Safe routes to school.

Existing law requires the Department of Transportation, in consultation with the California Highway Patrol, to establish and administer a "Safe Routes to School" program for construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety and traffic calming projects, and to award grants to local agencies in that regard from available federal and state funds, based on the results of a statewide competition. Existing law requires the department to rate proposals submitted by applicants using specified factors. One of the factors relates to consultation and support for projects by school-based organizations, local traffic engineers, local elected officials, law enforcement agencies, school officials, and other relevant community stakeholders. This bill would delete that factor and instead substitute a factor relating to use of a specified public participation process, with involvement by the public, schools, parents, teachers, local agencies, the business community, key professionals, and others, which process identifies community priorities, ensures those priorities are reflected in the proposal, and secures support for the proposal by relevant community stakeholders. The bill would add another factor relating to benefit of a proposal to a low-income school, as defined, and would make other related changes.