Safe Routes to School Help Kids put their Feet First

In a time when obesity statistics routinely make the evening news, we are collectively raising the first generation of kids who may face shorter life expectancies than their parents. Whether we see it in the media, hear it from environmentalists, or are told by our personal physicians, it is evident that the current environmental-health situation is dire.

But it’s not all gloom and doom in Washington state. Across our communities, from Seattle to Spokane, communities are organizing around building health into the every-day environment. Referred to as the “built environment”, these changes are beginning to take shape—starting with a program aimed at kids.

Feet First, an advocacy organization building walkable communities, and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington are leading a statewide effort to build Safe Routes to School. The goal of these programs is to increase the number of Washington children who walk or bike to school.

In America today, only one out of every eight children either walks or bikes to school. We are all living more sedentary lifestyles and childhood obesity rates reflect this trend as more and more children are driven to school.

Parents have many different reasons for driving their kids to school, but a primary concern is safety. Thus, Safe Routes to School programs organize communities around safety concerns, bringing parents, teachers and school administrators together in an effort to support a “built environment” that promotes physical activity.

Addressing both structural improvements and community building, Safe Routes to Schools programs empower individuals to make conscious decisions about their transportation choices. The implementation of such a program can be done through the idea of a “walking school bus”: One or two parents or volunteers walks a group of children to school along a pre-determined safe route. Along the way they pick up other children, and parents can even rotate the days they chaperone, much like a traditional carpool. But instead of burning fuel, these “school buses” burn calories. And with gas prices at an all time high, making the healthy choice can also impact the width of parents’ wallets.

All across Washington state, local public health departments and other organizations have begun building partnerships aimed at improving walking routes to local schools. In the Spring of 2006, the Chelan Douglas County Public Health Department collaborated with Wenatchee School District, the City of Wenatchee, and Steps to a Healthier Chelan on a Safe Routes to School project.

JoEllen Colson, School Coordinator for Steps to Healthier Chelan, led efforts to secure funding, to hire a contractor, and to promote the detailed mapping of school routes in the City of Wenatchee.

“The mapping project was timely since it coincided with the City of Wenatchee’s effort to update their comprehensive plan. Smart growth was on the mind of policy makers and planners alike,” said Colson.

Concerned with increasing obesity in Washington state and their own community, the City of Wenatchee was determined to invoke change. It was imperative to Colson and the school district that lifetime patterns of fitness be learned at elementary grade levels.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, only a third of children who live within a mile of their school actually walk or bike to get there. Integrating physical activity into children’s days by walking to and from school is one step towards improving their health, reducing car emissions and traffic, and improving the safety of our communities and neighborhoods.

Undertaking this monumental task, the City of Wenatchee hired a consultant who met with every school principal in the district and physically walked the one mile radius around each respective school. Capturing data block by block, the consultant documented the walking conditions.

The consultant’s data was collected throughout the Spring of 2006. The research led to an update mapping of the walking routes to each school, published in both English and Spanish and distributed to all of the schools in the district for the following academic year. The schools were also presented with a summary of identified deficiencies near their schools, a letter suggesting ideas for dissemination of the maps, a School Administrator’s Guide to School Walk Routes, a Student Pedestrian Safety book, and other resources.

This project not only publicized the result of the consultant’s research for the school district, but also it enabled the City of Wenatchee to prioritize its funding decisions. Wenatchee hopes to improve walking conditions where sidewalks are absent, where lighting or crosswalks are needed, and where visibility or walking barriers exist. Additionally, the city will look at school zones and whether flashing yellow beacons to indicate such a zone are present or absent.

“When students have access to accurate, safe routes, they become empowered to improve their own health, and are able to do their part to help the environment and safety of the overall community,” said Colson.

Enacting Safe Routes to School programs similar to Wenatchee’s can only help the current health and environmental issues facing our society. As Colson said, “Cities want to do the right thing, they just have a hard time finding the time to make inventories.”

Safe Routes to School programs are part of a gradual change Washington communities can make to improve health. Exchanging our cars for our own two feet can reduce our gas expenses and improve our health. On a larger scale, these programs can reduce traffic congestion, lower car emissions, and improve the safety of our communities and neighborhoods. The only thing this will cost us may be a bit more of our time. But it will be well-spent.

more resources:

www.wsdot.wa.gov/bike/Safe_Routes.htm

http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes/

www.saferoutesinfo.org

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