Safe Routes To School National Partnership
There was a time, not long ago, when half of all children walked or rode bikes to school—sharing stories, stopping to pick up rocks and enjoying a regular bit of exercise. Today, only about 15 percent of children in the U.S. get to school by foot or bike. At the same time, the rate of obesity is skyrocketing among children nationwide.
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is working to bring back the independence, well-being and time outdoors that come with a classic commute to school. Launched in the year 2000 as a pilot project in Marin County, California, the Safe Routes program generated real and immediate impact, nearly doubling the number of kids who walked and bicycled to school in just 2 years.
Public leaders noticed. Today, a federal program provides funding to cities and schools for sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic calming and education programs in all 50 states.
But funding is just the first step. To help kids actively get to school, states must put their budget dollars to work effectively, tapping community organizations to build Safe Routes programs—teaching kids bike safety, enlisting parent volunteers, collaborating with land use planners, engineers, and school districts and more.
To translate budget dollars into community change, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership—a network of organizations, government agencies, businesses and professional groups—gets busy. The Partnership works to set goals, share best practices, secure funding and provide policy input for agencies implementing Safe Routes programs.
How can you get involved? Donate to the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, which does not receive any of the federal money approved by Congress. Work to start, or sustain, a program in your community. Learn more. Together, we can help kids rediscover the simple pleasure of safely, actively getting to school—and build habits that improve entire communities.
To Learn More
Bikes Belong
info@saferoutespartnership.org
P.O. Box 663,
Fairfax, CA, 94978
415.454.7430
www.saferoutespartnership.org/
