"It is just not safe to let my child walk or ride their bike to school." So said respondents from the initial survey that the PTA of Linwood Elementary in Milwaukie, Oregon, sent out last spring. They didn’t know that 'Safe Routes to School' – with capital letters – existed. But they knew something was not right, and they wanted to fix it.

Ever find yourself banging your head against the wall trying to advance a Safe Routes to School program across multiple schools or even an entire district? Worry not; there are plenty of other goose-egged foreheads (and dented walls) across the country that are in your same shoes.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to Mayor Carolyn Thompson of Elkton, Tennessee. Elkton has fewer than 20,000 residents and is about twenty-five miles north of Huntsville, Alabama. Elkton has one elementary school with 327 students in pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade. They also do not have any sidewalks in their town.

As we continue to hear more about the intersection of transportation and health issues nationally, Tennessee is making a concerted effort to cultivate this important partnership. Recently, I had the opportunity to witness and participate in this collaboration. 

The Tennessee Network has some exciting plans for 2013 and some amazing members to help get the job done.  Here’s the short list of what we are working on.