Safe Routes to Schools
Streetsblog LA
Zozo wants you to Walk to School!
For those of you who do not yet know him – meet Zozo! He’s Livable Streets’ big purple friend who loves anything that gets people out of cars and moving about the streets. You might find him riding his ZoGo along the new PPW bike lane, sitting out in the pedestrian plaza in Union Square … Continued
September 22, 2010
Eric Cantor Postpones Battle Over Safe Routes Funding
(Update: Cantor's office responded below that the reason the "Safe Routes to School" funding cuts can't be found on the site was because the vote on this proposal ended and that it could be a YouCut proposal again in the future. Streetsblog will monitor YouCut to see when it comes up again. To see the original post, and the text of Cantor's response, click on after the jump.- DN)
June 15, 2010
Speed Humps Installed Surrounding Nine Valley Schools
City Councilman Richard Alarcon has always been a vocal supporter for traffic calming and safe streets around schools and other places that children congregate. In 2007, he introduced legislation calling for the LADOT to report on how it prioritizes traffic calming devices around schools, parks and recreation centers. Last year, he introduced the resolution which created the "set-aside" for bicycle and pedestrian projects in the city's Measure R Local Return funds.
April 23, 2010
Senate Health Bill Approved: What it Means for Transportation
After 14 months of drama, deal-making, and declarations of its demise, the health care legislation envisioned by President Obama and congressional Democrats finally cleared its biggest hurdle last night, with the House approving the Senate-passed measure on a 219-212 vote.
March 22, 2010
First Lady Launches Childhood Obesity Push With Nod to Biking & Walking
First Lady Michelle Obama took to the mikes this afternoon to kick
off a national campaign to combat childhood obesity, emphasizing new
initiatives to promote biking and walking alongside a strong focus on
healthier food options in schools.
February 10, 2010
Job Announcement: Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership Looking for SoCal Manager
This morning a job announcement appeared in my Inbox from the non-profit that works on Safe Routes to Schools Issues across the country. Given the somewhat deplorable state of our city's efforts to apply for Safe Routes grants, this position could be a game changer for those working to make travel to Los Angeles' schools safer, cleaner, and more sustainable. A copy of the announcement is below, and a link to the full application can be found at the end of the article:
October 21, 2009
Safe Streets Coalition: How About a Stimulus for Bike/Ped Projects?
As part of its share of the federal stimulus package, Caltrans was allocated $28 million for "Transportation Enhancements," a federal funding category that is home to bicycle, pedestrian, beautification and other road projects that aren't widening or fix-it projects. However, according to the National Safe Routes to Schools Partnership, Caltrans is having trouble spending those funds. From a letter from the partnership to Caltrans:
April 15, 2009
New York Times Writes on Traffic Nightmare Surrounding L.A. Schools
A story in yesterday's New York Times took a look at the safety conditions surrounding Los Angeles' public schools and painted a horrific picture of a traffic nightmare. Focusing on the condition's surrounding Florence Nightengale Middle School, the NY Times found that narrow sidewalks and a glut of parents racing to pick up their children create a dangerous, chaotic mess for children. Sadly, the problem isn't limited to just to one school:
April 13, 2009
City Council Takes Aim at CALTRANS Safe Routes to Schools
(Editor's note: I sat on the Caltrans' Safe Routes to School Committee for District 7 during the last cycle. Any opinions expressed in this piece are mine and not necessarily the opinions of Caltrans staff or other committee members.)
November 6, 2008