3. Safe Routes to School grants

Forty-seven Wisconsin communities will share nearly $8 million from the federally funded Safe Routes to School program, to begin making streets and intersections safer for children who walk or bike to school.

Safe Routes to School, in its first year of funding, is an initiative to get more children in grades K-8 walking or biking to school--thus encouraging a healthy lifestyle--rather than riding in buses or cars. The program also aims to decrease traffic around schools and reduce pollution.

The grants will fund projects such as pedestrian islands, bike racks, traffic circles and curb extensions, sidewalk improvements, bike and pedestrian education, and enforcement.

Department of Public Instruction staff advised on the project and the granting process. To enhance traffic safety near Wisconsin schools, the DPI also supplied new, lighted signs for crossing guards to use in districts which requested the equipment in their applications.

"We had four times as many applications as we could fund in this first cycle," noted Renee Callaway, Safe Routes to School coordinator at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. "But I hope applicants will try again because we will have another grant cycle coming up in January 2008."

For those just getting started, a Safe Routes to School toolkit is available at http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/localgov/aid/saferoutes-toolkit.htm or by emailing srts@dot.state.wi.us.

More information: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/localgov/aid/saferoutes.htm

Last updated on 8/6/2007