Wis. & Minn. join Safe Routes to School Network
Silent Sports | 02/02/2010 1:50PM   |   Leave a comment

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) National Partnership recently selected Wisconsin and Minnesota to participate in the 2010-2011 phase of the State Network Project, the aim of which is to make it safer, more convenient and fun for children to walk and bicycle to and from school.

The two Midwest states join 17 other states and the District of Columbia in the second phase of the project. Illinois was one of nine states and D.C. that saw success in the first phase, between 2007 and 2009. In it’s second phase, the State Network Project will continue to focus on serving lower-income populations and reducing crime.

The project brings together stakeholders from diverse fields to work with state Departments of Transportation (DOT) to increase physical activity in students, to make the best use of the available federal SRTS fund, and to remove policy barriers to walking and bicycling to schools.

The SRTS Wisconsin Network will be led by the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin. The Bike Fed welcomes collaboration with government agencies, policymakers and nonprofits from around the state that are working on health, equity, transportation, youth, environmental and smart growth issues. A kick off telephone conference with these potential partners is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. February 4. Contact Jessica Wineberg Binder at Wisconsin@saferoutespartnership.org to get involved.

Organizing efforts in Minnesota will be led by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota’s Center for Prevention.

According to a report published by the national partnership last November, the SRTS Illinois Network, led by the Active Transportation Alliance, convinced the Illinois DOT in mid-2008 to start distributing more than $20 million in SRTS grant money.

The Illinois Network is now pushing for implementation of a new state law allowing school districts to fund their SRTS projects with revenue collected from speeding violations committed in school zones. This money could further help school districts “eliminate traffic hazards that currently require students to be bused,” thereby saving money and “creating more opportunities for children to walk and bicycle safely to school,” according to the report.

The Illinois Legislature also passed a bill to create a task force to study multimodal school transportation plans and suggest changes in state law. Who will serve on the task force should be announced this spring, according to the report.

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