Many people have been asking about when the next round of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) funding will be made available. I don’t have the answer to that question right now. As of September 2009, SAFETEA-LU*, the law that funds all federal transportation projects across the country, including SRTS programs, has expired. Congressional extensions of the bill have kept a moderate amount of funds flowing for essential needs, but there is little movement right now on new transportation or climate legislation.

 

Uncertainty at the federal level does not mean that SRTS programs in New Jersey cannot continue to accomplish great things. NJDOT staff is working hard, especially in the Division of Local Aid and Economic Development, to coordinate with their counterparts at FHWA to authorize projects that have already been awarded SRTS funding and move them forward.   We are working with the Division of Highway Traffic Safety and others to ensure that SRTS principles, and bicycle and pedestrian needs in general, are incorporated into New Jersey’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. We are also partners with the Departments of Health and Education in implementing NJ’s Obesity Prevention Action Plan.  In addition, the Safe Routes to School Resource Center at the Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University is still funded and will continue to offer training and assistance to municipalities and non- 

profit organizations.  And The RBA Group is wrapping up work on action plans for schools in our SRTS Urban Demonstration Program – plans with projects that will be ready to go once more federal funding does become available.

 

Activities at the local level do not all have to wait for the federal picture to become clear, either.  Many SRTS projects need little to no funding. In fact, most of the stories highlighted in this issue are about projects that did not receive federal SRTS money. For example, in “Striding for Gold in Hudson County,” the local Transportation Management Association is working with several communities to encourage more students to walk to school by holding school-wide contests. “Getting Kids to Wear Helmets” highlights how Point Pleasant Township police worked with parents and the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey to encourage helmet use. This issue also delves into changing procedures by providing information about walking and bicycling to school policies and the new NJDOT Complete Streets policy.

 

Until we know more about the future of the federal-aid SRTS program, we will continue to keep you informed about other potential grants and funding opportunities through our New Jersey SRTS e-mail list. You can sign-up to receive these emails at the New Jersey Safe Routes to School