Memorandum

SENT VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL

Date: January 3, 2006

Subject: ACTION: Program Guidance – Safe Routes to School

/original signed by/

From: John R. Baxter

Acting Associate Administrator for Safety

To: Division Administrators

This memorandum transmits the Office of Safety’s Program Guidance for implementing the new Federal-aid Safe Routes to School (SRTS) legislated Program. The SRTS Program is funded at $612 million and provides Federal-aid highway funds to State DOTs over five Federal fiscal years (FY 2005 – FY 2009). The legislative details of the Program are contained in Section 1404 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (Public Law 109-59).

In preparing this guidance, the Office of Safety conducted an extensive outreach effort. Given the cross-cutting nature of this Program, we received input from many different stakeholders including national bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations, a State DOT review team, a FHWA field review team, NHTSA, the FHWA Offices of Policy, Legal and Planning and Environment. In addition, we brought in national SRTS experts to assist us in our efforts. The attached document is the culmination of this collaborative approach.

While this guidance addresses most aspects of the SRTS Program, it may not answer every question that has been, or is likely to be raised. Additional guidance will be provided throughout the first few years of the Program as questions are asked, clarifications are needed, experience is gained, and various approaches are tried and evaluated.

The Office of Safety will post and manage this guidance through our SRTS website http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes/index.htm. We encourage you to direct your State DOT and other stakeholders to the on-line version, as well as to the FAQ’s, which support this Guidance. When substantial updates to the on-line version are made, we will notify the Division SRTS point of contact. Comments and feedback about this Guidance should be directed to Mr. Tim Arnade, Safe Routes to School Program Manager via email at tim.arnade@dot.gov or via telephone at (202) 366-2205.

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