VDOT Safe Routes to School Program

It's been nearly a year since the last post, and Virginia is finally getting around to hiring a Safe Routes coordinator who recently announced a call for grant applications. VDOT has a Safe Routes website, which contains the forms needed for applying for a SRTS grant. Jakob Helmboldt is the new Safe Routes to School coordinator, and here is his contact info:

Jakob Helmboldt
Safe Routes to School coordinator
Traffic Engineering Division
Virginia Department of Transportation
1401 East Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 225-3269

Bruce

New Safe Routes to School Web site

The Federal Highway Administration's Office of Safety recently announced a Web site devoted to the new Safe Routes to School program. There are many opportunities for the funding of ped/bike infrastructure (sidewalks, road crossings, traffic enforcement) and education related to access to schools by children from Kindergarten to 8th grade. site is located below.

Fairfax County Public Schools Safety Coordinator

Douglas O'Neill, the new Fairfax County Public Schools Safety Coordinator, is the person now responsible for promoting and coordinating Safe Routes to School and Walk to School Day activities in the county. His phone number is 703-658-3770. Among the duties of the Safety section, as listed on the Safety Web site is to "Evaluate student walking routes." Douglas' email address is also listed on the site.

Walk and Bike to School Day

October 5, 2005 is International Walk to School Day, less than a month after the start of the school year. Will Fairfax County celebrate the event this year? Is anyone in the school system planning any kind of event during Walk to School Week (October 3-7)?

Safe Routes for Children: What They Want and What Works

The following article "summarizes some of the key trends in children’s travel, health and social behavior, and the influence of the city environment, particularly on the school journey. It draws on examples of safe routes in Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States, and includes a summary of policy and practice in the United Kingdom, with particular emphasis on lessons for other countries wishing to improve the environment for children and young people." Figure 2 is a chart comparing the rates of walking, biking, and travel by car in Denmark, the UK, and the US, along with rates of obesity in each country. The article can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/15_1/f1_SafeRoutes.pdf

Safe Routes to School provision included in Transportation Bill

Read about the Safe Routes to School program at America Bikes.

BikeWalk Announces Safe Routes to School Grants*

BikeWalk Virginia is pleased to announce that it will be able to offer
grants to school communities in Virginia that would like to coordinate
educational events for International Walk to School Day, as part of a
new or existing Safe Routes to School program.

Safe Routes to School is a national program that integrates education,
engineering, and encouragement to make biking and walking safe and
appealing ways for children to get to school. Many schools in Virginia
use celebrations on International Walk to School Day to kick-off a Safe
Routes to School program in their community. From October 3-7, 2005,
approximately 3 million walkers from 36 countries will hold walking
events and learn the importance of safe walking techniques. Fore more
information go to, www.walktoschool.org



Selected applicants will receive a $500 award and a Safe Routes to
School training workshop led by a certified statewide trainer. The
workshop will draw from a curriculum created by national SR2S educators
and will cover:

§ best-practices from other Virginia SR2S sites,

§ tips for integrating a broad network of partners,

§ walkability audits and Safe Routes mapping of your school neighborhood,

§ suggestions for communicating your needs for new/improved
infrastructure, and

§ a variety of programming possibilities.

This training is designed for teachers, parents, school officials,
planners, traffic engineers, transportation providers/advocates, and
other stakeholders. You will complete the training with all the tools
and resources you need to adopt a comprehensive and FUN SR2S program in
your area. In addition, technical assistance will be available
throughout the entire process from application to successful implementation.

Deadline for applications is Friday, August 19. at 5:00 p.m.

* *

Fairfax County school contact

As mentioned below, representatives from Fairfax County attended a Safe Routes to School workshop in September 2004 (see County press release announcing the event). Gordon Lawrence was the county rep at the meeting. He also sits on the Pedestrian Task Force. He has been the primary Safe Routes to School contact in the school system. Chris Wells, the Pedestrian Program Manager, is another county contact.

Recently Gordon informed me that he would be retiring this year. His replacement is Kenny Campo, 703-658-3770. Whenever I have asked Gordon about what the county is doing to try to implement a Safe Routes to School program in the school system, his response is that he hasn't heard anything from any community groups who want to implement a program. He said that he would be very supportive of any local efforts.

It has been argued that the school system should be more pro-active in spreading information about the program and trying to generate interest at the local level. Others have said that the school system needs to adopt a Safe Routes to School program. In my budget testimony before the Board in April, I stated:

We also need to do more for our children. Childhood obesity levels continue to increase each year as children get less exercise than in the past. Children are driven to and from school and other activities for many reasons, in part because of a lack of funds for both sidewalks and trails and for crossing guards. We must become more proactive in encouraging children to walk and bike to school. We need to implement a pilot Safe Routes to School program.

When I was searching the county Web site for information about the September 2004 workshop I came across another reference to Safe Routes to School in the February 2004 summary of citizen comments at the Air Quality Community Forum:

2.c. Conceptual Recommendations: Measures and Practices
1. Encourage kids to walk to school—implement the “Safe Routes
to School” program.

There appears to be plenty of support for Safe Routes to School programs if only the county would do more to foster that support.

Vienna Rotary Mini-Grant Program Helps SR2S/Vienna

The Vienna Rotary Club's Mini-Grant Program has provided $350 for the Safe Routes To School/Vienna Elementary Program. The money will be used for creation of the surveys for students and parents which is a key element in a Safe Routes To School effort. Vienna Elementary PE teacher Jonathan Sidilau was the applicant for the funds and will be joining the Safe Routes To School team which uses this blog.

Safe Routes to School National Training Course

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center provides Safe Routes to School training to residents and government staff interested in developing a program in their community. Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church jointly sponsored a course in September, 2004. The one-day session was very informative. It included a morning presentation and question and answer session, and an afternoon spent at a nearby elementary school reviewing walking conditions and developing solutions to problems identified.

Courses are planned for Fall 2005. The cost of the one-day course is $7,000. If the group qualifies for a subsidy, the cost is $5,250. The deadline for applying for the course is May 1. For information about the course, see the Call for Applications.

Adding Team Members

Last evening as I was pondering how to load images on to this site, two visitors came into the store. In what can only be called amazing good fortune our conversation touched on what I had been doing for this Safe Routes To School effort. I then learned that one of my visitors, Tamara Redmon, works for the Federal Highway Administration and has knowledge about SRTS because it is a program that they support. Even though Tamara's daughter is only two, she agreed to assist on the project. They live in the Vienna Elementary area.

We're adding team members one at a time.

Vienna Elementary Guidebook

Vienna Elementary Guidebook, originally uploaded by bikes@vienna.

This page of the Vienna Elementary Guidebook provides information about children traveling to school.

Vienna Elementary School Boundaries

Vienna Elementary School Boundaries, originally uploaded by bikes@vienna.

This map depicts the boundaries for Vienna Elementary School. The white area is where children can walk or ride a bike to school. The yellow area denotes area where children must be transported by bus, car, or walked by parents.

Thank You for Allowing Me to Speak

I appreciated the opportunity to share with you this evening the information about Safe Routes To School. This program has potential to improve the health and safety of students at Vienna Elementary. It presents the structure with which to begin the effort.

I hope you will take the time to follow the links to other sites. Explore what others have constructed and then use that information in an effort for Vienna Elementary. It is my hope that review of the materials will generate the interest so that a committee of three to five people will begin work on a Safe Routes To School Program.

There is much work to do. Being first in the school district and the community means opening doors. I look forward to helping. I look forward to your comments.

John Brunow

Walk and Bike to School Day

One of the best ways that Vienna ES can get started with Safe Routes to School is by holding a Walk to School Day event. This is the Walk and Bike to School Day site that also has links to Safe Routes to School info. Holding the event would be the initial goal, and there is plenty of lead time until the next event on October 5, 2005. In planning the event, most of the Safe Routes to School issues will be confronted.

Bruce Wright
Chairman, Fairfax County Non-Motorized Transportation Committee
bikes@vienna employee

Looking for the Spark

My role is that of an instigator. I'm here to tell you about a program (Safe Routes To Schools) that has merit. I want to get you excited about the potential in our community. I want to find a person or small subcommittee of people to be the champion(s) at Vienna Elementary School to create, operate, and pass on a Safe Routes To School Program.

The template for how Safe Routes to Schools can be organized is readily available on multiple websites. On this blog there are links set to four sites. Ideas abound, but it is the organizational skills, ability to persaude, and determination to succeed that I'm seeking. Safe Routes To Schools focuses on the safety, health, and education of children, but to me it is about building or enhancing community.

Let us work together and we will succeed.

John Brunow