“Active transportation” is walking, using a wheelchair or scooter, bicycling, roller skating or skateboarding for transportation.
Join us as we implement strategies and action items in the 2023 Active Transportation Plan and follow for the latest news.
04/25/2025
There is one week left to apply for a KDOT Safe Routes to School Planning and Programming (P&P) Grant! Applications are due by 5pm on May 2nd.
P&P grants are for communities, schools, organization, and/or individuals that need a SRTS plan. Find out more information about the grants and apply at: https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov/grants-and-funding.
04/23/2025
Are you ready for Bike to School Day? With just two weeks to go, now is the perfect time to make sure you have everything you need and to start getting your school community excited about biking to school on May 7th!
SAVE THE DATE!!
KDOT will be hosting the next Walk Bike Roll Kansas Summit October 29-30, 2025 in Lawrence, KS!
Details and registration coming soon at: https://walkbikeroll.ksdot.gov/
04/17/2025
Need activities for your Bike & Roll Day?
Download bingo cards in English and Spanish for your community and view our new Bike & Roll toolkit!
At the League of American Bicyclists, we believe that every child deserves to experience the joy, confidence, and freedom that comes with learning to ride a bike. That’s why we’re…
04/09/2025
Way to go Topeka!
Students and staff at Randolph and Robinson Middle School celebrated the result Monday, cutting the ribbon on a new crossing light.
04/08/2025
We’re at it again! Round THREE of KDOT’s Safe Routes to School Planning and Programming (P&P) grants is live!
KDOT’s Planning and Programming (P&P) Grants are for communities and schools that need a SRTS plan to help improve safety for and increase the number of students walking, biking, and rolling. The application period is currently open and goes through May 2, 2025.
Let the countdown begin: Kansas Bike to School Day is exactly one month away! Here are some things you can do now to make sure you're ready for the best day ever.
Find our event toolkit, downloadable resources, and everything else you need right here: https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov/btsd
04/03/2025
Mark your calendars to learn more about this funding opportunity!
Please share!
FREE WEBINAR
2025 SS4A Funding for Safe Routes to School
Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 · Time: 1 p.m.–2 p.m. ET · Location: Zoom
Join the Safe Routes Partnership for a rapid response webinar to help your community secure funding through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Safe Routes to School is well-positioned for success in this funding round—but with only 90 days to apply once the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is posted, now is the time to prepare. The Notice of Funding Opportunity is expected by March 30, 2025, and will be available here: https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A.
We are setting this webinar now to ensure you have the information to apply as quickly as possible.
We understand that communities may feel apprehensive to apply for federal funding in this moment, but this is a critical opportunity to make your streets safer for kids and families. There is only one window to apply this year, and as the Safe Routes to School field, we can’t afford to miss it! This webinar will walk you through the SS4A opportunity, provide clear guidance on how to craft a successful application, and give you the confidence to pursue this essential funding.
The webinar will include plenty of time for Q&A, and attendees will have the opportunity to schedule 1:1 time with Safe Routes Partnership staff to answer community-specific questions.
Don’t let uncertainty hold you back—register now and get the tools you need to bring safe, accessible streets to your community!
Want to get a jump start on the 90-day application window? Start today; don’t delay!
2. Determine which type of grant you are eligible to apply for by locating prior recipients in your community or region. Tip: make sure you check if there are regional or MPO plans that cover your community. https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/cumulative-awards
3. Register for a Unique Entity Identifier – this can take up to 30 days! https://sam.gov/
04/02/2025
Mark your calendar for a free APBP Webinar: Exploring AASHTO’s Updated Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities, 5th Edition
on May 14 at 2pm CST.
Learn more and register at: https://apbp.mclms.net/en/package/16861/course/31075/view
03/31/2025
The Kansas Department of Commerce made some exciting changes to their Community Development Block Grant program in 2025.
Read more here:
In response to recent changes, we are prioritizing the needs of Kansans by refining our approach to funding and project support. These updates aim to better support communities by streamlining funding and accelerating project timelines.
This funding supports planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
03/24/2025
It's officially spring! Celebrate the new season by registering your school for Bike to School Day, happening May 7th. Visit the Kansas Safe Routes to School website to learn more, get registered, and let the fun begin! https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov/btsd
03/21/2025
Join us on April 2nd to learn more about the upcoming Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Planning and Programming (P&P) Grant opportunity!
The P&P Grants provide technical support and resources to schools and communities to develop SRTS plans and build momentum for walking, biking, and rolling to school.
Lindsey Milburn is a Public Involvement Specialist in the Kansas Department of Transportation Division of Communications. In her role, she collaborates with KDOT staff and project management consultants to receive public input on KDOT projects, programs, and plans. This work helps ensure that information gets out to the public about road projects through the state and they are involved in the process.
Outside of work, Lindsey is involved in the Manhattan Fraternal Order of Eagles, an organization that volunteers with organizations in the Manhattan area and has donated bikes to the school district in the past. She hopes to be doing more of that type of work in the future, and is excited to make connections and learn more as part of the Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee.
We’re so excited to have Lindsey on our committee!
03/12/2025
Check out our new toolkit and register now to participate in Bike to School Day on May 7th! https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov/btsd
Communities can also order up to 50 free bike helmets from Safe Kids Kansas for the event. Please contact [email protected], KDHE Outreach Coordinator, for more information and to place your order.
03/10/2025
Leah Maugans has a master’s degree in occupational therapy, and she is passionate about plans and programs that work for all abilities and environments. She’s also a parent who has experience with her child being involved in a vehicular/pedestrian crash (he’s okay!), which further fuels her advocacy for both transportation safety and ensuring children and young people get a voice at the table.
Along with work and parenting, Leah is a Parent Leadership Training Institute Alumni, BikeWalkKC member, is involved in her children’s school PTA, and is working with BikeWalk Leawood to update the community’s 10-year-old plan.
We feel so fortunate to have Leah on the committee and look forward to continuing our work with her!
03/03/2025
The NEW Kansas Bike to School Day toolkit is available and registration is open! Join the Kansas Safe Routes to School Program and schools across the state and country as we celebrate Bike to School Day on May 7th! Learn more at: https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov/btsd
As the cherry on the bike sundae, registrants hosting a bike to school day event can order a limited supply of FREE encouragement items for their event, including bike bells, lights, and a banner. Registrants can also order an event “Utility Kit” which will include a bike pump, multi-tool, first aid kit, and safety vests! Register right away to make sure you get the goods before supplies run out.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Kansas Active Transportation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
A Fun, Healthy, Affordable Way to Connect People and Places
Imagine a future with greater choices for how you get around. Working closely with national and local experts in planning, design, and safety, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is developing the state’s first Active Transportation Plan (ATP) in 25 years. The ATP will look at the needs of people who walk, cycle, use mobility assistance devices, scoot, and more. The plan will focus on how things can be improved through better policies, planning, design, and partnerships with other state agencies and local communities.
Benefits of Active Transport
Here are just a few of the many benefits that active transportation brings to its users and the broader community:
Improved Health and Lower Healthcare Costs
Active lifestyles can make a significant positive impact on physical and mental health and reduce the overall costs of providing healthcare in Kansas. Seven of the top 10 leading causes of death in Kansas are due to chronic diseases. Walking and bicycling are basic forms of physical activity that can help address the personal and community costs of poor health outcomes that result from inactive lifestyles. The CDC recommends changing the built environment in communities to make it easier for people to walk and bicycle as a strategy to prevent chronic disease.
Reduced Pollution
Increasing active transportation in Kansas can help make the air cleaner today and reduce the impacts of human-caused climate change. Biking and walking are zero-emission transportation modes. When people use active transportation instead of driving, motor vehicle-related air pollution emissions go down, thereby reducing the harmful effects of motor vehicle pollution on the environment and human health.
Increased Quality of Life, Equity, and Economic Vitality
Active transportation helps make communities more livable. Nationally, people who agree they have places to walk to nearby also report that they are more satisfied with their quality of life. In addition, communities that invest in mobility alternatives like walking and bicycling often generate higher property values and tax revenues after making such investments.
Active transportation benefits everyone by expanding mobility choices and ensuring that local businesses can retain the workforce they depend on. In Kansas more than 69,000 households lack access to a motor vehicle. While most households with above-average incomes have a car, only half of low-income households do.
This impacts these families’ ability to access jobs, school, transit, health care and other necessities. Safe and easy opportunities to walk or bike to these essential destinations and services can reduce the burden on households with limited motor vehicle access from needing to purchase one. Providing access to active transportation can be a powerful strategy for improving upward economic mobility.
For more information, see our Info Sheet at:http://www.ksdot.org/Assets/wwwksdotorg/KansasATP/documents/Kansas-ATP_InfoSheet_FINAL.pdf
“Active transportation” is walking, using a wheelchair or scooter, bicycling, roller skating or skateboarding for transportation.
