Los Angeles County Active Transportation Coalition attends Metro Policy Meeting

April 17, 2013 by 1 Comment

Los Angeles County leaders speak out for walking, bicycling and safe routes to school and complete streets in Los Angeles County at LAC Metro Policy Meeting 4.17.13

The Los Angeles County Active Transportation Coalition is launched and is excitedly taking its first steps! Join us!

Today partners from across the Los Angeles County region, representing Long Beach, Downey, El Monte, South Los Angeles, and organizations like Community Health Councils, Cali Bike Tours, Bike San Gabriel Valley, Advancement Project, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health provided testimony at Metro Policy and Programming committee in support of efforts to increase funding for walking, bicycling, safe routes to school and complete streets efforts in Los Angeles County.

This group is coming together in support of increasing Los Angeles County Transportation investments for walking and bicycling projects past the 1% allocated in the County 2009 Transportation plan (Metro 2009 LRTP, p.15).  With close to 20% of all trips in the County (2009 NHTS data) on foot or bicycle, and close to 40% of the roadway deaths (2010 SWITRS data) people out walking and bicycling, organizations and individuals are coming together to speak out to address and change this. Read more of this post

Filed under Equity, Funding, Get Involved, Grants, Health, Los Angeles County, News by Policy, Public Participation, Safety Tagged with , ,

Transportation Planning Grant Program Applications

February 1, 2013 by Leave a comment

caltrans logoCaltrans is now accepting applications for the Transportation Planning Grant Program which will award nearly $9 million in funding through six grant programs for Fiscal Year 2013-14. Funding is intended for transportation planning projects which improve mobility and lead to programming/implementation phases for a community.

Applications are due via e-mail by 5 PM, Tuesday, April 2, 2013. Hard copies are not accepted.

To apply or access the application information, follow this link.

Filed under Complete Streets, Funding, Grants, Walk & Bike to School Tagged with ,

Caltrans Transportation Planning Grant Program

December 17, 2012 by Leave a comment

Biker + 1, ‘CicLAvia’ Apr 15, 2012 Photo courtesy of El Trinidad on Flickr

Caltrans Division of Transportation Planning is now accepting applications for the Transportation Planning Grant Program. Approximately $9 million in funding will be awarded through six grant programs for 2013-14. These programs provide monetary assistance for transportation planning projects to improve mobility in communities and regions. Applications are due April 2, 2012.

For more information, visit the Caltrans Division of Transportation Planning website here

Filed under Funding, Grants, News by Policy, News by SoCal County Tagged with , ,

“Safe Routes” Expands to Schoolbus Stops: Passage of AB 1915

October 24, 2012 by Leave a comment

This past year, the California legislature passed AB 1915 (Alejo) that enables Safe Routes to School federal and state grants to improve infrastructure to schoolbus stops outside the vicinity of schools. AB 1915 provides that up to 10% of program funds may be used to assist eligible recipients in making infrastructure improvements, other than schoolbus shelters that create Safe Routes to schoolbus stops not without requiring that the stop be located near a school.

Before AB 1915 was passed, infrastructure improvements to schoolbus stops were not specifically eligible and not a well-defined use of Safe Route to School funds. The ambiguous eligibility created an obstacle for communities with children that traveled longer distances to schools and relied on school buses. More often rural, suburban and unincorporated areas did not have neighborhood-based schools and fewer opportunities for children to walk and bicycle safely to schools. Compounding the issue, these areas may generally lack public transportation options for both adults and children. Because AB 1915 highlights schoolbus stops in the Safe Routes to School application process, these communities are finally provided an opportunity to address their special needs.
Read more of this post

Filed under Equity, Grants, News by Policy, Safety Tagged with ,

Active Living Research Seeks Conference Abstracts and Award Nominations

July 26, 2012 by Leave a comment

Active Living Research (ALR), a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, announces a call for presentation and workshop abstracts, and a call for award nominations for its 10th Annual Conference on February 26-28, 2013, in San Diego, CA.  The conference theme is “Achieving Change Across Sectors: Integrating Research, Policy and Practice,” and recognizes the importance of engaging people from multiple disciplines to increase physical activity and help reverse the obesity epidemic. This is a fantastic conference – we encourage our partners that love data as much as we do – to consider attending. Read more of this post

Filed under Funding, Get Involved, Grants, News by Policy

SRTSNP SoCal Technical assistance available for LA DPH’s HEAL Initiatives

July 24, 2012 by Leave a comment

Photo Credit Dude on Bike

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership (National Partnership) Southern California (SoCal) team wants to foster more projects with a component related to active transportation and Safe Routes to School planning, data and policy, capacity and coalition efforts, and transportation finance.

We are providing feedback and comments to cities and organizations interested in applying for the LA County Department of Public Health’s (LA DPH)’s Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL). National Partnership is dedicated to improving active transportation policies in local cities, counties, and transportation agencies’ and increasing the number of and safety for children walking and bicycling to school.

The LA DPH released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals for a contract with up to eight cities, non-profit organizations, and/or school districts in Los Angeles County to develop and implement one or more strategies that will create an environment where it is convenient, safe and easy for community members to eat healthfully and participate in physical activity every day. The grant program is made possible by an award received by the Department of Public Health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Transformation Grants initiative. Selected proposers will receive up to $125,000 per year for approximately four years. Read more of this post

Filed under Best Practices, City of Los Angeles News, Grants, Los Angeles County

$48.5 million in SR2S Cycle 10 awards released by Caltrans

July 9, 2012 by Leave a comment

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) published the List of Approved Projects for Cycle 10 SR2S funding on June 29.  Out of 336 applications, 139 projects were selected for funding in Cycle 10.  The approved project list can be found on the Caltrans website.  According to Caltrans, $7 million of the $48.5 million was awarded in rural counties with $28 million awarded to projects that included at least one low-income school.

The SR2S program is the statewide Safe Routes to School program in California, and was the first of its kind in the country.  The Caltrans Division of Local Assistance is tasked with allocating the SR2S funds to each Caltrans district based on student enrollment, and projects are reviewed at the district level by a Project Selection Committee.  SR2S funds are allocated in one- or two-year cycles.  Cycle 10 awards two years of SR2S funds.

Filed under Equity, Funding, Grants, News by Policy

California Endowment Grant Opportunity

June 11, 2012 by Leave a comment

Up to $4M Available through the “Innovative Ideas Challenge” Grant!

The California Endowment has announced the Innovative Ideas Challenge, a new grant program seeking innovative ideas to address the persistent and emerging health issues that impact underserved communities in California.  Projects should align with the 10 Outcomes or 4 Big Results from the Building Healthy Communities plan, including reversing the childhood obesity epidemic.

The deadline is September 1, 2012.  To learn more about eligibility information and grant guidelines, please visit The California Endowment website.

Filed under Funding, Grants, Health, News by Policy

PPHF 2012: Community Transformation Grants

June 11, 2012 by Leave a comment

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a call for grant applications of $70 million through the Community Transformation Grant Program (CTG).  The CTG program supports State and local governmental agencies and community-based organizations to create programs aimed at reducing chronic disease rates and health disparities.

Who is eligible?

This round of funding targets “Small Communities” of up to 500,000 individuals in neighborhoods, school districts, villages, towns, cities and counties.  ”These areas can be specific counties, cities, towns and villages with up to 500,000 population or neighborhoods, sections, or subgroups of the population (e.g., children or seniors) within a metropolitan area.”

Eligible agencies include “school districts, local housing authorities, local transportation authorities, health departments, planning and economic development agencies, non-profit and community based organizations, area aging agencies and cooperative extension agencies (educational programs within land grant universities), tribes and tribal organizations.” Read more of this post

Filed under Funding, Grants, News by Policy

Safe Routes to School Regional Plan – San Diego County

April 30, 2012 by Leave a comment

Why?  “A regional strategy will ensure that the tools provided are germane and that resources are focused in areas across the region with the greatest need for assistance.”

Porter Elementary, San Diego Photo Credit: Safe Routes to School National Partnership

In March 2012, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) adopted a Regional Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan. Now the Transportation Agency is working to implement, in partnership with stakeholders throughout the County, this important plan to enhance and build upon the region’s existing efforts.

Now that the Strategic Plan has been adopted, the recommendations will be prioritized.  The plan calls for a phasing and financing strategy to be developed and a needs analysis to define areas that will receive priority for some of the resources recommended in the strategy

SANDAG began developing the Strategic Plan in September 2010 with funding through the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) Healthy Works program. Read more of this post

Filed under Best Practices, Data Collection and Evaluation, Equity, Funding, Grants, Health, News by Policy, Regional - SoCal Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

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