Safe Routes to School Coordinator Selected

From the Wisconsin Department of Transportation:

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is pleased to announce Wisconsin's new Safe Routes to School Program Manager, Renee Callaway. Renee comes to WisDOT with a wide range of experience, most recently in her role as Transportation Demand Management (TDM) supervisor and program manager for UW-Madison. She has a proven track record working with people to develop, implement and evaluate innovative programs, and is a highly skilled problem solver. Renee has a B.A. in Journalism and a M.S. in Continuing and Vocational Education, both from UW-Madison.

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was created in SAFETEA-LU, and provides a combination of infrastructure and non-infrastructure opportunities to substantially improve the ability of primary and middle school students (Grades K-8) to walk and bicycle to school safely. The purposes of the program are:
1. to enable and encourage children, including those with
disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;
2. to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more
appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and
3. to 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 (within 2 miles) of primary & middle schools (Grades K-8).

Renee begins her full time duties July 5th and joins Joe Matar who has been doing some preliminary work on Safe Routes to School. Renee will be working closely with several people in DOT with bicycle and pedestrian responsibilities including Larry Corsi (the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program Manager), John Duffe (the Transportation Enhancement and CMAQ
manager) and me. Our webpage for SRTS is http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/localgov/aid/saferoutes.htm