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Funding Development Tool

Safe Routes to School Program


 
3M products and expertise help agencies develop on-target SRTS funding requests for school zone safety-improvement projects   Safe Routes to School Funding

SRTS is federal acknowledgement of this serious issue and is 100% federally funded.

Funding Eligability
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The FHWA has made it a high priority "to improve the ability of elementary and middle school students to walk and bicycle to school safely." SRTS exists to:

  • Enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities
  • Help communities provide construction projects, speed reduction, traffic calming, pedestrian/bicycle crossings and other solutions
  • Involve individuals schools or multiple schools in projects—even extend state wide

What a Proposal Should Contain
Efforts should directly and indirectly incorporate the "five E's":

  • Engineering (operational/physical improvements such as signage, pavement marking and others)
  • Education (teaching about transportation choices, safety skills)
  • Enforcement (products that help law enforcement and traffic engineering analyze speed and time of day)
  • Encouragement (events, activities to promote walking/cycling)
  • Evaluation (monitor and document outcomes through data collection such as driver feedback signs to acquire valuable before and after speed data information

Eligible Project Elements
Eligible infrastructure activities include:

  • Traffic calming and speed reduction
  • Pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements
  • On-street bicycle facilities
  • Off-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities
  • Secure bicycle parking facilities
  • Sidewalk improvements
  • Traffic diversion improvements near schools

Eligible non-infrastructural activities include:

  • Public awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community leaders
  • Traffic education and enforcement near schools
  • Student sessions on bicycle and pedestrian health, safety and invironment
  • Funding for training, volunteers and managers of SRTS

Useful Links

Getting Started
With its 65-year history of leadership in traffic safety solutions, 3M is committed to helping traffic professionals develop proposals for the award of HRRRP funding. Here is a way to get started:

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Develop Infrastructure Requirements
Get started by doing the right thing, right now. No school routes are the same, however, based on 3M engineering recommendations, we suggest a school route safety solution that will:

  • Cut driving speeds in school zones using Driver Feedback Signs for active feedback
  • Enhance visibility using brighter 3M™ Diamond Grade™ DG3 reflective sheeting to alert and inform drivers and pedestrians to upcoming conditions by replacing all relevant signs with DG3 or, minimally, fluorescent yellow green
  • Reduce driver confusion using pavement markings (3M 380WR) and portable signage for positive guidance and clear communication
  • Increase pedestrian and bicycle visibility with reflective materials on jackets, vests, bags, shoes and two-wheelers

Prepare Baseline Documentation
Establish existing conditions.

  • Conduct surveys, traffic counts, speed checks, and other measurements
  • Involve parents, school adminstrators, teachers, neighbors, community organizations, city officials and staff, students
  • Collect injury data, warrant counts and citizen complaints

Inventory/audit route potentials:

  • Review all non-motorized crossing signs
  • Earmark potential locations (intersections, cross walks, infrastructure upgrade prospects, non-motorized crossing signs)
  • Identify and prioritize by improvement potential (risk reduction); group by project area
  • Generate cost estimates (a 3M-supplied calculator is available)
  • Assign 10% - 30% for non-infrastructural activities including traffic education and inforcement
  • Apportion over a four-year plan (2006 — 2009)
  • Engage city in plan and have regular city adoption

Examine Funding Eligibility Prospects
Several characteristics are significant to demonstrate eligibility. A grant request should present to these considerations:

  • Demonstrate needs
  • Identify safety hazards
  • Describe potential to reduce child injuries and fatalities
  • Describe potential to create safer walking and bicycling built environment
  • Describe potential to encourage safe walking and bicycling
  • Identify current and potential safe routes
  • Calculate number of children pedestrians/bicyclists on those routes
  • Calculate number anticipated
  • Discuss community support for education

Draft Grant Proposal
Assemble information to fulfill the requirements of SRTS including:

  • The "five E's" (Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Encouragement and Evaluation)
  • Approved infrastructural and non-infrastructural elements
  • Support for funding eligibility'
  • Baseline documentation to verify claims

Useful links/calculator

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Contact a 3M representative directly or contact us for more information about 3M products, services and expert advice for Safe Routes to School.
More Information

Video on improving school zone safetySafe Routes to School Video


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