Los Angeles Plans Citywide Walk to School events for October 2013!

While summer is definitely my favorite season, Walktober is a pretty close second! And we’re excited to learn that the City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation is working on efforts for Walk to School days across the city. To date, there has not been a  comprehensive approach to Walk to School generally for the LAUSD schools that fall within the City of Los Angeles boundary, nor has the City of Los Angeles ‘hosted’ a coordinated, comprehensive citywide Walk to School Day.  This is not the case for 2013 – hooray!

Why the Citywide coordinated effort lead by the Department of Transportation (DOT) now?  Over the past year DOT has been working on the City’s Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan as directed by Los Angeles City Council (See the December 20011 City of LA memo that outlines goals for Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan).  Part of the Council directive included citywide participation in eduction and encouragement activities, and specifically Walk to School Day.

LA City DOT is launching a Walk to School Day website in the next week which will have detailed information on how to participate and lead your own Walk to School event, and organizer meetings are currently being scheduled.  To find out more and be added to the City’s outreach list for Safe Routes to School efforts please contact:

Karen Ann Barnett
LA Dept. of Transportation
Pedestrian Programs Division
(e) karen.barnett@lacity.org
(o) 213-972-8628

Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan for the City of Los Angeles: Get involved!

The City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)  invites you to save the date for Thursday, March 21, 2:00 – 4:00 in the Caltrans Building (100 Main Street, LA 90012 in Conf Room 1.040B) to review milestones and progress to date on the city’s forthcoming Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan.

The City of Los Angeles is prioritizing need for infrastructure improvements among their 495 schools that fall within the City’s boundaries.  This has been something the SRTSNP and many other partners have been working alongside LA DOT and partners both internally and externally.  Among the many things about this effort that inspire me – is the relationship between the school district and transportation planning agency underway with this effort – not to mention current efforts to loop in community based organizations.  And I love how data is informing this project prioritization effort – it’s inspiring to see the City of Los Angeles endeavor toward this.

DOT Rescissions Threaten Bike/Ped Funding

URGENT: Action Needed

The FY2011 appropriations deal is requiring state Departments of Transportation to return $2.5 billion in transportation funding to Washington. This rescission (learn more about rescissions by downloading the “Rescissions FAQ” document) has the capacity to affect bicycle and pedestrian programs in across the nation to a tremendous degree, especially based on similar “rescissions” in previous years where many state DOTs pulled the majority of their cuts from bicycle and pedestrian programs. We need Governor Brown to hear the concerned voices of people like you to make sure that does not happen again!