Dr. Ruth Steiner, a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at UF, is leading the Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Program, which will provide expertise to counties within Florida to implement infrastructure improvements around schools with limited resources.

Safe Routes to School is a nationwide program that aims to make walking and biking to school safer and more accessible in communities while at the same time promoting the health and well-being of grade-school students and their families. In Florida, the program is funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Approximately $7 million dollars are allocated each year, statewide, to fund new sidewalks, cross walks, shared use trails, and infrastructure improvements to facilitate students walking and biking to school.

Dr. Ruth Steiner has extensive background in transportation planning and, in particular, in school transportation and planning. As the Safe Routes to School UF program lead, she meets every week with the UF team comprised of urban and regional planning graduate students Austen Dole and Seth Wood, and Jasper Masciocchi, training specialist at the UFTI’s Technology Transfer Center.

The UF Safe Routes to School team will conduct site visits, coordinate meetings with stakeholders in communities, provide a schedule to submit application, assist in gathering necessary engineering pieces, parent and student perspective surveys, and offer tips for submitting a successful application. To begin building your Safe Routes to School committee in your area, contact the UF Safe Routes to School team.

Interested counties in Florida, especially in rural areas, are encouraged to apply at https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Q7re78m55mG9YV.