| September
2006 |
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Southland Launches Safety Project Principal: ‘We Had a Horrendous Traffic Problem’ CBF Grants Help Schools ‘Walk to School’ Four Steps for a Walk to School Event |
Seed Money for a Movement
In the 2006 federal transportation bill, Congress for the first time allocated money specifically for Safe Routes to School programs in the states. For Illinois, it means $23 million to be spent over four years; and though that’s a relatively small sum, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation will leverage it to galvanize youth walking and bicycling. “We're thrilled to have Safe Routes included as a set-aside,”
explained Melody Geraci, Chicagoland
Bicycle Federation’s Safe Routes to School director. “It’s
not a ton of money in the world of transportation; but it will fund
much needed improvements and programs for schools,” such as
crosswalks, bike lanes, safety education and creating partnerships
between schools and law “To get the most out of that, we have to encourage communities to look at this as a movement rather than a project,” she said. To maximize the benefit to the Chicago area, CBF last year formed the Northeast Illinois Safe Routes to School Task Force, a forum of local communities, organizations and agencies that has begun guiding the Illinois Department of Transportation toward a Safe Routes to School program of substantial and enduring impact. The Task Force is comprised of a variety of government and community leaders (Secretary of State Jesse White, Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn, DuPage County, the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, to name a few). The Task Force performs advocacy to advance its agenda, creates strategies for spreading the word about Safe Routes to School, and monitors Safe Routes efforts in the region. Last winter it sent a set of recommendations to IDOT and although the state has lagged behind many in launching Safe Routes to School, it has begun implementing one of the Task Force’s primary requests and appears ready to announce the awarding of a contract to deliver advance training and outreach to schools statewide. Between 70 and 90 percent of the funds must be spent on infrastructure improvements around schools, so the Task Force emphasizes low-cost, small projects – raised crosswalks, connecting gaps in sidewalks, striping bike lanes, etc. – that are tied to education, enforcement and encouragement. “If you just build it, that doesn’t mean they’re going to come. The approach needs to be holistic,” Geraci said. “If you don’t involve police, you’re still going to have a speed problem … If you don’t teach children safety behaviors, you’re not giving them the tools to protect themselves out there.” With the naming of Megan Holt as statewide Safe Routes to School coordinator, IDOT is expected to begin making the federal funds available to communities soon. “This seed money is a way to really start to shift the paradigm of what school travel means and, from there, extend it to the rest of the community,” Geraci said. “So that active forms of transportation be a primary objective for everybody. And it starts at the school.” David Callahan is Bike Traffic Managing Editor
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