News and Events:

Just published: December-January 2011/2012 NHSRTS electronic newsletter.

NHDOT Publishes LPA Manual to Guide Local Sponsors; Comments From the Public Welcome
NHDOT's Bureau of Planning and Community Assistance has published the first edition of a document formally titled "Local Public Agency Manual for the Development of Projects," commonly referred to the the LPA Manual. It includes everything local sponsors and consultants need to know to administer their programs. Documented compliance with state and federal regulations ensures eligibility for funding. (The manual replaces the Safe Routes to School Project Administration Guide.)

All local sponsors will be required to identify a local person with decision-making authority designated as the "point of contact and in responsible charge." Individuals will be awarded certification good for three years after completion of a two-day course. At least three sets of the training will be offered, probably beginning in March. Watch for an announcement.

It is recommended that anyone who is currently working on a local program, or thinking about getting involved, downloard and review the manual.

Local sponsors and members of the public are invited to submit comments to the NHDOT Bureau of Planning and Community Assistance, NHDOT, 7 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03302-0483. Comments may be e-mailed to: Bureau46@dot.state.nh.us.

Communities Mark International Walk-to-School Month With Group Walks and Bicycle Rides

As sure as the leaves changed colors, the temperature droped, and New Hampshire witnessed a rare autumn snow storm, October marked the most active month on the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) calendar.

Wednesday, Oct. 5 was International Walk-to-School Day, and all of October was designated International Walk-to-School Month.

If your school or community was not able to sponsor a walking or bicycling event in October, think about the spring of 2012. Watch for announcements about Commute Green New Hampshire in May.

Effective local programs tend to start small, using walking and bicycling events to draw public attention to the idea that it is indeed safe and enjoyable to burn calories instead of fossil fuels for short-distance commuting.

Local programs are part of a broader movement that is gaining momentum. The National Center for Safe Routes to Schools reported that a record number of local events were registered this year.

Groups of children walking and bicycling together with adult supervision directly address the fears that prompt many parents to drive their kids to school. Known as “walking school buses” and “rolling bike trains,” the so-called “escort” programs can help reduce the risk of violence against children as well as the dangers associated with traffic conditions.

The logic is simple. Young bullies as well as adults intent on hurting young people are much less likely to attack a group of children walking or bicycling together with a grownup escort. Supervision also means that children walking or riding bicycles are more likely to follow basic safety rules: looking both ways before crossing the street, staying on sidewalks or facing traffic in areas without pedestrian facilities, using marked crosswalks, as well as wearing a helmet and riding with traffic while bicycling.

Obviously, a single event will do little to prompt families to make the transition from private motor vehicles to walking and bicycling.

The hope is that local programs will evolve to the point where walkers and bicyclists are frequently meeting in neighborhoods near the schools for the escorted trips.  In Gorham, for example, the program has been expanded from weekly to twice-a-week.

Initial success can energize local task SRTS task forces that develop comprehensive programs that include both infrastructure and non-infrastructure components. Littleton and Lebanon have been organizing walking school buses for the past few years.  Both communities were awarded substantial reimbursement grants for new sidewalks in the most recent round.

For more information about activities in New Hampshire and elsewhere, visit the International Walk-to-School Web site.

Such community-wide events go hand-in-hand with initial evaluation work, including in-class and parental surveys. Ideally, survey work should be done in the fall and spring but data collected at any time can be useful. For details, visit the Getting Started page. For those who prefer online surveys, the National Center for Safe Routes to School has added a Survey Monkey option for the parental surveys.

New Hampshire Inspires Montana: The all-all season walking school buses in Gorham and Littleton have inspired the Montana SRTS program to work on a winter walking program. Read about it in Transportation Nation.

From the atricle:

Taylor Lonsdale has issued a friendly challenge to Montana schools, saying Alaska and New Hampshire have active programs. “So I’ve tried to frame it as ‘We’re Montanans. We’re not going to let people in New Hampshire do this if we can’t do it.’”

NHDOT Announces More Than $1 Million in Round 5 Awards

Just over a million dollars in federal reimbursement grants will help 10 New Hampshire communities enable and encourage school children to walk and/or ride bicycles between home and school.

The N.H. Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has announced the results of the Round 5 general grants cycle under Safe Routes to School (SRTS).  The program is geared for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, including those with disabilities, who live within approximately two miles of school.

The largest award went to Pittsfield, $260,668 for sidewalks and traffic calming. Troy was awarded $249,500 for a sidewalk as well as educational and incentive items.

Littleton was awarded $206,680 for sidewalk reconstruction and traffic calming.

“When I visited Littleton when their program was just beginning, I was impressed to see walking school buses and rolling bike trains converge on the elementary school from multiple directions,” observed John W. Corrigan, SRTS coordinator for NHDOT. “The community is an excellent example of how the initiative of volunteers and local school and municipal leaders can make a huge difference in getting kids out of private motor vehicles in favor of safe walking and bicycling.”

Other communities given awards include: Lebanon, $97,128; Bristol, $77,681; Hillsborough, $55,599; Durham $30,751; Manchester, $9,500; Northumberland, $8,000; and Nashua, $4,600.

For more information, see the September 2011 electronic newsletter>

Startup, Planning Grant Applications Accepted at Any Time

NHDOT has expedited the planning process that can lead to comprehensive community programs.

The department and Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) accept applications for startup and comprehensive travel plan grants whenever a community is ready to move ahead. Sponsors may apply for either type of grant or for both types. Sponsors may also apply for a general grant without first using a startup or travel plan grant. The idea is to make the program as flexible as possible for New Hampshire communities.

Here is the process for reviewing applications and making awards:

Applications will continue to be filed with both the NHDOT and the RPCs for an assessment of eligibility and quality of applications, applying the scoring criteria and identifying any questionable or ineligible requests.

1. Individual RPCs will review and score the applications following their own internal procedures.
2. Applications will then be examined by Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) members, taking into consideration any recommendations and concerns from NHDOT staff and the RPCs.
3. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funding is available.

Startup grant application form
Startup scoring criteria
Travel plan application form
Travel plan scoring criteria
Travel plan format

List of travel plan awards (rolling application period)
List of startup awards (rolling application period)

In summary, SRTS in New Hampshire offers three types of reimbursement funding:

1. Startup grants of less than $5,000 for preliminary planning and related activities
2. Comprehensive travel plan funding of up to $15,000 per school
3. General grants for both infrastructure and non-infrastructure programs and projects. Infrastructure funding under general grants is capped at $250,000 for communities that have developed comprehensive travel plans. The infrastructure cap for sponsors without travel plans is $100,000. No limit has been set for the non-infrastructure funding in general grants. Applications for general grants are accepted only during grant cycles. Round 6 has not been scheduled. It is contingent on funding being available under a federal transportation bill pending before Congress.

Obesity Task force Recognizes Value of Bicycling and Walking

Safe walking and bicycling to school have been recognized by the national Childhood Obesity Task Force as an important component of enabling and encouraging school children to become more physically active.SRTS was specifically recognized in the task force’s action plan: “Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation.”

The White House released the report on May 11, 2010. The announcement was made by Michelle Obama, the first lady, and members of the task force. The were joined by Melody Barnes, director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Here is the introduction to the SRTS section, found in Section V, physical activity, on Page 78:

"Active transport refers to approaches that encourage individuals to actively travel between their destinations throughout the day, such as by biking or walking. Children who walk or bike to school report being more physically active, including engaging in more moderate to vigorous physical activity, than those who travel by car, bus, or train.

"Programs like Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS), funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), have proven an effective way to get students safely walking and biking to school. Serving students in grades K-8, the SRTS program supports capital investments, such as building sidewalks, crosswalks, creating better community designs, and providing other supports for active transport. Nearly 6,500 schools are participating in the federal SRTS program, which has provided $612 million for this purpose since 2005. SRTS helped and continues to help increase the number of students walking to school and decrease those being driven to school."

The report is part of the first lady’s Let’s Move initiative, which was launched in February 2010. The goal is to reduce the childhood obesity rate to 5 percent – the rate before kids started to gain too much weight in the late 1970s – by 2030. The full report can be found at the Let’s Move! Web site.

Commission Recognizes Health Benefits of Bicycling and Walking
The "Report of the New Hampshire Commission on Prevention of Childhood Obesity" includes the following:

"The commission recommends a section (o) be added to RSA 674:2 to address the importance of making communities places where people of all ages and physical abilities can easily and safely enjoy walking and bicycling as forms of transportation an recreation."

The comprehensive report recognizes the importance of both physical exercise and healthy nutrition in addresses childhood overweight and obesity. It specifically mentions SRTS as a resource for planning, infrastructure improvements, and education

National News: Report Shows the Decline in Walking and Biking Has Stabilized

New national travel data show that the decades-long decline in walking and bicycling to school has stabilized. This indicates that SRTS is demonstrating success in moving kids out of private motor vehilces. For more details, read a news release from the National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership.

Additional Information

For the Latest SRTS News, read our Electronic Newsletters

• List of Round 1 Awards
• List of Round 2 Awards
• List of Round 3 Awards
• List of Round 4 Awards
• NHDOT News Release on Round 4 awards
• NHDOT News Release for Round 3 awards
• Planning Process Key to Success of Local Safe Routes Programs
• Outreach Continues: Contact the Coordinator
• Federal Funding
• Bicycling to school: one path to a healthier community,
  Creating safer routes is critical Read an op-ed commentary written by the state coordinator.

New: See the Links page for a report entitled "The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America." The page also has a link to the new SRTS local policy guide, published in June 2011 by the National Partnership for Safe Routes to School.

Updated Jan. 25, 2012

Getting Started |Planning Process|Federal Funding| News and Events | Publications/Newsletters | Links