On Wednesday, June 26, the Bay Area’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO), the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), voted to keep a requirement that cities and towns maintain Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs) to receive certain state funds.
It’s hard to believe that it has been more than a year since Congress passed the transportation bill, MAP-21, which consolidated Safe Routes to School into the Transportation Alternatives program (TAP).
Looking back, I never would have imagined that many of the recreational activities I participated in and enjoyed, especially walking and bicycling to school, climbing ropes in PE, hiking to the local nature center, and playing games at recess, would impact my life so significantly.
In honor of July being Parks and Recreation month, I decided to focus on how we, as Safe Routes to School advocates, can ensure that all children have the ability to be active outside all year round. Just like walking and bicycling to school, access to parks and recreation can directly impact the overall quality of life for children.
In June, articles in the Akron Beacon Journal highlighted the safety inequity between urban and suburban students that walk or bike to school (you can read them here and
While schools are out for summer and many Americans head out on vacation, things on Capitol Hill have been heating up. I’ve got updates on a range of federal policy topics to share with Safe Routes to School advocates.