in outer SE Portland.
(Photos © J. Maus)
Portland has been selected to host the Safe Routes to School National Conference in 2009.
The decision (announced today) was made by the National Center for Safe Routes to School and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership after a competitive application process.
The application for the conference was submitted by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), the Portland-based non-profit that contracts with the City of Portland to provide the federally funded Safe Routes to School program in 25 Portland Public Schools.
The BTA was assisted in their application effort by the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (based at Portland State University). The IBPI coordinated strategy meetings with BTA leadership, bike program staffers from the City of Portland’s Office of Transportation, local bike planning consultants, and a coalition of other local agencies and non-profits.
Environmental School in
SE Portland.
The BTA has enlisted health care giant Kaiser Permanente as a partner in hosting the conference.
When the conference was first held in Dearborn Michigan in November of 2007, over 400 Safe Routes program reps, state transportation administrators, engineers, planners, elected officials, parents and community members took part.
The BTA’s government and public affairs director Karl Rohde says they expect an even better turnout in ’09. “Safe Routes to Schools is growing around the country,” he says, “and because Portland is a nationally recognized model for cycling, this conference will attract a lot more people.”
accepting an award from the US
Surgeon General at an event in
North Portland last April.
Rohde also says that with a new adminstration in the White House and the re-authorization of the Transportation Bill in Congress, the timing of the conference (slated for summer or fall of 2009) couldn’t be better; “There will definitely be a lot of discussion going on around those topics.”
Safe Routes to Schools first received national transportation funding when it carved out $600 million out of the $244 billion transportation bill in 2005 (known as SAFETEA-LU).
Director of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership Deb Hubsmith is one of the most respected and influential voices in the Safe Routes movement. In a press release issued by the BTA, she said that, “We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Bicycle
Transportation Alliance… It’s going to be an exciting event in a great location.”
For more information on the BTA’s Safe Routes to Schools program, visit their website.
Note: for some reason when I originally published this story at 1:00pm the comments were close. not sure why that happened. sorry about that.
Cool – now can we get the city to change \”SAFER routes to school\” to the actual name of the national program?
I keep mentally saying \”safer than what?\”
I mean, we know the routes aren\’t safe YET, the name of the program is a GOAL, not the current condition.
If someone can get that concept across to the relevant person in the city government, I\’d greatly appreciate it. Perhaps with more tact and less sarcasm than I just used.
This is great news, though – a wonderful opportunity for Portland to continue shaping the national agenda and conversation on bikes.
Safe Routes to School is the BTA\’s signature program, to host and promote the much needed program is a great honor. Encouraging our next generation to Bicycle Safely while getting exercise, reducing CO2 and giving parents an opportunity to park the van, these are all positive benefits. We need to encourage the next generation to continue the (r)evolution of sustainable transportation. Without the BTA\’s program this may never happen on the scale that it needs to. Thanks to the BTA for all their hard work on this important issue.
This sounds like a neat program. Right now I think over-protective parents are the biggest roadblock in more kids biking to school. As a first grader my daughter walked 3 blocks, in a group, on side streets with sidewalks to and from school and I can\’t tell you how many parents would look at me with fear and say \”are you sure that\’s safe?\” Ummm… yeah, pretty sure that\’s safe. Right now there is a culture among parents that being a good parent means hovering over your children. Hopefully programs like this will help to start to reverse that culture because we are creating a generation of needy dependents.
\”right now I think over-protective parents are the biggest roadblock in more kids biking to school.\”
you\’re right… but who can blame them when there\’s a \”war\” going on in our streets!? 😉
LOL. YOu\’re right Jonathan. Once she skinned her knee on the sidewalk and a mean adult passerby stopped to help her. It\’s a scary world out there.