BILL REQ. #:  H-2226.2 

READ FIRST TIME 03/03/09.   

     AN ACT Relating to alternative student transportation; and adding new sections to chapter 47.04 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 47.04 RCW to read as follows:
     Concurrent with the federal safe, accountable, flexible, efficient transportation equity act of 2005, a safe routes to school program is established within the department. The purpose of the program is to:
     (1) Enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;
     (2) Make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and
     (3) Facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 47.04 RCW to read as follows:
     The department shall administer a competitive grant program for the safe routes to school program established under section 1 of this act. The following guidelines apply for the grant program:
     (1)(a) The grant application process must include questions that assess the possible eligibility of a disadvantaged school. Primary variables that may define a disadvantaged school include:
     (i) Exceeds the state median in the school's proportion of free and reduced-price meals;
     (ii) Falls below the state median in the school's student scores on the Washington assessment of student learning; or
     (iii) Past history of traffic collisions in and around the school's area.
     (b) Grants awarded to disadvantaged schools must constitute at least fifty percent of the number of grants awarded.
     (2) The department shall use grant funds to award noninfrastructure grants, which emphasize education, encouragement, and enforcement efforts, only if the grant applicant can establish that the current engineered infrastructure of the school provides adequate safe walking and biking routes within the relevant school walk boundary. Noninfrastructure grants awarded must constitute at least twenty-five percent of the amount of grants awarded.
     (3) The grant application process must include questions that assess the strength of the relationships between schools, school districts, and corresponding municipalities.
     (4) The department must attempt to make the grant application process as streamlined as possible.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 47.04 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The department shall provide information, resources, outreach, training, and program evaluation support to grantees awarded grants under the grant program described in section 2 of this act. The department shall contract with a nonprofit or a consortium of nonprofits that demonstrate an expertise in alternative transportation programs and policies, including implementation of the safe routes to school program.
     (2) The department shall coordinate evaluation methods and findings with those of the national center for safe routes to school in order to standardize program evaluation, measure Washington's progress to that of other states, and learn from safe routes to school programs across the country. Current measurement criteria from the national center for safe routes to school include:
     (a) Number of children who walk and bike to school;
     (b) Number of children bused to school;
     (c) Reduced number of car trips to and from school;
     (d) Awareness of the program; and
     (e) Parent acceptance/attitude towards biking and walking.
     (3) Additional indicators that the department may compile and report upon include:
     (a) Personal health - general levels of physical activity, body weight;
     (b) Traffic safety - vehicular crashes, number of traffic calming or other pedestrian-oriented traffic safety measures installed, number of miles of sidewalks and bike paths installed;
     (c) Environmental health - reduced congestion and pollution, emissions levels and asthma rates;
     (d) Student achievement – absenteeism, tardiness, grades, test scores; and
     (e) Community aspects - leveraged funds from other sources, parent attitudes toward yellow school bus transportation, public transit to school, and driving.