Illinois Safe Routes to School


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Safe Routes to School Policy Information for Illinois

This page will be updated any time there is a program or policy change. These changes will also be communicated to registered users via e-mail. Please continue to check this page as you plan and implement Safe Routes in your community.

Policy Page Index

SRTS 2008 Deadlines (Updated 9-15-08)

2008 Funding Application Policy - New Guidelines!

2007 SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN DEADLINE MAY 31, 2007 at 5:00 PM

SRTS Policy Update/Clarification - Projects on Private Land

In-House Engineering and Construction

2007 GIS Mapping Requirement

2007 SRTS Deadlines


SRTS 2008 Deadlines (Updated 9-15-08) September 15, 2008 May 1, 2008: School Travel Plan available. September 29, 2008: Call for Projects (Applications) Opens. October 20, 2008 at 5:00:00 pm: Deadline to submit STP for Coordinator review & comment. October 31, 2008 at 5:00:00 pm: Deadline for STP submittal for ALL 2008 plans. You must have an approved School Travel Plan in order to access the funding application. If you do not have an approved School Travel Plan, you will not be eligible to participate in the 2008 SRTS funding cycle. December 15, 2008 at 5:00:00 pm: Call for Projects (Applications) Closes. Please note that all program documents (School Travel Plan/Application) are due at 5:00:00 pm on the day of the deadline. You will lose the ability to submit these documents at 5:00:01 pm on the day of the deadline. This time is kept according to the official US time according to the US Naval Observatory Master Clock. You can find this tool online at: http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/what.html. Please make sure that you submit your required documents with time to spare, in order to insulate yourself against any possible computer problems or system issues either on your end or ours, or just waiting too long to click the "SUBMIT" button. Once the "SUBMIT" function is disabled for the specific program document, we are unable to allow any documents to be submitted for the rest of the cycle. Top of Page

2008 Funding Application Policy - New Guidelines! July 14, 2008 New funding guidelines have been put in place for the 2008 and future funding cycles. These guidelines were determined by the Illinois SRTS Implementation Committee in conjunction with our consultant partners at the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and League of Illinois Bicyclists. We also worked with the Illinois Safe Routes to School State Network Advisory Committee and took into consideration the application processes of other states, the previous Illinois application cycle, the concerns of the National Center for Safe Routes to School, and the guidance provided by the National Center and the Federal Highways Administration. The funding guidelines are as follows: One infrastructure and one non-infrastructure application permitted per school district* (exception for Chicago Public Schools) One Infrastructure Application per school district $250,000 funding limit for total application, with up to a 3 project maximum $2,000 minimum funding per individual project Associated municipality, county, township, or park district must sponsor – school districts and non-profits may not sponsor All infrastructure projects must be within 2 miles of a public or private that houses any combination of students in grades K-8 One Non-infrastructure Application per school district $100,000 funding limit for total application, with up to a 3 project maximum $2,000 minimum funding per individual project School district, municipality, county, township, or park district or non-profit may sponsor Because all Chicago public schools fall under Chicago Public Schools’ application, we recommend that they are allowed a total of 5 applications, 3 Infrastructure and 2 Non-Infrastructure. This multiplier is based on the enrollment data provided to us from the Illinois State Board of Education, showing a total of 1.3 million public school students attending school daily statewide. The 2007 average daily attendance for K-8 schools in Cook County schools was 494,829 students, roughly five times greater than the average daily attendance of the next largest county – DuPage, with 98,703 students attending. The funding cap per application will remain the same, making Chicago Public Schools eligible for $750,000 in Infrastructure and $200,000 in Non-Infrastructure Funding. We believe that these guidelines will help us to use Illinois’ Safe Routes to School funding to address the most pressing student pedestrian and bicyclist issues in cooperation with the schools, governmental bodies and non-profit organizations of Illinois. We also believe that these guidelines will allow for a relatively large number of projects to be funded throughout the state in coming years. This approach will encourage school districts to apply for their highest priority issues, and emphasizes the importance of non-infrastructure programming. It also reinforces the important partnerships between schools, municipalities and community partners. Top of Page

2007 SCHOOL TRAVEL PLAN DEADLINE MAY 31, 2007 at 5:00 PM Thursday, May 24, 2007 This is a reminder that all school travel plans for this planning/funding cycle are due by May 31 at 5:00 pm. Plans submitted after this time will not be accepted and will not be eligible for Safe Routes funding for this cycle. Plans submitted through Monday, May 28 will either be approved or sent back to you requesting additional information. Plans that have been returned to the sponsor requesting additional information MUST be re-submitted by 5:00 pm on May 31 to be approved for this cycle. Plans submitted on Tuesday, May 29 or later will either be approved or rejected. Again, the deadline for travel plan submittal is 5:00 pm on MAY 31, 2007. {16} Top of Page

SRTS Policy Update/Clarification - Projects on Private Land Friday, April 13, 2007 There have been several questions on the funding of infrastructure projects on private or parochial school campuses. The Federal Highway Administration’s Safe Routes to School Guidance addresses the issue as follows: “For infrastructure projects, public funds must be spent on projects within the public right of way. This may include projects on private land that have public access easements. Public property includes lands that are owned by a public entity, including those lands owned by public school districts. Construction and capital improvement projects also must be located within approximately two miles of a primary or middle school (grades K – 8). Schools with grades that extend higher than grade 8, but which include grades that fall within the eligible range, are eligible to receive infrastructure improvements. For projects on private land, there must be a written legal easement or other written legally binding agreement that ensures public access to the project. There must be an easement filed of record, which specifies the minimum length of time for the agreement to maximize the public investment in the project. The minimum length of time for such easement is 20 years. The project agreement should clearly state in writing: • The purpose of the project. • The minimum timeframe (20 years) for the easement or lease. • The duties and responsibilities of the parties involved. • How the property will be used and maintained in the future. The project must remain open for general public access for the use for which the funds were intended for the timeframe specified in the easement or lease. The public access should be comparable to the nature and magnitude of the investment of public funds. Reversionary clauses may be appropriate in some instances. These clauses would assure that if the property is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was acquired, it would revert to the original owner. Top of Page

In-House Engineering and Construction Monday, April 2, 2007 Our policy has been revised to now allow in-house engineering and construction as fundable parts of SRTS infrastructure projects. Please note, though, that the SRTS program will not cover expenses incurred before your project has been approved for funding and the notice to proceed has been given. There will be no retroactive funding for costs incurred prior to the notice to proceed. We hope that this will help to better facilitate your potential infrastructure projects. If you have any questions, please contact me. Top of Page

2007 GIS Mapping Requirement Friday, March 2, 2007 As the GIS mapping portion of the School Travel Plan is currently being updated to make it more user-friendly, you will not be required to complete the GIS mapping portion of the Travel Plan for the spring 2007 planning cycle, which ends on May 31st. This means that you will be able to submit a School Travel Plan for approval without completing the GIS mapping section. Once your plan is approved, you may then move directly into the Application process. We believe that this should help to simplify your planning process, particularly in regard to the limited time-frame in place for this planning and funding cycle. Please note that, if you receive Safe Routes funding for an infrastructure project during this cycle, you will be required to complete GIS mapping (using our mapping tool) as a requirement of that funding. GIS mapping will be a requirement for all School Travel Plans created after this funding cycle, for example, plans created and submitted for the 2008 and 2009 funding cycles. Top of Page

2007 SRTS Deadlines Friday, February 16, 2007 The deadlines for Safe Routes To School travel plans and applications have been extended. The final day to turn in a School Travel Plan will be May 31, 5:00 PM. The final day to turn in an Application will be June 30, 5:00 PM. Call for Projects/Application will still open on March 1. Top of Page

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