Safe Routes to School Construction Program

Safe Routes to School Construction Program. (a) Upon enactment of a federal transportation bill with a dedicated fund available to states for safe routes to schools, the Department, in cooperation with the State Board of Education and the Illinois State Police, shall establish and administer a Safe Routes to School Construction Program for the construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety and traffic-calming projects using the federal Safe Routes to Schools Program funds. (b) The Department shall make construction grants available to local governmental agencies under the Safe Routes to School Construction Program based on the results of a statewide competition that requires submission of Safe Routes to School proposals for funding and that rates those proposals on all of the following factors: (1) Demonstrated needs of the grant applicant. (2) Potential of the proposal for reducing child injuries and fatalities. (3) Potential of the proposal for encouraging increased walking and bicycling among students. (4) Identification of safety hazards. (5) Identification of current and potential walking and bicycling routes to school. (6) Consultation and support for projects by school-based associations, local traffic engineers, local elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and school officials. (7) Proximity to parks and other recreational facilities. With respect to the use of federal Safe Routes to Schools Program funds, prior to the award of a construction grant or the use of those funds for a Safe Routes to School project encompassing a highway, the Department shall consult with and obtain approval from the Illinois State Police and the highway authority with jurisdiction to ensure that the Safe Routes to School proposal is consistent with a statewide pedestrian safety statistical analysis. (c) On March 30, 2006 and each March 30th thereafter, the Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly listing and describing the projects funded under the Safe Routes to School Construction Program. (d) The Department shall study the effectiveness of the Safe Routes to School Construction Program, with particular emphasis on the Program's effectiveness in reducing traffic crashes and its contribution to improving safety and reducing the number of child injuries and fatalities in the vicinity of a Safe Routes to School project. The Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly on or before December 31, 2006 regarding the results of the study. (e) The Department, the State Board of Education, and the Illinois State Police may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section. (Source: P.A. 102-538, eff. 8-20-21; 102-982, eff. 7-1-23.)