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Hunterdon Schools Compete for “Winter Walk” Polar Bear Trophy

Students at eight (8) Hunterdon County elementary schools will participate in the annual Hunterdon County Safe Routes to School “Winter Walk” competition this month.  At stake is the “Polar Bear Trophy” presented to the homeroom with the highest percentage of students walking to school.

Barley Sheaf Elementary School (Raritan Township), Delaware Township School, Frenchtown Elementary School, Hampton Public School, High Bridge Elementary, Lambertville Public School, Lebanon Borough School, and Milford Public School have all signed on to participate in Winter Walk 2024. Continue reading “Hunterdon Schools Compete for “Winter Walk” Polar Bear Trophy”

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NJDOT Announces Safe Routes to School 2024 Grant Solicitation

Funds support projects to encourage walking and biking to K-12 schools

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has announced that the grant solicitation period for the 2024 Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is open, with applications being accepted through November 17, 2023.

“Safe Routes to School grants provide resources to communities throughout New Jersey to make safety improvements to the sidewalks and crosswalks our children use to walk or bike to school, without the need to impact local property taxes,” NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “As part of NJDOT’s commitment to communities, we work with the three regional planning authorities to provide federal funding to counties and municipalities for local transportation projects that enhance safety and strengthen the cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of our transportation system.”

The SRTS program is funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Federal Aid Program and is administered by the NJDOT Division of Local Aid and Economic Development, in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO).

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) expanded the SRTS program from K-8 to include high schools as well. SRTS grants are available for infrastructure projects that encourage and enable K-12 students to walk and bike safely to school. Proposed project improvements must be within a two-mile radius of a K-12 school. SRTS facilitates the planning, development and implementation of projects that improve safety and air quality, as well as reduce traffic and fuel consumption around schools. NJDOT’s Local Aid Resource Center provides a central warehouse for local government managers by providing hands-on resources for the application process, raising awareness of grant cycles and proactively communicating program information.

For more information on the grant program, visit https://www.saferoutesnj.org/safe-routes-to-school-grants, the Local Aid Resource Center at www.njdotlocalaidrc.com; email LocalAID.ResourceCenter@dot.nj.gov or call 609.649.9395.

Contact Ryan Fisher, goHunterdon Safety Programs Manager, for application assistance, rfisher@gohunterdon.org

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Making the Walk to School Safer: Walkability Assessments and School Travel Plans

“Where it is safe, get more kids walking and bicycling; where it is not safe, make it safe”. These two tenets of the federally funded Safe Routes to School program have guided goHunterdon’s Safe Routes to School programming since 2008.

goHunterdon coordinates local Safe Routes to School programming, encouraging students in walkable communities to walk or bicycle to school more often with themed events, friendly competitions between schools, and providing important bicycle and pedestrian safety education for students in grades K-8.

In preparation for spring 2023 programming, goHunterdon staff is developing new templates to be used by students to assess the physical environment along their walk (and bike) to school. Students will participate in “walkability assessments”, including observing the condition of sidewalks, documenting the presence of marked crosswalks, and driver behavior toward pedestrians.

“Walkability assessments are a great learning tool for students, teaching them how physical infrastructure can encourage or discourage walking or bicycling,” says Ryan Fisher, goHunterdon Safety Programs Manager. “Conducting assessments also provides an opportunity for students to become engaged in their community to improve safety, mobility and access,” says Fisher.

Assessments also inform the development of formal School Travel Plans and Policies. School Travel Plans identify short and long term solutions for improving pedestrian and bicycle travel to and from school. School Travel Policies establish guidelines for student travel to and from school and reinforce safe walking and bicycling behaviors that students should follow.

goHunterdon will work with fourteen schools to update School Travel Plans this year: Barley Sheaf Elementary School, Bloomsbury Elementary School, Califon Public School, Clinton Public School, Delaware Township School, Reading-Fleming Intermediate School, Robert Hunter Elementary School, Frenchtown Elementary School, Hampton Public School, High Bridge Elementary School, High Bridge Middle School, Lambertville Public School, Lebanon Borough School, and Milford Public School.

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Promoting Safety at Local Summer Camps

Promoting Safety at Local Summer Camps

Summer provides a unique opportunity for goHunterdon to educate young people on bicycle and pedestrian safety at local summer day camps.   “Throughout the school year, we engage with young people through our Safe Routes to School Program, but safety is a year round message,” says Ryan Fisher, goHunterdon Safety Programs Coordinator.

“The summer camp environment offers a relaxed environment and give us more flexibility in the kinds of activities we can schedule,” he adds.

Summer camp activities include outdoor bicycle safety rodeos, interactive helmet safety demonstrations, and bicycle and pedestrian “relay race” style safety games. goHunterdon also offers indoor camp activities for rainy days.

goHunterdon staff bring all of the equipment, knowledge and fun needed to engage campers with bicycle and pedestrian safety activities at no charge.

Visits are scheduled at camps in Lebanon Borough, Raritan Township, Hampton Borough, and Flemington Borough.

For more information or to schedule a goHunterdon camp activity, contact Ryan Fisher, Safety Programs Manager, rfisher@gohunterdon.org