The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of a party tour! We started in Portland, celebrated in Bend, then capped it all off with a finale in Eugene on Friday. Thank you to all of the For Every Kid Coalition members and supporters for your help in winning $125 million in the 2017 transportation package (H.B. 2017) for Safe Routes to School street safety projects over the next 10 years and beyond. This is an unprecedented investment.
So what’s next? The For Every Kid Coalition will be working to watchdog the $125 million that was dedicated to Safe Routes to School. The Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Transportation Commission will work together over the next few months to figure out how spend the funds, and we will be there every step of the way. We realize that this win is a small first step in creating safe places to walk, bike, and access transit for kids and families. We estimate that there is $1 billion worth of need for street safety improvements near schools in our region. We also know that an effective Safe Routes to School program includes education and encouragement programs that are not included in this package. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but for now, let’s celebrate how far we’ve come. See all of our photos here!
Thank you, Senator Taylor!
Cheers to the Portland crew!
Here’s to champions in Bend!
Cheers to our friends in Eugene!
We have much gratitude for Representative John Lively and Andrew Hickerson for being champions for Safe Routes to School in 2017.
