BOISE - Communities may begin applying for 2012 funds to encourage students to safely walk and bicycle to school on a regular basis through the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
The announcement comes as children from 42 countries walk to school the first week of October in recognition of International Walk to School (IWALK) month. Locally, IWALK day is planned for Oct. 7.
"Since 2007, SR2S funding has been used by more than 30
Idaho communities like Priest River, New Plymouth, American Falls and Boise to
begin to implement creative ways to make it safer for children to walk and
bicycle to school," said Jo O'Connor, coordinator for the Idaho SR2S program.
"Our SR2S funds help communities
who want to create a culture of walking and bicycling in their K-8 Grade
schools," she said. "A school's
participation in their first IWALK event is often the catalyst for creating
regular walking and biking programs."
Successful SR2S programs must have the potential to increase the number of students walking and biking to school through community partnerships, parent volunteer and student-led activities, and may have planned infrastructure improvements, O'Connor explained.
Funded activities can be part of a new or existing Safe Routes to School program. They must occur at elementary or middle schools and activities must have the potential to have long-term impacts on safe walking or bicycling in the school community.
Letters of Intent to apply are due Oct. 30 and applicants will be invited to attend two webinar training
sessions on non-infrastructure and infrastructure aspects of SR2S programs in
November, prior to submitting their SR2S application for funding.
To obtain an LOI, go to itd.idaho.gov/SR2S, click on How to
Apply and then click on FY12 Letter of Intent.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration provides SR2S funds. For additional information about Safe Routes to School go to www.saferoutesinfo.org.