Sep 3

Find us at the 2019 SRTS National Conference!

The 2019 Safe Routes to School National Conference will be held at the Hilton Tampa Downtown from November 12-14, 2019. Be sure to save the date for this fabulous opportunity to join hundreds of active transportation and public health advocates and practitioners from across the country for valuable networking, sharing best practices, and exploring one of Florida’s most vibrant and active cities.

Unique Implementation of Safe Routes Programs in Diverse Communities

November 12 | 2:30-3:45pm

Safe routes to places that matter to the community should be accessible to all. This group of seasoned planning and public health professionals will share their experiences facilitating engaging and effective Safe Routes planning efforts in ethnically and linguistically diverse communities through two unique examples. In the citywide Safe Routes to School Plan in Santa Ana, California, that involved all 60+ public schools in the city, the project team strove for equitable processes and outcomes through a sincere stakeholder involvement process that respects the predominantly Latino and Spanish-speaking population and builds upon ongoing community improvement efforts by local nonprofit organizations and the county public health agency. Participants will also hear about a diverse range of comprehensive, community-driven efforts designed to improve and promote routes to schools, parks, businesses, and other assets in the mostly immigrant Little Havana (LH) neighborhood of the City of Miami. Each of these efforts in LH was co-designed and implemented with the community. Panelists will discuss the incorporation of the unique Community Liaison Framework through which residents are hired and trained to mobilize residents around desired change and to become long-term champions for health.

Speaker: Kaitlin Scott

 

SRTS in the Classroom: Using Creative + Collaborative Approaches to Promote Walking and Biking

November 13 | 4-5:15pm

In this session, participants will be presented with case studies from three communities that are using new and existing curricula to incorporate Safe Routes to School education into classroom learning. Case Study 1: San Mateo County Office of Education led the development of an in-class Safety and Wellness curriculum using the Coordinated School Health Model. Case Study 2: The City of Tacoma, in partnership with Tacoma Public Schools district and teachers, launched a coordinated effort to develop an elementary pedestrian safety education curriculum. Case Study 3: The Rialto Safe Routes to School Program, a collaborative program of the City of Rialto and the Rialto Unified School, District, is using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum to promote walking and biking to school, while concurrently advancing science and technology among Rialto students.

Speakers: Cailin Henley, Kristin Haukom

 

Setting your Program Up for Success: Tools for Partnerships, Funding & Sustainability

November 13 | 4-5:15pm

This session will cover how to set up a Safe Routes to School program for success by diving into strategies and frameworks for program sustainability and partnerships. The presenters will address common challenges faced when trying to build and keep momentum going and tools for increasing program success. This panel will focus on creating a sustainable program in both an urban and rural setting across the country. Alta Planning + Design will introduce developing a Safe Routes to School strategic planning process and to create a cohesive work plan for a future coordinator position. Alta will explain how the City of Tacoma coordinator has been using that plan to implement the program. The Tacoma case study highlights how the Safe Routes to School Strategy brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including the City, District, community-based organizations, bicycle and skateboard advocates, and youth to develop next steps and build buy-in from partners. The Strategy made the case for hiring a Safe Routes to School Coordinator in the City’s engineering department, which provides a unique opportunity to align the transportation infrastructure projects with the Safe Routes to School infrastructure projects. The San Mateo County Safe Routes to School presentation will highlight the new Parent and Community Empowerment Toolkit, which identifies specific “rally activities” or individual small-scale activities parents can lead to build enthusiasm for a school or city event. Parent workshops presented an overview of the toolkit and provided space to workshop next steps for key ideas. The parent outreach was one component of a wide grant-funded Safe Routes for Health and Wellness campaign, which seeks to build a culture of active and shared transportation. East Central Safe Routes to School staff will discuss how they have developed a sponsorship toolkit and worked with partner organizations to creatively fund Safe Routes to School programs.

Speaker: Hannah Day-Kapell

 

Poster Sessions

November 13 | 8-10am
Speakers: Cailin Henley, Hannah Day-Kapell

 

Accomplishing Active Transportation, Safety, and Air Quality Goals through Regional SRTS Assistance

November 13 | 2:15 -3:30pm

Safe Routes to School is the common denominator between safety, air quality, and active transportation, which regional governments are charged with improving. Regional governments also have a unique opportunity to offer economies of scale and more flexible funding to incubate new ideas among varied implementation partners. This session will compare four regional approaches to collaboration, program development, and creative funding: • The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) in the Greater Cleveland region will share the Safe Routes to School Assistance program development, interdivisional programs support, and how the program integrates environmental and active transportation directives, environmental justice, and socioeconomic data into safety and Safe Routes to School assistance. • The San Francisco Bay Area Air Quality Management District will share how Spare the Air Youth incubates new ways of educating and encouraging youth and their families to use transportation alternatives. The program helps Safe Routes to School outreach providers share resources and build partnerships through a collaborative website, new resources, an award-winning high school conference, youth leadership training, professional development for Safe Routes to School partners, and evaluating for cultural competency in transportation demand management. • The King County Metro SchoolPool program in the Seattle, Washington region will outline the growth from individual pilot programs to a countywide model of outreach and marketing around school commute efforts, tied to the region’s Commute Trip Reduction goals. • The Portland, Oregon region’s Safe Routes to School Coordinator will share how the newly-established Metro Regional Safe Routes to School program supports local Safe Routes to School initiatives with funding for staff positions, technical assistance, and focused support for marketing and coordination.

Speaker: Hannah Day-Kapell

 

How Technology Helps Data Collection and Analysis for SRTS Programs

November 14 | 10:30-11:45am

Technology can enhance both planning and implementation of Safe Routes to School programs. As a planning tool, geographic information systems (GIS) can assist with easier data collection in the field, create ways to visually represent data that reveals safety concerns and traffic patterns, and easily communicate this to diverse audiences and sectors. As an implementation tool, technology can streamline processes, reduce tedious data collection and entry, and provide convenience for program participants. At this session, three Safe Routes to School practitioners will share how technology is helping advance Safe Routes to School program planning and implementation in their communities and regions. From crash data mapping that assists with communicating needs and priorities that result in sound planning decisions, to collecting walk and bike audit data easily and efficiently, to collecting real-time travel data from students and providing ways to effectively manage and interpret it, attend this session to learn how to take technology by the horns and make it work for you!

Speaker: Hannah Day-Kapell