Support Active Children through Safe Routes to School
January 30, 2013 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
Do you remember walking to and from school, uphill, both ways in the snow? We sure do! Unfortunately, most of today’s children won’t be able to pass on this memory to their children because they aren’t walking to or from school. 43% of kids who live less than a mile from their school are driven to and from school each day.
Safe Routes to School in MN
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a national and international movement to create safe, convenient, and fun opportunities for children to bicycle and walk to and from schools. The goal of the program is to get more kids walking and biking to school, which can play a critical role in reversing the alarming nationwide trend toward childhood obesity and inactivity.
State legislation, SF 1439/HF 1429, would help Minnesota build the infrastructure needed to give more children the choice to bike or walk to school. Watch the video to learn more.
Studies show that children who walk and bicycle to school are more physically active, have lower body mass index scores, lower obesity levels and are more likely to meet physical activity guidelines than students who are driven or bused to school.
It’s unfair to expect and encourage children to be more physically active without providing them an opportunity and safe environment to incorporate exercise into their daily routines. Read more about Safe Routes to School.
The Safe Routes to School bills (SF 1439/HF 1429) would allow for the sale and issuing of $3 million in bonds for capital investment towards walking/biking infrastructure improvements. In the last federal funding cycle MNDOT received 82 applications from local schools requesting $23 million but only $3.8 million was available and awarded to 16 applicants through the federal program.
Get Involved!
Get Connected – Join the You’re the Cure network to get connected with your legislators and ask them to support active children with Safe Routes to School.
Voice Your Concern – Join other advocates speak with MN legislators in a strong, unified voice about the importance of fighting heart disease and stroke. On Tuesday, February 12, 2013 (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.) – the American Heart Association is hosting their 2013 Minnesota Heart on the Hill event at the State Capitol. Attend workshops and training and then put your skills to the test when you meet with your state legislators. Breakfast and lunch included. No cost to attend but advance registration is required.
Advocate for AHA’s Policy Agenda, which includes:
This includes supporting active children through Safe Routes to School.
Register online for the 2013 Heart on the Hill!! Register by phone at: 952-278-7934 by Friday, February 1, 2013.
BLEND is a strong proponent of Safe Routes to School and is among a long list of MN supporters – see the entire list here! Read more about SRTS throughout the BLEND website!
The content of this blog has been adapted from the AHA – Advocacy in MN website.
Give the Gift of Safety – Support Safe Routes to School!
December 13, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
Advocates for Safe Routes to Schools articulate the need for state lawmakers to make the significant investment in safety and health of our children by funding the new Minnesota Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. Watch this great video that details why Safe Routes to School in Minnesota is so important!
The SRTS program seeks to increase physical activity among school children and decrease transportation costs. In the last federal funding cycle MNDOT received 82 applications from local schools requesting $23 million but only $3.8 million was available and awarded to 16 applicants through the federal program. Currently, at least 70 schools and districts across the state are planning for Safe Routes to Schools in their communities. Help districts like Oak Hill Elementary (St. Cloud, MN) and Oak Ridge Elementary (Sartell, MN) secure Safe Routes to School by asking your lawmakers to fund the Minnesota Safe Routes to School program.
Near Oak Hill Community School – facing South on Oak Grove Rd. on a weekday morning.
The number of obese and overweight children has tripled in the last 20 years. Currently, 63% of Minnesota adults are overweight or obese. It is recommended that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day, but we know that few of our children are getting that level of activity. It’s unfair to expect and encourage children to be more physically active without providing them an opportunity and safe environment to incorporate exercise into their daily routines. The Minnesota Safe Routes to School program is one way to begin to reverse these trends but the program will not be able to be implemented without proper funding.
Take Action and ask your lawmakers to fund the Safe Routes to School program
During this holiday season of giving…please take the time and ask your lawmakers to fund the Safe Routes to School program to give our kids safe paths for walking and biking to school. Thanks for helping to build healthier lives and communities.
[Guest Post] Safe Routes to School Program: Coming Soon to Oak Hill
June 6, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
Angie Stenson is the Senior Transportation Planner at the St. Cloud Area Planning Organization (APO). The APO is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the St. Cloud area and conducts transportation planning activities for all modes including transit, bicycle, and pedestrian. Ms. Stenson graduated from the University of Illinois with a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and is an alumna of North Dakota State University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
On May 9, 2012 MnDOT announced Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grant recipients of federal funds totaling $768,000. The program will support 92 Minnesota schools, funding non-infrastructure and planning activities. Oak Hill Community School in St. Cloud is among the awardees. Oak Hill is one of 70 schools in 35 communities statewide to receive support for completion of a SRTS plan. The planning assistance grant will help the school gather information on existing conditions, gather public input, and identify potential infrastructure and non-infrastructure solutions to promote bicycling and walking to school.
Near Oak Hill Community School - facing South on Oak Grove Rd. on a weekday morning.
Safe Routes to School is a program created through federal legislation in the 2005 federal transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU). The main purpose of the program is to increase opportunities for children to safely walk and bicycle to school. It also seeks to address the current social issue of childhood obesity and inactivity. In addition, SRTS can lead to community benefits such as decreases in traffic congestion issues and motor vehicle emissions.
At the core of SRTS are the 5 E’s: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation. This promotes a balanced approach to the implementation of the program. This funding cycle included solicitation for non-infrastructure and planning funds only, meaning no infrastructure projects were awarded. Since 2005, however, the majority of funding, $9.9 million, has been awarded for infrastructure projects.
Non-infrastructure and planning activities are a vital part of the SRTS program as a whole. The importance of the new, concrete sidewalk or the smooth, asphalt multi-use path installation is visibly understood by most, but the underlying factors of education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation can be more difficult to validate. This funding cycle MnDOT allocated funding for planning assistance as well as non-infrastructure projects including walking and bicycling maps, support for crossing guard programs, bicycle safety programs (during and after school), and various encouragement activities such as a “Walking School Bus”. These programs are activity based and go hand-in-hand with the development of new infrastructure.
In the case of Oak Hill, the planning process is valuable because no clear, common-sense solution directly addresses the primary goal of increasing opportunities for children to safely walk and bicycle to the school. Existing conditions, opportunities, and scenarios will be explored through the combination of community input and technical expertise (SRTS grant). The objective of the process will be to provide a plan for pedestrian infrastructure improvements in and around the school, and it will stress ways to bolster bicycle and pedestrian safety education as well as encouragement programs. If you are a parent or staff member at Oak Hill, look for opportunities to get involved in the SRTS planning beginning this fall.
Do you have an interest in bicycle and pedestrian issues beyond the SRTS program? The St. Cloud Area Planning Organization (APO) has a venue for you to share your ideas or concerns. The APO Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee consists of community members and officials who meet to discuss relevant and ongoing bicycle and pedestrian topics in the metropolitan area. Please contact me if you would like more information.
Angie Stenson, AICP
Senior Transportation Planner
St. Cloud Area Planning Organization
Phone: 320-252-7568
Email: stenson@stcloudapo.org
Website: www.stcloudapo.org
Growing Demand for Safe Routes to School
March 5, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
This photo was taken one block from O.H. Elementary School in Mahtomedi, MN where the sidewalk and trail ends. No other alternative route to the school. Photo provided by: Dorian Grilley, Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota.
A Picture Worth 1,000 Words
Before looking at the picture to the right – read the following definitions…
SAFE [seyf] – adjective, “free from harm or risk”
ROUTE [root, rout] – noun, ”a way or course taken in getting from a starting point to a destination”
Now, take a close look at the picture…does this look like a “safe route” – free from harm on a given path? Would you walk or bike on this road? How about let your child walk or bike to school on this road?
How many of you have seen or encountered streets that simply don’t accommodate users besides automobiles? Tell us your story!
Funding Support for SRTS
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a national and international movement dedicated to create safe and convenient ways for children to walk and bike to and from school. The program is funded as part of the federal transportation allocation which provides State DOT’s funding to allow schools to make improvements to the routes children use to walk and bike to school. Safe Routes Minnesota, administered by MNDOT, provides grants to school districts and local units of government. In the last federal funding cycle MNDOT received 82 applications from local schools requesting $23 million but only $3.8 million was available and awarded to 16 applicants through the federal program.
With more dollars in grant requests than MNDOT is able to fund, a group of organizations have come together in support of a state-funded SRTS program to allow for even more investment in walking and biking improvements. SF 1439 / HF 1429 would allow an allocation of $3 million in the 2012 Bonding Bill to MNDOT to create a state Safe Routes to School program in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. BikeMN, Minnesotans for Healthy Kids Coalition, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Coalition of Greater MN Cities, MN School Boards Assn, and Am. Academy of Pediatrics are among the many supporters.
Picture Perfect!
Do you support SRTS? Contact your legislator today and ask them to vote in support of a state-funded SRTS program!
Minnesota Bike Summit on Capitol Hill!
February 17, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
Are you a bike advocate? Do you enjoy biking on MN trails, encourage your children to bike to and from school, or want safer accessibility for all bicyclists and pedestrians on MN roadways?
The second annual Minnesota Bike Summit on Capitol Hill on March 5th, 2012 wants to bring together advocates to educate our legislative leaders about BikeMN’s 2012 Legislative Agenda. The Minnesota Bike Summit is an event sponsored by BikeMN (Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota) – an organization committed to providing leadership and a unified voice for bicycle education, advocacy and efforts to make Minnesota more bicycle friendly so that more people will ride bicycles more often.
Advocating to…
Fund a State Safe Routes to School Grant Program. Increase the opportunity for children to be physically active before, during and after the school day. Support state bonding initiative to fund State Safe Routes to School program
Authorize the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) State Bikeway. To plan the route and work with other state and local units of government on the implementation of Minnesota’s first state bikeway. From Itasca State Park to the Iowa border this state bikeway will impact the health of individuals, communities, the environment and the economy.
Register today to attend the second annual Minnesota Bike Summit on Capitol Hill!
Help make history with the authorization of Minnesota’s first State Bikeway and by becoming the first state to support Safe Routes to School with state funds. Share with friends!
For more information, visit BikeMN. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed of legislative updates as they pertain to BLEND initiatives.
