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    Safe Routes To School

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Below are answers to questions that teachers, school administrators, parents, municipalities, and walking and biking advocates frequently have about the Safe Routes to School program in Pennsylvania.

    SRTS is a nationwide federally sponsored reimbursement program. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) administers this program for the commonwealth. Safe Routes to School is designed to promote safe walking and bicycling to and from school. SRTS provides reimbursement funding for infrastructure improvements, safety education, and incentives to support walking and bicycling for students in grades K through 12. 

    The number of students walking and bicycling to school dropped from 50% in 1969 to 10.4% in 2017. While that trend continues, there is urgent concern about growing obesity and other health issues in school students. National studies also show that 10% to 14% of car trips during the morning rush hour are for school travel. SRTS initiatives encourage less automobile traffic which can contribute to better air quality, improved health for students, and overall, contribute to more sustainable communities.

    SRTS infrastructure projects are improvements that can be made to allow students to safely walk or bicycle to school. Some examples include sidewalk construction; curb ramps; crosswalks; upgrading traffic signals to facilitate pedestrian crossing; bicycle parking facilities; and on-road bicycle lanes or bicycle pathways separated from vehicle traffic. 

    Non-infrastructure projects help educate and train students and bring awareness to community members about student safe bicycling and walking and show how enjoyable these modes of transportation to and from school can be. Some examples include student sessions on bicycle and pedestrian safety, health, and environment; funding for training, volunteers, and managers of SRTS programs for a city, school district, or region; public awareness campaigns and outreach to press and community leaders; and traffic education and enforcement near schools.

    Eligible recipients for SRTS funding include:

    • School districts, local education agencies, or schools
    • Local governments
    • Regional transportation authorities
    • Transit agencies
    • Natural resource or public land agencies, including federal agencies
    • Tribal governments
    • MPOs that serve an urbanized area with a population of 200,000 or fewer
    • A nonprofit entity
    • Any other local or regional governmental entity with responsibility for oversight of transportation or recreational trails (other than an RPO, an MPO with a population over 200,000, or a state agency)
    • County Recreational Trails Authorities
    • County Recreational Authorities
    • Urban Redevelopment Authorities
    • Transportation Management Associations (TMAs)
    • Universities and colleges (public and private, however, improvements must be in the public right-of-way)
    • Municipal authorities (when the authority's establishing document specifically cites transportation or recreation as a stated purpose)
    • A state, at the request of an eligible entity listed above

    Applicants apply for SRTS funding via PennDOT's Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TASA) grant application.

    For more information on how to apply for SRTS, visit the How Do I Apply? page. 

    Funding opportunities exist on a federal, state, and local level. Check out Other Funding Resources.  Here are programs in Pennsylvania that distribute funding:

    • Municipal Liquid Fuels Program
    • Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program
    • Highway Safety Funds
    • Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
    • Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Grants
    • Automated Red Light Enforcement (ARLE) Funding
    • Local funding or donations
    • PennDOT Multimodal Transportation Funding
    • DCED Multimodal Transportation Funding

    The program provides funding for projects and activities related to students from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

    A project must be within two (2) miles of a public or private primary, middle, or high school (Kindergarten through twelfth grade) to qualify for funding.

    There is a minimum award of $50,000 for infrastructure projects. The maximum award is $1,500,000, although higher awards can be justified on a case-by-case basis for "exceptional" projects. There is no minimum for non-infrastructure projects.

    The next application window will be posted here once announced.

    The deadline to submit the mandatory Draft Application is 7/17/2023.  Applicants will discuss the draft application with their local PennDOT District and MPO/RPO before submitting the final application, which is due 9/15/2023.

    Consider a wide range of potential partners: school districts, schools, parents/caregivers, teachers, municipal government, hospitals/health clinics/public health professionals, Transportation Management Associations (TMAs), community organizations, crossing guards, bicycle groups, bike shops, walking groups, trail advocates, Vision Zero advocates, Complete Streets advocates, planners, engineers, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs), and more.

    SRTS programs are built around the Six Es of Safe Routes to School – engagement, equity, education, encouragement, engineering, and evaluation. They are important because they provide a comprehensive approach to increase physical activity and reduce injuries.  

    • Engagement: Listening to students, families, teachers, school leaders, and community organizations 
    • Equity: Ensuring initiatives benefit all demographic groups, with particular attention to ensuring safe, healthy, and fair outcomes for low-income students, students of color, students of all genders, students with disabilities, and others. 
    • Education: Teaching students that walking and bicycling are healthy, fun, and sustainable transportation choices.  
    • Encouragement: Offering events, activities, and lessons to promote walking and bicycling.  
    • Engineering: Making physical improvements to infrastructure that make walking and bicycling safer, more comfortable, and more convenient.  
    • Evaluation: Analyzing SRTS programs for equitable outcomes and potential unintended consequences to improve effectiveness.

    Justin Cambric, Transportation Alternatives Coordinator, PA Department of Transportation
    Phone:  717-705-1532
    Email: 
    jcambric@pa.gov
     
    OR

    TA Set-Aside Program Office
    Phone: 717-775-3276
    Email: RA-pdTASA@pa.gov

    Go to the SRTS page on PennDOT's website:
    https://bit.ly/PennDOTSRTS