Blog: Action Alert: Let's Save Safe Routes to Schools
Posted by:
Anthony Green
at Feb 10, 2012 12:00 AM CST
Keywords:
Advocacy,
Education
|
Send This
|
Article Link
 Next week may not be a great Valentine’s Day week for kids' safety on the way to school. Recently, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee narrowly defeated an amendment—offered by two Republican members—that would have restored the Safe Routes to School program. Now, the current Senate transportation bill dilutes Safe Routes to School walking and bicycling programs. It gives your state DOT the power to decide whether or not to make any funding available for these critical programs.
You can help us turn that around. To improve the bill, we need to ask senators to vote for the Cardin-Cochran amendment, which guarantees local governments a voice in transportation decisions, allowing them to build sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways that keep kids safe. This vote will take place early next week, so please take action now! Please contact your Senators this weekend and urge them to vote for the Cardin-Cochran amendment. It's a Valentine’s gift for all of us: Safe Routes saves kids' lives, saves health- related tax dollars and creates jobs. Here are some key facts in communicating this message:
- In 2009, approximately 23,000 children ages 5-15 were injured and more than 250 were killed while walking or bicycling in the United States.
- From 2000-2006, 30% of traffic deaths for children ages 5-15 occurred while walking or bicycling.
- The medical costs for treating children’s bicycle and pedestrian fatalities totalled $839 million in 2005 plus another $2.2 billion in lifetime lost wage costs.
- A safety analysis by the California Department of Transportation estimated that the safety benefit of SRTS was as much as a 49 percent decrease in the childhood bicycle and pedestrian collision rates.
You can be extra effective if your Senators are among the following. We think they are the most likely to be swayed. Find their email addresses.
- Alaska (Senator Murkowski)
- Alabama (Senator Shelby
- Arkansas (Senator Boozman)
- Florida (Senator Rubio)
- Kansas (Senator Moran)
- Massachusetts (Sen. Brown)
- Missouri (Senator McCaskill and Senator Blunt)
- Mississippi (Senator Wicker)
- Massachusetts (Senator Brown)
- Tennessee (Senator Alexander and Senator Corker)
- West Virginia (Senator Manchin)
More Ways You Can Help
More About Pedestrian Safety
|
Comment on this Blog Post: