Sidewalks at Harris to be funded by state grant

Harris Middle School has been awarded $150,500 in Safe Routes to School funds.

The funds will be used to construct approximately 4,000 linear feet of sidewalk in the vicinity of the school. Funds will also be used to provide an educational program focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety and promotional activities to encourage walking and biking as a safe and healthy initiative.

“It’s important for children and parents to feel safe about walking and biking to school,” said State Rep. Curt Cobb. “This is a great program that encourages children and families to stay active and educates them on safe practices. I’m pleased to see the governor and TDOT providing these funds to Bedford County.

“Today fewer children walk or bike to school than ever before despite the fact that more than a third of children age nine to 15 live within a mile of a school,” State Sen. Jim Tracy said. “This program helps create a safe environment for children who walk or bike and teaches them the practices they need to stay safe.”

The grant is made possible through a federally funded program administered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

The Safe Routes to School program is a statewide initiative designed to make bicycling and walking to school a safer, more appealing and healthier alternative for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Gov. Phil Bredesen has stated his support of the Safe Routes to School program as an opportunity for schools, communities and government officials to work together to promote a healthier lifestyle for children and families.

“Our GetFitTN program encourages children to embark on a healthier lifestyle,” Bredesen said. “The Safe Routes to School program further supports that goal by providing increased safety education, enforcement and infrastructure improvements that will help keep children safer when walking or biking to school.”

“The Safe Routes to School program is an innovative program that integrates health, fitness, traffic relief, environmental concerns, and safety all under one umbrella,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “Funds may be used for two different types of projects, infrastructure and non-infrastructure, that directly support increased safety and conveniences for kindergarten through middle school children to walk and bike to school."

The SRTS program is funded by $10.7 million in funds through 2009. The funds were provided specifically for this purpose through SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users), the federal surface transportation program. The Safe Routes to School program is 100 percent federally funded and does not require a local match.

The Safe Routes to School program is comprised of five elements referred to as the 5 E’s.

• Engineering �" creating operational and physical improvements to the infrastructure surrounding schools that reduce speeds and potential conflicts with motor vehicle traffic, and establishing safer and fully accessible crossings, walkways, trails and bikeways.

• Education �" teaching children about the broad range of transportation choices, instructing them in important lifelong bicycling and walking safety skills and launching driver safety campaigns in the vicinity of schools.

• Enforcement �" partnering with local law enforcement agencies to ensure traffic laws are obeyed in the vicinity of schools (including enforcement of speeds, yielding to pedestrians in crossings, and proper walking and bicycling behaviors), and to initiate community enforcement such as crossing guard programs.

• Encouragement �" events and activities to promote walking and bicycling (bike rodeos).

• Evaluation �" monitoring and documenting outcomes and trends through the collection of data both before and after the intervention.

To learn more about the Safe Routes to School Program at the Tennessee Department of Transportation, visit www.tdot.state.tn.us/bikeped/saferoutes.... or contact Diana Benedict, Program Coordinator, at (615) 253-2421 or diana.benedict@state.tn.us.