The federal Safe Routes to School program was created by Section 1404 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users  (SAFETEA-LU), which was signed into public law (P.L. 109-59) on August, 10 2005.

As a result of this legislation, every state now has dedicated dollars to help with infrastructure improvements (e.g. new sidewalks and traffic calming projects) and noninfrastructure activities to encourage and enable students to walk and bicycle to school.

The federal Safe Routes to School Program is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety. Full program guidance is available on the FHWA website at http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov. However, listed below are some of the key elements of the legislation and portions of the guidance issued by FHWA or the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Additional information about the federal Safe Routes to School program:

Statutory Purposes

The statutory purposes of the federal Safe Routes to School program are:

• To enable and encourage all children to walk and bike to school.

• To make bicycling and walking to school safer and more appealing alternative modes of transportation.

• To develop projects and encourage activities that will improve student health and safety while reducing traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.

Eligible Projects and Programs

Listed below are examples of infrastructure and noninfrastructure projects and programs that are eligible for federal Safe Routes to School funding:

• Sidewalks

• Traffic calming and speed reduction

• Pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements

• On-street and off-street bicycle facilities

• Off-street pedestrian facilities

• Traffic diversion improvements in the vicinity of schools

• Activities to encourage walking and bicycling to school

• Public awareness campaign, community outreach

• Traffic enforcement operations in the vicinity of schools

• Traffic education

• Student training sessions (bicycle and pedestrian safety)

• Funding for training volunteers and managers of Safe Routes to School programs

Additional actions may be eligible if they fit within the constraints identified in the legislation and can be shown to contribute to the achievement of program purposes and desired outcomes.

For questions regarding the eligibility of projects not included on the above list, contact the MDOT Safe Routes to School Coordinator at (517) 335-2636.

Other Program Parameters

• The federal Safe Routes to School program is for elementary and middle school students in grades K-8. A school must have at least one grade in the K-8 range in order to apply for funding.

• Eligible recipients include state, local and regional agencies, including nonprofit organizations.

• Funding is 100 percent federal; no local match is required.

• Infrastructure projects must be constructed within a 2-mile radius of the school.

Funding Prerequisite

As a prerequisite for funding eligibility, schools must complete a school-based planning process culminating in the creation of a Safe Routes to School Action Plan. This process—described in the SR2S Handbook—involves:

1. Forming a multidisciplinary team of local stakeholders (SR2S Team module);

2. Collecting baseline data on parent and student behaviors and attitudes towards walking and bicycling (Behaviors and Attitudes module);

3. Conducting environmental audits of the school grounds and the surrounding neighborhoods/ areas (Safe Routes module);

4. Completing a SR2S Action Plan that addresses the issues identified through the survey process or through the environmental audits (Making Change module).

 Funding Application and EGrAMS

Beginning in 2008, schools interested in submitting a Safe Routes to School funding application will be able to do so online via Michigan's Electronic Grants Administration and Management System (EGrAMS). The EGrAMS website is www.egrams-mi.com/mdot.

Information on Other Funding Sources

Additional funding information can be found in Appendix F of Michigan's Safe Routes to School Handbook. Visit the Handbook page to download the Handbook in its entirety.