What Does the Transportation Bill Mean for Safe Routes to
School? This week, Congress is voting on a new two-year
transportation bill, called MAP-21, that will make significant
changes to federal transportation policy that negatively impact
bicycling and walking programs. Please see our joint statement
with the America Bikes coalition for information on the effect
on bicycling and walking more broadly. We also wanted to provide
you with specifics about how the bill affects Safe Routes to
School. Please see below for our initial questions and answers
about the impacts and then review other resources in our MAP-21
Resource Center. How much funding will Safe Routes to School get
under the new bill? Under the new structure, Safe Routes to
School is combined with the former Transportation Enhancements
program and Recreational Trails program. Congress also added
some new eligible uses, including environmental mitigation and
boulevard construction. This new program is called
“Transportation Alternatives.” The fundin