Safe Routes to School
Statewide
• Walk to School Day
• Student Travel Tally Week
• Crossing Guard Appreciation Day
• Bike to School Day
• School Travel Plans & Grants
• Resource Library
• Marketing Toolkit
• Zone In, Not Out
• Other Links / Partners
Welcome to Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS). Click here to read a welcome letter from Virginia's Safe Routes to School Coordinator.
If you’re new to SRTS, be sure to check out this program brochure for some quick facts about Virginia Safe Routes to School.
The SRTS program has been active in Virginia since 2007 and helps schools and communities make walking and biking to school a safe, convenient, natural activity.
Program News
Oct 21 - Parents, Take Our Survey!
If you're a parent or caregiver in Virginia, we want to hear from you! Click here to take our Fall 2020 Parent and Caregiver Survey. The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and will help us understand how the pandemic has influenced walking and bicycling.
If you fill out the survey between now and October 31, you could win a $25 cash card! To be eligible, parents and caregivers must provide an email address where they can be contacted. Ten winners will be selected in a drawing. Thank you for your participation!
English - https://www.surveygizmo.com/
Spanish - https://www.surveygizmo.com/
Oct 7 - Walk to School Day, Any Way You Can
Safe Routes to School's signature fall event is back on October 7, 2020. Given the pandemic, we are encouraging communities to participate in whatever fashion that encourages physical activity safely. Celebrate at home, around the neighborhood, or at school! To encourage participation from different learning environments, neighborhoods, families, and school can register their event on walkbiketoschool.org. Registration is quick and easy, and any school that registers their event will receive a Walk to School decal in December. Find out more information, student incentives, and other resources on our WTSD webpage. Happy walking!
Program Purpose
Shrevewood Elementary School’s Healthy Living Festival, Falls Church VA
The SRTS Program is federally funded, created under Section 1404 of the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
The purpose of SRTS is to:
- Enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school
- Make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age
- Facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution near schools
In July 2013, MAP-21 (the new federal transportation bill) became law, folding SRTS into a new Transportation Alternatives program. SRTS projects are now eligible to compete for funding alongside other programs, including the Transportation Enhancements program and Recreational Trails program. VDOT’s Local Assistance Division manages the Transportation Alternatives program. More information >>
Non-infrastructure funding from SAFETEA-LU is still available through SRTS. For more information, please visit the Travel Plans and Grants landing page.
SRTS Strategic Plan
The Virginia SRTS Program completed a strategic plan to guide our work through 2017. Click on the cover at the right.
Contact
Katherine Graham
SRTS Coordinator
Transportation and Mobility Planning Division
Virginia Department of Transportation
1401 E. Broad St.
Richmond, Virginia 23219
katherine.graham@vdot.virginia.gov
Phone: 804-786-4198
Fax: 804-225-4785
TTY: 711
