2010-2011 Summary Annual Report

As part of the Federal Safe Routes to School Program, the National Center for Safe Routes to School was established in May 2006 through a competitive bid process. The National Center serves as the program’s clearinghouse and provides technical assistance, training, resources, evaluation and nationwide promotion of Safe Routes to School. The National Center’s work supports the three basic objectives of the federal Safe Routes to School program:

  • Enable and encourage children to walk and bicycle to school;
  • Improve the safety of children walking and bicycling to school; and
  • Facilitate projects and activities that will reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution near schools.

Although SAFETEA-LU, which established the program, officially expired in 2009, the Federal SRTS Program has been continued through legislative extensions and the National Center’s contract has been extended through October of 2012.

In the past year, the National Center has focused on documenting evidence of the progress of the SRTS program and best practices at the local and state levels. This knowledge contributed to the decision by the National Center to not only continue its ongoing work, but to strategically initiate three major projects for the contract extension period:

  1. Launch a new national event - National Bike to School Day;
  2. Creation of a web-based walking and bicycling route mapping tool and
  3. Development of a State SRTS Peer to Peer program.

These projects will help advance the visibility, relevance and agility of the SRTS Program on the national stage and in individual neighborhoods.

Demand for the SRTS program remained solid, as evidenced by the number of funding applications states have received and the dollar amount requested by those applicants. During this reporting period, all states and the District of Columbia announced funding for local or statewide SRTS activities and the schools benefiting from the funding increased from approximately 7,662 schools to 11,371. Through June 30, 2011, states had received 10,255 program applications with 44 percent of those being selected for funding. Collectively, states continued to supply approximately 39 percent of the $1.7 billion in requested funds for local and statewide SRTS activities.

This report provides a summary of work conducted by the National Center, with assistance from its partners, from July 2010 through June 2011. The National Center’s partners are America Walks, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and Toole Design Group.

The work of the National Center encompasses the following functions:

Technical assistance.

  • The National Center strengthens local and state capacity by communicating current information, research findings and best practices for audiences ranging from the general public to State SRTS Coordinators. This is accomplished through online technical assistance, a toll-free phone line, and on-going support for State SRTS Coordinators.

Training.

  • The training function works concurrently with technical assistance. The National Center has developed courses and an instructor training to address the various educational needs of the states and communities. The National Center has dedicated funds to provide two free trainings per state as well as increasing access to training opportunities by expanding web-based options.

Promotion.

  • The National Center builds demand for SRTS programs by developing strategic partnerships to strengthen cross-discipline support for SRTS.  Promotional work includes marketing designed to reach parents, students, schools, communities and state governments. Key promotion avenues include the National Center website, International Walk to School Day, the James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award, the National Review Group, and participation in various conferences relating to active school travel.

Tracking.

  • The National Center tracks and reports the number of schools funded and amount of funding awarded by each state, and maintains a database of project descriptions.

Local data collection support.

  • The National Center supports local programs in collecting student travel and parent perception data and maintains this data set.

Evaluation and research.

  • The evaluation and research function includes work to advance the assessment and understanding of the effect of SRTS implementation at the local, state and national levels.

About the National Center for Safe Routes to School

Established in May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School assists states and communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bicycle to school. The National Center serves as the information clearinghouse for the federal Safe Routes to School program. The organization also provides technical support and resources and coordinates online registration efforts for U.S. Walk to School Day and facilitates worldwide promotion and participation.

The National Center is part of the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. For more information, visit www.saferoutesinfo.org.

Partners

The National Center for Safe Routes to School works in collaboration with a network of national organizations and experts from across the country. Partners in this effort include:

  • American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
  • America Walks
  • Governors Highway Safety Association
  • Institute of Transportation Engineers
  • Toole Design Group

----------------------------------------------------------------

The National Center for Safe Routes to School
UNC Highway Safety Research Center
730 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Suite 300/Campus Box 3430
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3430

Sign up for e-mail updates from the National Center for Safe Routes to School at http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/newsletter-sign.