Summary of Wyandotte County Safe Routes to School Program

Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS

Contact Information

Organization: Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS
Contact person: Sara Shafer
Title: Senior Engineer
Phone: (913) 573-5400
E-mail: sshafer@wycokck.org
Organization address: 701 N 7th St
  Kansas City, KS    66101


Pre-Application Information

PA Project title/name: Wyandotte County Safe Routes to School Program
PA Agency type: Unified Government
PA Agency Name: Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, KS
PA Primary project mode: Bike/Pedestrian
PA Secondary project mode: --Select--
PA Project type: Non-Motorized Transportation - SRTS Non-Infrastructure
PA Project description: This project continues existing Safe Routes to School non-infrastructure funding currently being provided by BikeWalkKC and planned to transition to Unified Government in Federal Fiscal Year 2021. It includes Youth Bicycle Education and walking school bus programs at K-12 school sites, technical assistance and student travel planning for schools and school districts, and other outreach and encouragement events. This level of funding represents a continuation of the current scope occurring across the county (approximately 10-15 schools per semester and 2-3 school districts per semester).
PA Connected KC 2050 Project Number: Yes
PA Connected KC 2050 underlying strategies selected
PA Strategies Description: The program focuses on schools in the urban core and first ring suburbs, where many school sites are still in or near neighborhood centers of activity and established corridors. Reducing VMT from car traffic is critical to draw down what is now our region’s number one source of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also important for improving the air quality around schools, which can become emission hot spots due to idling vehicles during pick-up and drop-off times. This program already has data to show it results in sustained behavior change among participating students, including research by Children’s Mercy Hospital that shows kids are more active after having completed the program. Previous SRTS from BikeWalkKC have successfully leveraged federal funds from previous rounds of TA and CMAQ to attract philanthropic funding to our transportation safety programs, especially to support work in Environmental Justice tracts. SRTS programs support several strategies to maximize the benefits for the most people when investing limited transportation resources: Support the efficient movement of people, goods and services Increase mobility and accessibility for all users of the system Improve equity Foster safe travel Reduce pollutants
PA Complete Streets Description: N/A
PA Safety: The program primarily focuses on the special user categories of bicyclists, pedestrians, and young drivers identified in the Blueprint. Safe behavior for bicyclists and pedestrians is the primary focus. Younger drivers are a secondary focus as we believe kids who learn bike/ped safety in their youth go on to be safer drivers. Additionally, the technical assistance we provide to schools helps inform and prioritize their requests to municipalities for infrastructure improvements like sidewalks, crosswalks, etc.
PA Air Quality: From the plan: “For many residents, driving a personal vehicle is the daily activity that contributes the most to air pollution. Reducing the number of cars on the road reduces vehicle emissions, which have a large impact on ozone formation.” SRTS programs provide education and encouragement for youth to foster lifelong habits of biking and walking. By learning safety tips and skills, today’s students can become tomorrow’s multimodal transportation users: accomplishing short trips on bike or on-foot, and combining bike/ped trips with transit options (bike-on-bus/streetcar) for longer trips.
PA Conservation: N/A
PA Environment: Reducing the number of private automobile and school bus trips reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality.
PA Funding
CMAQ
STP/STBG
TAP/STP Set Aside
PA Travel Lane: False
PA Congestion Management Measures Selected:
Access Management:
Active Transportation
Highway
Land Use
Parking
Regulatory>
TDM
Transit
Transportation Operations and Management
PA CMT Description: Education campaigns to reduce trips will reduce the number of cars dropping off and picking up kids at schools.
PA SOV Capacity:
PA Pre-application Statement: No changes made
PA Pre-application Statement Text:
PA Pre-Application Staff Alignment: Aligned
PA Pre-Aplication Policy Concerns:

General Information

G1. TIP Number: 259208
G2. State: Kansas
G3. Multiple agencies / jurisdictions? No
G4 Project contact: Troy Shaw, City Engineer, tshaw@wycokck.org
G5 Purpose and need: Safe Routes to School education/encouragement programs will reduce schools reliance on bussing and families reliance on private vehicle trips to/from school. In the long run, kids who grow up walking and biking to school will be more likely to live multimodal lives using walking, biking, transit, etc. This project continues existing Safe Routes to School non-infrastructure programs currently being provided by BikeWalkKC and in partnership with other jurisdictions. It includes Youth Bicycle Education and Walking School Bus programs at K-12 school sites, technical assistance and student travel planning for schools and school districts, and other outreach and encouragement events. The primary audience is K-12 school students, teachers, school administrators. The program is available throughout Wyandotte County, much of which is an EJ tract.
 
G6. Origin and ending
  Route:
  From:
  To:
  Length (Miles):



G7 Functional Classification: Not Applicable
G8 Connected KC 2050 Decade? --Select--
G9 Muli-Agency Plan? No
G10 Included in a CIP? No
G11 Planning stage:
G12 Reviewed by state DOT? --Select--
G13 Right-of-Way acquisition: All acquired or none needed
G14 ROW by local public agency process manual? No
G15 Other unique local goals and objectives? No
G16 Transportation Disadvantaged Population: This program prioritizes schools in the urban core, MARCs First Suburbs group, and other Environmental Justice tracts. Census data shows that households in these areas are more likely than the rest of the region to have no access to vehicles, be dependent on transit, etc. Many census tracts served by this program have 50% or more households without access to a vehicle.
G17 Relevant Public Engagement: Initial and ongoing public engagement focuses on the students served by the program and the teachers and school personnel in partner schools. Secondary stakeholders include parents of participating students and community-based organizations. Tools utilized include direct conversation with teachers and students, parent surveys, and direct conversations with community stakeholders like neighborhood associations, Childrens Mercy Hospital, KC Healthy Kids, LINC, LISC, and others. Disadvantaged populations are the primary target of engagement and are included in all engagement strategies. Feedback from program participants and stakeholders have informed much of the program evolution over time with expansion to younger grade levels, high school youth development programs, and Earn-a-Bike programs for students that do not have bikes at home.
G18 Planned Public Engagement: Initial and ongoing public engagement focuses on the students served by the program and the teachers and school personnel in partner schools. Secondary stakeholders include parents of participating students and community-based organizations. Tools utilized include direct conversation with teachers and students, parent surveys, and direct conversations with community stakeholders like neighborhood associations, Childrens Mercy Hospital, KC Healthy Kids, LINC, LISC, and others. Disadvantaged populations are the primary target of engagement and are included in all engagement strategies. Feedback from program participants and stakeholders have informed much of the program evolution over time with expansion to younger grade levels, high school youth development programs, and Earn-a-Bike programs for students that do not have bikes at home.
G19 Sustainable Places Criteria: Access to Healthy Foods---Active Transportation/Living-------Compact, Walkable Centers--- Complete Street Design---Connected Street Network----------- ------------Integrated Trail System--- Mixed-Density Neighborhoods-------Optimize Parking---Pedestrian-Oriented Public Realm--- ---------------- ------
G19.1 Describe PSP relationship: As the program operates in communities we learn lessons, gather data, identify challenges, surface opportunities, and build partnerships that support or contribute to work in these sustainable places. Examples include identifying gaps in sidewalks or complete street networks, increasing pedestrian activity in walkable centers and mixed-density neighborhoods, helping schools optimize parking on-site and in adjacent neighborhoods, increasing utilization of trails for walking programs, and partnering with food access resources like KC Healthy Kids.
G20 Implements Sustainable Places Initiatives? No
G21 Serves Regional Activity Center? Yes
High-Intensity and More_Walkable Centers It serves several activity centers, including Downtown KCK, Rosedale, and others.
G22 Environmental justice tracts? Yes
The majority of schools served in this program are located in Environmental Justice Tracts. Getting more kids walking and biking to school reduces the transportation burden on families with limited access to vehicles or high dependence on transit.
G23 Reduces greenhouse gas emissions? Yes
Getting more kids walking and biking to school reduces the number of car trips by parents, the number of school buses needed, and reduces idling around schools.
G24 Natural Resource information:
G25 Community Links at Watershaed Scale:
G26 Explain local land use or comprehensive plans: This project works closely with the KCK sidewalk master plan to link education and outreach programming with investments in new sidewalk construction.
 

Project Financial Information

STP Federal amount: 150000 
STP Match amount: 87500 
STP Year requested: 2023
TAP Federal amount: 150000 
TAP Match amount: 87500 
TAP Year requested: 2023
Source of Local Match: NOTE: We are requesting funds to be split between both program years. Source of local match is local budget appropriation.
 
Explain:
 
Scope Change: The project can be scaled to by serving fewer schools and fewer students.
 
Cost by area:
Engineering: 0
Equipment Purchase: 30500
Right-of-Way: 0
Other: 0
Utility Adjustment/Relocation: 0
Program Implementation/Construction (including Construction Engineering/Inspection): 157000
Contingency: 0
Total Estimated Project Cost: 187500
 
Cost Breakdown by mode:
Highway:   %
Transit:   %
Bike: 50  %
Pedestrian: 50  %
Other:   %

Supporting Documents

Submitted (Public) comments

Matthew Kleinmann said...

I have personally worked with BikeWalkKC and helped them introduce their educational programming with YouthBuild KCK Trainees, where their programs have a huge impact on pedestrian access and education. However, not all of the roads and sidewalks within the community are safe to walk or ride a bike on: a school crossing guard was killed in February, 2020 while protecting two children. In interviews Ive conducted with school aged children and neighborhood leaders, there is a major desire to increase the walkability to and from schools, especially in disinvested neighborhoods in Kansas City, Kansas. I would also encourage the program team to partner with groups like Groundwork NRG and the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County, who are currently conducting sidewalk audits with schools in neighborhood-led workshops in and around NE KCK. These joint efforts - community engagement, education, and evaluation - can play a major role in helping to make our neighborhoods safe for all children. I would highly encourage that this program be supported. Thank you for your consideration.

9/25/2020 1:23:17 PM



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