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Entries tagged: Active Transportation

Is your organization working on a program to increase biking and walking and need some expertise to gauge its impact on community health? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking for active transportation initiatives that address obesity but haven’t undergone rigorous assessment of effectiveness. Selected programs will receive a comprehensive evaluation and could be featured by the CDC.

“Active Transportation Initiatives,” the CDC outlines, “encourage active transport (e.g. walking, bicycling) by promoting a supportive infrastructure for leisure or commute activities in multiple settings. They may be accomplished by expanding, subsidizing, educating, promoting or increasing the availability and access to walking or bicycling.”

To be eligible, your program must 1) be suitable for implementation and replication in similar settings or populations, 2) have been implemented for at least six months and 3) need additional evaluation. To nominate your initiative, fill out this online survey before Friday, January 21. Promising programs will be considered for an Evaluability Assessment, which includes a site visit and could, at the very least, provide ideas for program improvement.

Questions? Contact Kari Cruz at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or (404) 321-3211.

Thanks to Deb Hubsmith, at the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, for forwarding along this information!

Representative Earl Blumenauer(OR) just introduced the Active Community Transportation Act, H.R.4722, on March 2nd 2010. This groundbreaking bill creates a competitive grant program with $2 Billion to help communities build bicycling and walking networks. For the first time, communities would be able to compete for multi-year funding to build active transportation systems, just as they do for transit and road infrastructure.

“Too often we take for granted the value of being able to bike and walk to work,” said Blumenauer. “It’s unfortunate that many communities don’t have the infrastructure in place to make active and healthy forms of transportation more accessible. The ACT transportation grants will make it easier for people to get out of their vehicles and onto sidewalks or bikes, boosting both heart rates and community vitality.”

In conjunction with the National Bike Summit the Alliance is asking that you call your representative next Thursday, March 11th at the same time that over 700 Summit participants will have in-person meetings in congressional offices for a Virtual Lobby Day. For all the details, visit the Alliance action center.