half of all kids walked or biked to school.  Now, it’s about 15 percent.  For school trips less than one mile, 29 percent walk or bike.  There is a strong correlation between communities with good bicycle and pedestrian environments, and having more active residents.  Air quality and traffic congestion around schools has also become an issue. Watch SRTS video; SRTS PowerPoint Presentation
 
Traffic Congestion

Summary of the SRTS grant program

  • Iowa:  $1.00M (FY05), $0.99M (FY06), $1.08M (FY07), $1.33M (FY08), $1.67M (FY09)

  • 100 percent federal share – no local funding match required; reimbursement grants

  • Eligible applicants:  for infrastructure projects - local and state governments; for noninfrastructure projects - local and state governments, regional agencies, including nonprofits, schools (both public and private), Parent Teacher Associations, etc.

  • 70 to 90 percent for infrastructure projects and 10 to 30 percent for noninfrastructure projects (see examples below); efforts in both areas must be demonstrated

  • Primary beneficiaries must be K-8 students

  • Infrastructure projects must be within two miles of a school and on public property or private land with legal public-access easements

  • Competitive grant program administered by Iowa DOT

  • Award recipients must comply with stringent federal and state funding requirements

 

Infrastructure grant uses and application form

Infrastructure projects must reduce speeds and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and access.  Examples may include:

  • Sidewalk improvements: new sidewalks, sidewalk widening, sidewalk gap closures, sidewalk repairs, curbs, gutters, and curb ramps;

  • Traffic calming and speed reduction improvements: roundabouts, bulb-outs, speed humps, raised crossings, raised intersections, median refuges, narrowed traffic lanes, lane reductions, full- or half-street closures, automated speed enforcement, and variable speed limits;

  • Pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements:  crossings, median refuges, raised crossings, raised intersections, School Crossingtraffic control devices (including new or upgraded traffic signals, pavement markings, traffic stripes, in-roadway crossing lights, flashing beacons, bicycle-sensitive signal actuation devices, pedestrian countdown signals, vehicle speed feedback signs, and pedestrian activated signal upgrades), and sight distance improvements;

  • On-street bicycle facilities:  new or upgraded bicycle lanes, widened outside lanes or roadway shoulders, geometric improvements, turning lanes, channelization and roadway realignment, traffic signs, and pavement markings;

  • Off-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities:  exclusive, multi-use bicycle and pedestrian trails and pathways that are separated from a roadway;

  • Secure bicycle parking facilities:  bicycle parking racks, bicycle lockers, designated areas with safety lighting, and covered bicycle shelters; or

  • Traffic diversion improvements:  separation of pedestrians and bicycles from vehicular traffic adjacent to schools, and traffic diversion away from school zones or designated routes to a school.

Planning, design and engineering expenses, including consultant services, associated with developing eligible infrastructure projects are also eligible to receive infrastructure funds.

Application Information:

Background and Eligibility (please read first)
Download Application Form

 

Noninfrastructure grant uses and application form

SAFETEA-LU specifies that eligible noninfrastructure projects are activities that encourage walking and bicycling to school, including: public awareness  campaigns and outreach to press and community leaders; traffic education and enforcement in the vicinity of schools; student sessions on bicycle and pedestrian safety, health and the environment; and funding for training, volunteers and managers of SRTS programs.

Uses may include:

School Assembly

  • creation and reproduction of promotional and educational materials;

  • costs to develop a SRTS study or plan;

  • bicycle and pedestrian safety curricula, materials and trainers;

  • training, including SRTS training workshops that target school- and community-level audiences;

  • modest incentives for SRTS contests and incentives that encourage more walking and bicycling over time;

  • safety and educational tokens that also advertise the program;

  • photocopying, duplicating and printing costs, including CDs, DVDs, etc., and also mailing costs;

  • costs for data gathering, analysis, and evaluation reporting at the local project level;

  • substitute teacher pay, if needed, to cover for faculty attending SRTS functions during school hours;

  • costs for additional law enforcement or equipment needed for enforcement activities;

  • equipment and training needed for establishing crossing guard programs;

  • stipends for parent or staff coordinators;  (typically to reimburse volunteers for materials and expenses needed for coordination and efforts;  “Super-volunteer” pay is possible in rare cases.);

  • costs to employ a SRTS program manager, which is a person that runs a SRTS program for an entire city, county or some other area-wide division that includes numerous schools; or

  • consultant costs (either nonprofit or for-profit) to manage a SRTS program, as described in previous bullet.

 
What can communities, schools, and others do to prepare for making a grant application?

Walk to School Day

No-Cost or Low-Cost SRTS Projects

1   Register for "Go The Distance" - a free 100-day challenge designed to encourage young Iowans to increase their physical activity levels and make better food choices.
 
2   Conduct a survey/needs assessment of students and parents about walking to school - Analyze information on students’ and parents’ views towards walking and biking to school, include questions about obstacles to walking or biking to school.
 
3   Run a “Keep Kids Alive Drive 25” campaign – Educate and encourage citizens to drive at the residential speed limit to make a safer walking environment for students going to school.
 
4   Create frequent walker cards or frequent rider miles – Create a reward program similar to food and retail store discount cards. The cards are punched every time a student travels by foot or accumulates a certain number of miles by bike.
 
5   Paint new high visibility crosswalks – Work with your municipal engineer and public works department to improve safety and emphasize the recommended path for crossing at an intersection.
 
6   Develop a Neighborhood Watch/Safe Haven program – Have residents volunteer their homes as “safehouses” where children can go if they feel they are threatened or endangered on their way to and from school.
 
7   Create a Safety Alert Notice - Initiate a program where if a parent is double parked or parked at a crosswalk, they will be handed a safety alert ticket by the principal or safety patrol.
 
8   Designate weekly Walk ‘n’ Wheel Wednesdays - Create a weekly event that encourages kids to walk and bike to school through rewards and outreach.
 
9   Give Rewards to Students Who Always Wear a Bicycle Helmet - Provide incentive for students to wear helmets by giving good rider prizes and coupons. 
 
10   Pledge to be a PACE Car and Always Drive 25 – Drivers of PACE cars pledge to drive within the speed limit and stop for pedestrians.  PACE cars become traffic calming devices.  Create PACE car pledges for parents to sign.
 
11   Hold a Bicycle Rodeo - Host a community event where cycling instructors teach safety and riding skills through obstacle course simulations.
 
12   Hold a Walk-a-Thon to Raise Money and Awareness - Encourage people to walk, expand awareness for SRTS and raise money for SRTS future programs and physical pedestrian/bicycle improvements.  
 
13   Present a Golden Sneaker Award to the class that walks the most - Award a spray-painted sneaker to the class who walks the most cumulative miles/trips.
 
14   Hold a Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Quiz Show - Have students play a game modeled after Jeopardy to learn bicycle and pedestrian safety.  Construction paper, point values, questions and a bulletin board are helpful to display the game.
 
15   Create No Idling Zones around the school - Children’s asthma symptoms increase as a result of car exhaust. Idling produces twice as much pollution as stopping and restarting a warmed-up engine.  A single vehicle dropping off and picking up kids at one school puts about three pounds of pollution into the air per month.
 
16   Designate a location for park and walk to school - Drop off students at a designated location and walk the rest of the way to school under the supervision of an adult volunteer.  This is a good way to involve students who live far from the school and must ride the bus.
  
17   Conduct Walkability/Bikeability Assessments around your school -  Evaluate and identify school routes that are in need of improvements by gathering volunteers to walk designated routes with a walkability/bikeability checklist.
 
18   Paint In-Roadway Bicycle Markings - Work with your municipal engineer to create bike lanes that connect schools, parks, residential and commercial areas.
 
19   Walk a Morning Mile at School - In areas where it is unsafe or difficult to walk to school, school staff can start a walking program on-campus before, during or after school.  An example is the “Morning Mile”, where students walk a mile around the school grounds before class begins.  This is a good way to involve students who live far from the school and must ride the bus.
 
20   Conduct a Class Walking Field Trip - Take students on a field trip by walking to a local library, post office, or City Hall.  Include math skills by having students count their steps or calculate how far they walked.
 
21   Walk Across the U.S. or World - Have students travel around the country according to how many miles a class collectively walks and bikes to school through a web-based interactive game.  Or, follow the journals of Gary Hause, a man walking around the world. http://www.walkingman.org/
 
22   Celebrate Crazy Hat Day or Signage Parade - Decorate helmets, hats and signs to create a parade on the walk to school.
 
23   Hold a Crossing Guard Appreciation Day - Designate a day in appreciation of the work that crossing guards do to keep students safe when crossing busy streets.  Encourage students to make thank you notes for their crossing guard.
 
24   Review Sidewalk, Building, & Property Maintenance Laws - Designate a small committee to review municipal laws and codes to ensure sidewalks and trails are built within new developments.  Make sure sidewalks are maintained, especially during snowy months.
 
25   Create a Walking School Bus - Design a walking route to school, supervised by an adult, with stops and a schedule like a school bus.
 
26   Have students keep Walking Journals - Create a classroom story about walking to school.  Students jot down what they see on their walk to school and can even create a photo log of what they like and do not like along their route to school. 
 
27   Hold a Walk to School Scavenger Hunt - Create a walking game where students spot objects on their walk to school, based on a classroom assignment.  For example, have students make note of the different types of traffic signs on the walk to school.
 
28   Celebrate “Stay Bright When Walking at Night” - Encourage students to walk in bright, reflective colors and teach them the importance of pedestrian safety.
 
29   Walk to School Poster Contest - Hold an art contest. Design a banner or poster to be hung in town or school to promote walking and safety. 

Who to contact

Resources

Forms

 
 
 
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