Safe
Routes to School
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
Here are some
answers to frequently asked
questions about the Safe Routes to
School Program. If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact the Safe
Routes to School Coordinator at (304) 558-9600.
What
is the Safe Routes to School Program?
What is the Safe Routes to School
Work Shop?
What
is the Rationale behind the Safe Routes to School Program?
What
are the Benefits of the Safe Routes to School Program?
Are
Walking and Biking to School Hazardous?
What
are some of the Barriers to Walking and Biking to School?
What
is a "Walking School Bus?"
What
is "Traffic Calming?"
What
is a "Walking Audit?"
Who
should be involved with the Safe Routes to School program?
What
is Walk to School Day and how is it different from Safe Routes to
School?
Who
can Submit an Intent-to-Apply Form?
Where
do I submit Intent-to-Apply Forms?
Can
Educational Materials and Programs be paid for through this Program?
Can
we apply for funds through the Safe Routes to School program to pay
for the hiring of school crossing guards?
Are
Matching Funds Required?
Can
Existing Roadways by my School be Resurfaced?
Can
a New Roadway to my School be Built?
If
my Project and/or Activity is selected for funding, how long will I
have to complete the project and/or activity?
Can
the Safe Routes to School program pay for the Installation of new
Sidewalks, Crosswalks or Traffic Control at the site of a Future
School or a School under Construction?
The Safe
Routes to School Program started in Denmark in the 1970s, reducing pedestrian casualties by 80 percent. The concept grew rapidly in the
United Kingdom
and Canada
in the early 1990s and took root in the United States in the late 1990s. Today, the Safe Routes to Schools Program is a Federal-Aid
program of the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway
Administration. The
program was created by Section 1404 of the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)
Act. The legislation
makes available $612 million in Federal funds. Each state will receive a portion of the funds based on its
percentage of the national total of school-aged children in grades
K-8, but not less than $1 million each year. West Virginia
will receive a minimum of $1 million each year for a total of at
least $5 million dollars.
The
Safe Routes to School Program provides funds to the states to
substantially improve the ability of primary and middle school
students (Grades K-8) to walk and bicycle to school safely. The purposes of the program are:
-
To enable and encourage children, including those with
disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;
-
To make walking and bicycling to school a safer and more appealing
transportation choice, which will encourage a healthy, active
lifestyle starting at an early age; and
-
To facilitate the planning, development and implementation of projects
and activities that will improve safety, and reduce traffic, fuel
consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity (approximately two
[2] miles) of primary and middle schools (grades K-8).
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The
Safe Routes to School Coordinator conducts a one-day Workshop that
focuses on your school. You will want to involve school
administrators, teachers, volunteer parents, public health
professionals, school transportation and maintenance directors,
student leaders, local businesses, law enforcement officers, and
other community leaders such as mayors, City council members, County
commissioners, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and Regional
Development and Planning Councils.
The
Workshop provides Engineering Treatments and Strategies, Drop-Off
and Pick-Up Solutions, and Education, Encouragement, and Enforcement
Strategies. Workshop participants observe the school morning
drop-off and afternoon pick-up processes and formulate
recommendations creating an action plan incorporating all the
components of Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement,
and Evaluation to make improvements.
The
next step is to submit an Intent-to-Apply Form for Infrastructure-Related Projects and
Non-Infrastructure-Related Activities to the West Virginia
Division of Highways.
If the
Intent-to-Apply Forms are approved, then an Infrastructure-Related
Project Application and Non-Infrastructure-Related Activity Application are submitted to the
Division of Highways.
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Most
of today’s parents walked or biked to elementary school when they
were young, according to a recent study conducted by the Federal
Highway Administration. They
explored their neighborhoods regularly on bike or on foot. As
long as they behaved, they maintained a tremendous amount of
independence, which resulted in a sense of self-assurance.
Things are much
different today. Today’s children are driven to nearly all their
activities, and only about ten percent of children walk to school
everyday. There are
several reasons for this sharp decline. For
one, the journey between home and school has become longer and more
treacherous because of decades of auto-oriented suburbanization. This
pattern has been compounded by the trend towards building new
schools far away from residential areas. In
many communities, sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and trails are
either non-existent or inadequate. Finally, there are
the concerns of parents about exposing their children to potential
threats from strangers and motor vehicles.
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A
successful Safe Routes to School Program benefits children in
several ways. When
routes are safe, walking or biking to and from school is an easy way
to get the regular physical activity children need for good health. Studies
have shown that physically active kids have improved moods and
concentration, a stronger self-image and more self-confidence. Physically
active kids also have fewer chronic health problems and report lower
levels of smoking and alcohol consumption.
It is also fun! Research
shows that children prefer walking and bicycling to and from school.
There is much to see,
smell, touch, think, and talk about. By
walking with friends, children build relationships and learn more
about their neighborhood, their friends, and themselves.
Safe Routes to
School initiatives also help the environment by easing traffic jams
and curbing air pollution. Fewer
vehicle trips mean lower gasoline bills, a significant factor with
today’s high prices.
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Walking and biking to school can indeed
be hazardous. One of the
goals of the Safe Routes to School Program is to identify potential
hazards near school grounds and adjacent neighborhoods and develop
plans to address them. Even
when routes to and from school are apparently safe, risks remain. However,
the current reliance on automobiles to transport children represents
a different kind of risk: the long-term risks from a sedentary
lifestyle. Health
experts are predicting that rates of diseases associated with
physical inactivity, such as diabetes, will soar as the next
generation comes of age.
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The main barriers to walking and
bicycling to school are community design, safety, and time and
convenience. Many
neighborhoods, especially new subdivisions, are not designed for the
convenience of the pedestrian. They
do not have sidewalks, safe crossings, or are too far from the
school to walk or bicycle. Safety
is another big concern. Neighborhoods
that have high traffic volumes and speeds cause concern for
children’s safety. In
addition, perceptions of crime deter people from allowing their
children to walk to school, such as parental concerns about child
abductions. Time and
convenience are other common factors. People
believe that it is more convenient to drop their child off at school
on their way to work. Safe
Routes to School addresses these concerns by promoting safe walking
and biking to school programs, such as walking school busses.
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A walking school bus is a group of
children walking together to or from school with one or more adults.
It works like this: an
adult or group of adults begin walking along a set route to or from
school. As they walk,
they make “bus stops” and “pick up” or “drop off” other
children along the way.
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The
Institute of Transportation Engineers defines traffic calming as
“changes in street alignment, installation of barriers, and other
physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or cut-through
volumes in the interest of street safety, livability, and other
public purposes.”
Traffic calming
measures may include: street narrowing (reducing the number of
lanes); the addition of speed bumps or speed humps; the addition of
traffic circles or roundabouts; the addition of raised pedestrian
crosswalks; the conversion of two-way streets to one-way streets;
and the addition of curb extensions (also known as bulb-outs).
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A walking audit, also known as a walking
tour or environmental assessment, is a process where parents, school
administrators, and other community members tour the school property
and adjacent neighborhoods to look for routes students can safely
use to get to school. The
audits typically focus on the walking and biking routes currently
used to travel to school, the walking and biking routes that could
be used to travel to school and the school property itself,
especially pick-up and drop-off sites used by busses and parents. These
tours show stakeholders what students experience during their walk
to school and give school teams first-hand evidence of existing
safety problems. Walking
audits are generally held during school arrival and dismissal times.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Walk-ability checklist can be accessed at Walking
Checklist.
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Anyone with a passion for children's
health and safety should be involved with a Safe Routes to School
program. School teams
can include the Governor, County Boards of Education administrators,
school principals, teachers, parents, students, law enforcement
officers, County Health Department representatives, school nurses,
mayors, metropolitan planning organizations, county commissioners,
state legislators, County development authorities, Division of
Highways District traffic and right of way representatives, city
engineers from the local public works department, trail and bike
group representatives, city or county parks and recreation
specialists, Parent-Teacher Associations, neighborhood association
members, non-profit organizations....the possibilities are nearly
endless.
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Walk to School Day – like Safe
Routes to School – is a school-based initiative to encourage
physical activity among West Virginia’s children and youth. Walk
to School Day is a good tool to kick-off a Safe Routes to School
program. In 2005, West Virginia
had six participating schools, in 2006 there were 12 participating
schools, and in 2007 nine schools participated
This year Walk
to School Day is Wednesday, October 1, 2008. It
is a way for parents, students, school personnel and other community
members to directly experience the walk or bike to school as they
walk and bike with students on the day of the event. It
often generates wider teaching about the importance of physical
activity, awareness of the fun of walking and biking and early
identification of safety concerns.
Learn more about International Walk to School Day and associated
events by going to www.walktoshool.org.
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Applicants include any state, local and
regional agency, including nonprofit organizations registered with
the WV Secretary of State’s Office and having Department of
Treasury Internal Revenue Service ax Determination as a Non-Profit
Organization 501 (c). The
reimbursement grant program is 100 percent federally funded, and managed through the
West Virginia Department of Transportation. Grants
will be awarded through a statewide competitive process.
Eligible activities for funding under Safe Routes to
School include both Infrastructure-Related Projects and
Non-Infrastructure-Related Activities.
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Intent-To-Apply Forms must be
mailed or delivered by November 15th of each year to:
Safe Routes to School Coordinator
West Virginia Department of
Transportation
Program Planning & Research Division
Grant Administration Unit
Building 5, Room A-863
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305-0430
An
Intent-to-Apply form must be approved in order to be eligible
to apply for funding.
Questions? Call
(304) 558-9600 or Email rebecca.a.davison@wv.gov
Faxed or e-mailed forms will
NOT be accepted.
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Yes.
SAFETEA LU requires from 10 to 30 percent of the amount
apportioned to each state will be used on Non-Infrastructure-Related
Activities. Examples
are:
-
Creation and
reproduction of promotional and educational materials.
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Bicycle and
pedestrian safety curricula, materials and trainers.
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Training,
including Safe Routes to School training workshops that target
school and community-level audiences.
-
Modest
incentives for Safe Route to School contests and incentives that
encourage more walking and bicycling over time.
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Safety and
educational tokens that also advertise the program.
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Photocopying,
duplicating, and mailing and printing costs, including
pedestrian and cyclist education CDs, DVDs.
-
Costs for data
gathering, analysis, and evaluation reporting at the local
project level.
-
Equipment and
training needed for establishing adult crossing guard programs.
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No.
The Safe Routes to
School program encourages Infrastructure-Related Projects
(Engineering) and Non-Infrastructure-Related Activities (Education,
Enforcement, Encouragement, and Evaluation) that encourage students
in K-8 to walk and/or bicycle to and from school.
Program funds should not be used to pay crossing guard
salaries, as these are reoccurring costs. Funds may be used
for school crossing guard training, MUTCD Class 2 reflective safety
vests, hand-held
stop paddles, reflective fluorescent traffic cones, and driver speed
feedback monitors.
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No.
Applicants are not
required to provide a funding “match” for the federal share of
an Infrastructure-Related Project and/or Non-Infrastructure-Related
Activity.
Applicants
are encouraged to maintain existing funding courses since the Safe
Roads to School Program supplements current funding streams that
support walking and bicycling transportation.
Funds provided for this program are on an eligible cost
reimbursement basis. Note:
Any work performed by the applicant prior to receiving written
“Notice to Proceed” is not eligible for reimbursement.
Additionally, the official Sponsor must be identified within
the Infrastructure-Related Project or Non-Infrastructure-Related
Activity application, and that Sponsor must be willing and able to
enter into the required Agreements, as well as to fulfill the
necessary maintenance responsibilities for the
Infrastructure-Related Project.
If authorized by the
FHWA, a NOTICE TO PROCEED will be issued by the WVDOH to the
Sponsor. Only at this
point may the Sponsor initiate activities on the Project and/or
Activity and expend funds for which they are eligible for
reimbursement. ANY EXPENDITURES BY A SPONSOR PRIOR TO THE RECEIPT
OF A WRITTEN NOTICE TO PROCEED FROM THE WVDOH WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED
EITHER BY THE WVDOH OR THE FHWA.
REIMBURSEMENT—PLEASE
READ CAREFULLY !!!
The Safe Routes to
School will reimburse a project and/or activity Sponsor for
one hundred percent (100%) of the eligible costs of an approved
project and/or activity. The Sponsor is required to pay all invoices
associated with the project and/or activity and then submit copies
of those paid invoices to the WVDOH for reimbursement for one
hundred percent (100%) of the total dollar amount of the paid
invoices submitted.
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No.
This program is not
for the maintenance or upgrade of existing roadways.
The Safe Routes to School program is solely for improving the
safety of children as they travel to and from school.
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No.
This program is not
for the construction of new roadways. However,
geometric improvements can be made to existing roadways to improve
safety for pedestrians and bicyclists and to separate pedestrians
and bicyclist from vehicular traffic adjacent to the school.
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Generally, projects should be completed two years from the Notice to Proceed date.
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No.
The Safe Routes to
School program is designed to improve safety at existing schools.
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