Funding Available for Safe Routes to School

SRTS includes both education and improved infrastructure to make local routes safer for children to walk or bike to school.  Successful programs involve the whole community and encompass evaluation, encouragement, education, enforcement, and engineering.

“Interest in the SRTS program continues to increase every year,” says CDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Betsy Jacobsen.  “It’s an excellent program that teaches children safety, encourages healthy living and helps the environment.”

Eligible applicants include any political subdivision of the state (school district, city, county, state entity, tribal entity). Nonprofits also may apply by partnering with a state subdivision. The state subdivision must agree to be the contracting authority. Applicants requesting funding for infrastructure projects also are required to include an educational component in their project.

At a minimum, grantees are required to collect and report information from a pre- and post-evaluation using the Safe Routes to School Student In-class Tally and Parent Survey, and provide a final accomplishment report. Colorado’s 2012 Infrastructure and Non-Infrastructure Applications are available online at http://www.coloradodot.info/programs/bikeped/safe-routes.

The application deadline is 4 p.m. on Friday, December 2, 2011.  In addition, CDOT will host numerous SRTS training sessions across the state, providing assistance to complete the application.

SRTS was established by Congress in August 2005.  Since then, nearly $12 million has been distributed to communities to help more children bike and walk to school.  The program is 100% federally-funded and managed by CDOT.