I was not aware of the Washington Safe Routes to School program before today.
Washington’s Safe Routes to School program provides technical assistance and resources to cities, counties, schools, school districts and state agencies for improvements that get more children walking and bicycling to school safely, reduce congestion around schools, and improve air quality.
But as these things go far too often, I’m only hearing about this worthwhile program as it faces going away. Transportation for Washington are trying to save it, and they have a letter you can send to Governor Gregoire.
Right now, Governor Gregoire has a choice. She can slash funding that gives tens of thousands of children the opportunity to walk and bike to school. Or she can keep funding the state’s Safe Routes to School program that improves our children’s safety and health. The Governor must make her decision by October 1.
Yes, I know: there are so many great, so many worthy programs out there. And they’re all in trouble in the current economic climate, and bullshit way we raise revenue in this state slower than economic growth. But, this is a worthy program, and I think it deserves the fight too.
My advice, as always, when an activist group has a form letter is to make it your own. Especially the first line or two, because the intern or staffer who is getting a bunch of these has already read the letter as a form letter, and the more you just copy and paste, the less they’re inclined to read it again.
Safe Routes To School is a completely awesome program that help the state of Washington and our cities get federal funding for infrastructure projects and saves school districts (read all of us) money on their transportation budgets. Removing Safe Routes To School will cost us money, not save us money. Very, very, stupid, but Governor Gregoire has shown time and time again that she’s incapable of thinking outside the car.
SRTS is a nationwide program.
http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/