From Georgia to Colorado, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership is reporting that federally-funded bicycle and walking safety programs are gaining steam.
Georgia’s Safe Routes to School Program is one of many that is expanding. The Safe Routes to School National Partnership says that school outreach coordinators throughout the state have established 368 school partners and 159 “community friends” committed to walking and bicycling in their neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, the Georgia Department of Transportation was expected to begin construction on five Safe Routes to School projects in Atlanta, Douglasville, Milton, DeKalb and Atkinson by the end of this year. Georgia DOT was working on the preliminary engineering of 26 projects requested by local schools and municipalities totaling more than $11,1 million. Georgia Safe Routes to School also selected 58 proposals from its second call for infrastructure projects, and plans to announce the awards in June 2011.
In Colorado, the state’s Safe Routes to School program approved approximately $2.5 million in projects. Since 2005, Colorado has awarded more than $10 million in projects for children at more than 500 schools. That Safe Routes to School Partnership said the Colorado program is developing K through eight grade bicycle-related lesson plans and curriculum.
Find additional examples of Safe Routes to School projects nationwide.
A panel presentation on collaboration between school district transportation departments and safe routes coordinators is scheduled for the STN EXPO this summer. One of the panelists, David Koskelowski, program manager of traffic safety and pupil transportation
at the Wyoming Department of Education, is scheduled to discuss school district experiences with Safe Routes to School. Last month the state’s Department of Transportation received $1 million in federal grants toward biking and walking projects.
