Safe Routes to School Program
School Travel Plans and Grants
The Virginia Safe Routes To Schools (SRTS) program uses a two-step approach to establishing local programs.
The first step is for a school or community to prepare a School Travel Plan.
A School Travel Plan or Safe Routes to School Plan puts in writing a school community's intentions for making travel to and from school more sustainable and safe.
A School Travel Plan is often the first step in a successful Safe Routes to School program.
The plan will be the school community's guiding document for putting its SRTS program into action, and is required in advance of any funding application to the Virginia SRTS program
The National Center for Safe Routes to School offers a resource for identifying schools locations that have the greatest need for pedestrian infrastructure improvements: Safety-based Prioritization of Schools for Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Projects: A Process for Transportation Professionals
Important Dates
VDOT is working to establish a timeline in expectation of a Spring 2012 Safe Routes to School grant cycle. Please join our email list to receive this and other funding information as it is made available.
While we plan on making changes to the suggested STP format over the coming months, the following steps can be taken immediately for those interested in applying for funding during the next grant cycle:
- organize a SRTS team
- conduct student travel tallies and parent surveys
- locate sources of data relevant to SRTS (i.e. walking routes, traffic counts, travel distance, sidewalk inventories, etc.)
- locate and review existing plans and documents that can be incorporated into an STP (i.e., bike/ped plans, school wellness policy, etc.)
- conduct a community “walkabout” or “bikeabout”
More information about these and other way to get an STP started are available in the School Travel Plan Reference guide, below.
Program Materials
VDOT has developed several resources to help communities understand the Safe Routes to School program, develop school travel plans, and take advantage of funding opportunities.
They include:
- Safe Routes to School Program Guidelines, which provides an overview of the Safe Routes to School program in Virginia and information about funding opportunities.
- Online Application System Walkthrough, which explains how to apply for funding from the Virginia Department of Transportation for a Safe Routes to School project through the new online system.
- School Travel Plan Reference Guide, which describes each of the Virginia School Travel Plan components in detail, what to include, and how to find the necessary information to write the best possible plan.
- School Travel Plan Worksheet, which indicates the recommended layout for the School Travel Plan.
- School Travel Plan FAQ, which provides answers to frequently asked questions about the School Travel Plan.
Previously Funded SRTS Projects and Programs
The Virginia SRTS program has funded many projects throughout the state. Use the links below to view project awards by year. A recipient, school impacted, and brief description is provided for each award. Click on the link to download:
PDFs
