May 12, 2008, Application Deadline for Round 2 Funding Under Safe Routes to School

It's a good beginning. Three students from the Weare Middle School participated in a combined walking school bus and walking audit of a potential safe route to school along Route 114 on May 9, 2008. Weare was one of several communities awarded reimbursement funding in Round 1. Adult supervision is important along such a route because it does not have a sidewalk.

New Hampshire communities have a second opportunity to apply for federal financial assistance to encourage school children to safely walk and ride bicycles to school.

Monday May 12, 2008 is the application deadline for Round 2 of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) reimbursement funding. One copy copy of the application must be received at the Bureau of Planning and Community Assistance at the N.H. Department of Transportation (NHDOT) by 4 p.m. E-mail and fax submissions will meet the deadline requirement, but a paper copy must also be provided. (Address and other contact information below.) Another copy must be filed with the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) for the community where the school or other organization is located. Follow this link for the locations of RPCs.

NHDOT, in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), RPCs, and the SRTS Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) has revised the application form, modified funding criteria, altered application guidelines, and created a travel plan format. The documents may be downloaded by following the links on the yellow box on this page.

Changes are based on lessons learned during the first round of funding. NHDOT announced reimbursement funding awards on Dec. 3, 2007. Follow this link for a list of Round 1 awards.

The new application form and optional travel plan format are designed to be used together. A travel plan may be submitted in lieu of information requested in sections of the application form, eliminating duplication of effort.

Communities that submit a travel plan will include a map showing a radius of approximately two miles from elementary and middle schools. The map will identify residential neighborhoods and mark existing and potential safe routes from home to school.

In the first round, the SAC turned down applications for infrastructure projects that did not demonstrate a connection between school and residential areas. The new documents will ensure that communities will show the connections.

SRTS funding can be used for developing travel plans. Communities may apply for startup funding of up to $5,000 to form a task force, prepare a plan, and initiate related evaluation, education, encouragement and enforcement activities. Larger awards, up to $15,000 per school, are available for schools wanting to develop a more comprehensive travel plan.

Please contact the coordinator with any questions.

Planning Process

Successful Round 1 applicants are at various stages in developing their SRTS program. In general, their approach followed the “5Es” in making it possible for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, including those with disabilities, to walk and ride bicycles to from home to school:

• Evaluation
• Education
• Encouragement
• Enforcement
• Engineering

SRTS is much more than a “sidewalk program,” although “engineering” or infrastructure projects are an important part of making safe walking and cycling to school possible.

At the community level, SRTS efforts are organized by local task forces that brings together school and municipal leaders, parents, children, representatives of community organizations and anyone else interested in the program. Their task is to assess local conditions and find ways to make improvements.

In the evaluation phase, the local task force identifies residential neighborhoods within two miles of a school and determines existing and potential walking and cycling routes. Surveys of parents and students gauge attitudes about walking and biking.

The education and encouragement parts of the program teach safe pedestrian and cyclist behavior and promote the health effects of physical activity.

Fear of crime, bullying and traffic hazards prompts parents to load kids into private vehicles for the commute from home to school. Organizing escort programs such as “walking school buses” and “rolling bike trains” provide adult supervision and safety in numbers.

Enforcement efforts by local police can help reduce dangerous driving practices in school zones.

A comprehensive program incorporating the 5Es is described in what is known as a school travel plan. Applications for infrastructure projects that do not include such as plan are at a significant disadvantage when programs are selected for reimbursement funding.

Outreach Continues

NHDOT invites all elementary and middle schools (public, parochial and private) and their communities to participate in SRTS. John Corrigan, the coordinator, will travel to meet with local leaders, explain the program, answer any questions, and initiate a discussion about local conditions.

A first step is to complete and submit the “preliminary school survey form” found on the “getting started” page.

Reimbursement funding for local projects is authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). New Hampshire is scheduled to receive $1 million per year for each of five years. Nearly $3 million is currently available.

The NHDOT’s SRTS coordinator is ready to provide advice on getting task forces organized and help local participants find ways to increase walking and bicycling. The department also wants to learn from the successes and failures of local efforts and spread the word to more and more communities.

For more information, contact:
John W. Corrigan
Safe Routes to School Coordinator
Bureau of Planning and Community Assistance
N.H. Department of Transportation
7 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03302-0483

(603) 271-1980
Fax: (603) 271-8093

jcorrigan@dot.state.nh.us

Local communities should jump on 'bike wagon' with Safe Routes Oct. 30, 2007,editorial in the Portsmouth Herald.

NHDOT News Releases:
Round 2 Application Period Opens
First Round of Safe Routes to School Funds Awarded

For detailed SRTS information, follow the hyperlinks below:

The Decline in Biking and Walking
A Comprehensive Approach
The 5Es (Includes link to new page on evaluation)
Federal Funding

NHSRTS Newsletters: Read our newsletters, distributed by e-mail, for the latest news about the state's SRTS program. Send your e-mail address to the coordinator to be added to the distribution list.

NHSRTS in Action:

Photo page of the weekly walking school bus in Lebanon.

Photo pages of walking audits in Concord and Farmington.

Students at the Edward Fenn School in Gorham walked to school right through the winter.

Students at the Andover Elementary/Middle School celebrated International Walk-to-School day on Oct. 3, 2007.

Students at New Searles Elementary in Nashua celebrated Walk-to-School Day on Sept. 26, 2007.

(Note: Help us spread the word. If your community is engaged in newsworthy SRTS activities, please contact the coordinator.)

Key Resource: Low Cost Bicycle Helmets Available

SRTS in the News: Links to published news stories about the program

Web Site for the National SRTS Program:

Federal Highway Administration Program Guidelines

Bureau of Planning and Community Assistance Home Page

Links Page

Site updated May 9, 2008