• Eligible projects include new crosswalks, pedestrian and bicycle paths, bike lanes, constructing sidewalks where none exist, and "traffic calming" programs in neighborhoods around schools to slow the speed of cars and allow safer passages for children walking and bicycling to school. Applications for the next round of projects made possible under SB10 will likely be due in May 2002. Check to the Caltrans website listed below for more up to date information.

• About $20M-$25M a year is made available under the bill. For the first two rounds of the program, Caltrans received $240 million worth of applications from local government agencies throughout the state for $45M of available funding.

• The money for the "Safe Routes to School" bill comes from federal TEA-21 transportation funding apportioned to the state of California under the "Hazard Elimination/Safety (HES)" program currently overseen and programmed by Caltrans. The Safe Routes to School program allows local governments direct access these funds and put safety dollars to work in the middle of the communities and neighborhoods that need them the most.

• The bill addresses several important needs in California. Being hit by a car while walking or biking is one of the leading causes of injury deaths for California children aged 5 to 12. Parents driving their kids to school is now a major contribution to morning and afternoon traffic congestion, comprising between 20-25% of all vehicle trips at peak hours. Finally, fewer kids are walking or biking to school than ever before (probably fewer than 10 percent vs two-thirds a generation ago). This is one of the reasons that children in the U.S. are now more obese and inactive than ever before.

• Nine other states have since followed California's lead in 1999 by introducing similar legislation. At least three other state level Safe Routes to School programs are in place with many more under consideration. Advocates hope to win a similar national funding program in the upcoming federal transportation bill, the reauthorization of the law known as "TEA-21."

To view the entire bill visit http://www.leginfo.ca.gov and click on Senate Bill 10 under 2001 legislation.

To view a list of funded projects or to learn more about the Safe Routes to School program, visit www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/ or call 916-653-4727.

Click here to read the PDF version of STPP's full report.