==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
Safe
Routes to School news, January 2009
Encouraging Safe Bicycling and Walking to School
From NH SRTS e-Newsletter dated January 5, 2009:
The
new year offers Granite State communities another opportunity to apply for reimbursement
grants under Safe Routes to School (SRTS).
This 100 percent federally funded program encourages and enables students in
kindergarten through 8th grade to safely walk and/or ride bicycles from home
to school. SRTS is designed for children, including those with disabilities,
who live within approximately two miles of school.
Applications for the Round 3 cycle of grants must be filed with both the N.H.
Department of Transportation (NHDOT) and the Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs)
by the end of business on Monday Feb. 2, 2009.
The copy for the NHDOT must be received by 4 p.m. on deadline day at the Bureau
of Planning and Community Assistance (full address below). Applications will
be accepted by e-mail or fax, followed by a hard copy. Substantially complete
applications will be accepted as "placeholders" if minor submissions
arrive after the filing deadline. (RPCs set their own standards for accepting
applications, so check with the RPC for your area. Contact information is available
at http://www.nharpc.org.)
Application forms and the scoring criteria are available for download at http://www.nh.gov/dot/bureaus/planning/Round3Documents.htm
or by contacting the coordinator.
Startup, Planning and General Grants
A major change for this cycle is that separate criteria and forms have been
designed for the three categories of SRTS grants:
1. Startup grants of up to $5,000 to cover the initial expenses of conducting
surveys, holding meetings, engaging in non-infrastructure activities, and drafting
a basic travel plan.
2. Comprehensive travel plan grants of up to $15,000 per school. These grants
will pay for more in-depth plans, including prioritized infrastructure projects.
3. General grants that can include infrastructure and/or non-infrastructure
programs and projects. These grants will be based on travel plans that are included
in the application or developed as a separate document. The cap for infrastructure
projects remains at $100,000 per project (generally defined as one project per
school).
Help is Available
New Hampshire's SRTS program is designed to be as user-friendly as possible.
However, its comprehensive nature requires thoughtful planning based on local
needs.
Applicants are invited to consult with the coordinator and/or the RPCs for technical
assistance and an informal assessment of their projects. This preliminary review
will occur prior to the formal scoring by the RPCs, and is intended to assist
local communities in preparing quality applications. Using this service will
not affect the filing deadline of Feb. 2, 2009, so communities should schedule
accordingly.
After the filing period closes, RPCs will have until March 30, 2009 to evaluate
and score the applications. The Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) will then
meet with applicants at public meetings in late April. The committee will make
funding recommendations to Commissioner George Campbell. NHDOT is scheduled
to announce the awards on June 15, 2009.
Start Planning Now
Although all New Hampshire communities are invited to submit applications in
Round 3, those that are just getting started will find it difficult to plan
their programs and submit a competitive application by the Feb. 2 deadline.
It is best to begin preparations now for Round 4, which has not yet been scheduled.
Effective local SRTS programs use the concept known as the “5Es:”
-- Evaluation
-- Education
-- Encouragement
-- Enforcement
-- Engineering
The applications and scoring criteria are designed to give higher marks to programs and projects that reflect this comprehensive approach. Any proposal for an infrastructure project should be based on a travel plan that documents that it would become part of a safe route for walking and/or bicycling to school. An application or related travel plan should also describe efforts to educate children in pedestrian and bicycling safety, encourage them to walk or ride bikes, and address any law enforcement issues.
Startup, Planning and General Grants
A major change for this cycle is that separate criteria and forms have been designed for the three categories of SRTS grants:
1. Startup grants of up to $5,000 to cover the initial expenses of conducting surveys, holding meetings, engaging in non-infrastructure activities, and drafting a basic travel plan.
2. Comprehensive travel plan grants of up to $15,000 per school. These grants will pay for more in-depth plans that address the 5Es, including prioritized infrastructure projects.
3. General grants that can include infrastructure and/or non-infrastructure programs and projects. These grants will be based on travel plans that are included in the application or developed as a separate document. The cap for infrastructure projects remains at $100,000 per project (generally defined as one project per school).
Applicants are invited to consult with the coordinator and/or the RPCs for an informal assessment of their projects. This preliminary review will occur prior to the formal scoring by the RPCs, and is intended to assist local communities in preparing quality applications. Using this service will not affect the filing deadline of Feb. 2, 2009, so communities should schedule accordingly.
After the filing period closes, RPCs will have until March 30, 2009 to evaluate and score the applications. The Statewide Advisory Committee (SAC) will then meet with applicants at public meetings. The committee will make funding recommendations to Commissioner George Campbell. NHDOT is scheduled to announce the awards on June 15, 2009.
Surveys
A critical first step for a local SRTS program is an evaluation of current school transportation issues. SRTS makes this part easy. An in-class survey of students and a take-home questionnaire for parents will give local planners valuable data. Complete instructions and survey forms are available for download from the “Getting Started” page on the state’s SRTS Web site: http://www.nh.gov/dot/bureaus/planning/SRTS_getting_started.htm
Need Help? Contact the Coordinator or Your RPC
Starting a local SRTS program can seem complicated and confusing, but help is available from the coordinator and RPCs. Interested in finding out more? The coordinator will travel to your community to meet with local leaders at your convenience (early morning as well as evening appointments are available). Using a PowerPoint presentation, he will give an overview of the program, answer any questions, and encourage a discussion of local conditions.
Get Your Story Out
Visit the New Hampshire’s SRTS Web site to see what other Granite State communities are up to. If your school and community are sponsoring SRTS-related events – from walking school buses to bike rodeos – let the coordinator know.
For
information about New Hampshire’s efforts, contact:
John W. Corrigan
Safe Routes to School Coordinator
Bureau of Planning and Community Assistance
N.H. Department of Transportation
7 Hazen Drive, PO Box 483
Concord, NH 03302-0483
(603) 271-1980
jcorrigan@dot.state.nh.us
SRTS Web site: http://www.nh.gov/dot/org/projectdevelopment/planning/srts/index.htm