Thursday, May 31, 2007

Safe(r) Routes to School?

The Globe is reporting that Newton's own Rep. Kay Khan is a sponsor of a bill to create a Safe Routes to School program to take advantage of federal funds (text of bill).

But, we already have a Safe Routes to School program. I should know. I helped get Bowen school enrolled in it.

Anybody know what makes the bill's program any different from the existing program?

I have an e-mail into Rep. Khan.

Update: The TAB had a similar article yesterday. The TAB article doesn't make things any clearer. There's already a state-level program that distributes federal funds and is adminsterd by the Executive Office of Transportation. Here's a quote from the (current) Safe Routes web site:

In August 2005, the SAFETEA-LU transportation legislation allocated federal funds for statewide Safe Routes to School initiatives. As a result, states now have dedicated funds to encourage and enable students to walk and bicycle to and from school through program activities and infrastructure improvements.

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