|
|
 |
California
Caltrans Announces $4 Million in SRTS Grants on International Walk to School Day
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) marked the October 8 International Walk to School Day with $4 million in Federal Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grants to cities and counties for 121 projects to construct or improve sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, pedestrian trails and curb ramps, create or expand walking, bicycling and ''Street Smarts'' programs and related educational and outreach efforts, and launch walkability studies, traffic counts, personnel recruitment and other measures ''to give students in grades K-8 easier and healthier way to safely travel to and from schools.''
Since 2000, when California became the first state ''to legislate a state Safe Routes to School program,'' says a Caltrans press release, Caltrans has awarded a total of $196 million for 709 projects, including $91 million under the federal SRTS program instituted in 2005.
''To ensure a fair and competitive project selection,'' the release notes, ''Caltrans works closely with a diverse group of state, local and regional stakeholders with background in transportation, health, education, law enforcement, and bicycle/pedestrian advocacy.''
The Boulder, Colorado-based Safe Routes to School National Partnership -- which last month released two reports on the SRTS program role in improving public health and on ways state networks can induce policy changes to make student biking and walking safer -- included California in its State Network Project.
Also involving Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and the District of Columbia, the project aims to leverage additional SRTS resources, remove walking and biking barriers, and spur the necessary policy changes.
Although Congress provided $612 million for SRTS in the 2005 federal transportation bill, ''(t)he demand for the program far outreaches the funding available,'' said SRTS National Partnership Director Deb Hubsmith in a news release on the 2008 International Walk to School Day, looking forward ''to working with Congress to expand Safe Routes to School funding in the next transportation bill, as the program has traffic, health and air quality benefits.'' -- California Department of Transportation, Safe Routes to School National Partnership 10/9/2008
Click here or here to view the source article or
here or here to view the source publication.
|
|
E-mail
to a Friend
View
Printer-friendly page 
