Safe Routes to School Program
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School Travel Plans and Grants
The Virginia SRTS Program offers funding programs for three different project types:
- QuickStart Non-infrastructure Activities
Have a small activity or program in mind? Look into our Quickstart Mini-grants for $1,000 to get it going. Details on this program are available on the QuickStart Mini-grant landing page.
- Activities and Programs Projects
A call for Activities and Programs Projects (non-infrastructure grants) is anticipated in the fall 2013. Plan to attend one of the upcoming SRTS Workshops to get started on a SRTS Activities and Programs Plan, which is required for the grant application.
Activities and Programs projects include education, encouragement, and enforcement activities intended to affect student or driver behavior, and evaluation activities to monitor impacts of the SRTS program. A SRTS Activities and Programs Plan (SRTS APP) is required for activities and programs funding requests through the VDOT SRTS Program. Visit the SRTS Activities and Programs page for the Guide, Template and grant application information.
- Infrastructure Projects
Infrastructure project grant applications are not being accepted at this time. The infrastructure portion of the SRTS Program is currently being transitioned to the new Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), through which the future grants will be administered. A call for TAP grant applications is expected to be announced early next year.
Infrastructure projects, or engineering projects, include operational and physical improvements that establish safer and fully accessible pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, such as crossings, walkways, trails and bikeways. All infrastructure projects must improve conditions for students walking or bicycling within two miles of the target school. A Comprehensive School Travel Plan, which is the focus of this reference guide, is required for infrastructure funding requests through the VDOT SRTS Program. The Guide, Template and application information is available on the Comprehensive School Travel Plans and Grants landing page.
The Infrastructure Procedures Manual is intended to guide local infrastructure project Sponsors through the project development and construction phases of a federally funded SRTS infrastructure project. It also provides useful information for localities considering applying for an infrastructure grant.
Important Dates
| May 15 | QuickStart Mini-grant applications due |
| July 18 | QuickStart Mini-grant applications due |
| August 15 | QuickStart Mini-grant applications due |
| September 19 | QuickStart Mini-grant applications due |
| September 16 - 20 | Student Travel Tally Week |
Student Travel Tally Week: September 16 to 20, 2013
Student Travel Tally Week is the time each school year when schools count the way students travel to school. The count occurs at the beginning of the school day on two successive days with a simple show of hands. Evaluation is one the most important elements of any safe routes to school program because it measures the most basic success of the program – the number of students walking and biking to school.
Who should participate in Student Travel Tally Week?
All schools are encouraged to participate, regardless of whether you have a SRTS program, are about to start one, or plan to apply for SRTS funding this fall. Participating provides you with some great information and helps us know how students get to school throughout the Commonwealth.
You may have completed a student travel tally form as part of a School Travel Plan. If so, you have an idea of the effect of your safe routes to school program on walking and biking rates.
If the week of September 17 is not convenient for your school, data can be collected anytime during the month of September and it will still be within the spirit of the event. Just make sure that the data is collected during two days within the same week, as per the guidance of the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
How does it work?
Participating in Student Travel Tally Week takes a couple of hours for someone to organize and about 5 minutes at the beginning of the school day on two days during the week for teacher. It involves three simple steps:
- Contact us to let them know that you plan to participate. If you’re not sure about the process, we can answer your questions and talk you through the process.
- Work with your school to get approval, identify the best days to complete the tallies. Gather all the materials you’ll need (e.g., the student travel tally form or set up an account.
- Tell teachers about it. Use our new Learn it. Do it. Live it. tip sheet to instruct teachers how to collect the data. It’s easy and only takes a few minutes during daily attendance-taking routines.
Record your data online. You may already have an account with the National Center for Safe Routes to School and can use the account to record the data. If you do not have an account, click here for instructions on setting one up. Or contact the Virginia SRTS program hotline or email us for a walk-through of the process.
Hotline: 1-855-601-7787
Email us at info@VirginiaSRTS.org
