NOVEMBER 16, 2010Ben W. Murch Elementary School, in Washington, D.C., received the 2009 Oberstar SRTS Award in recognition for excellence in building community support and infrastructure for safe walking and bicycling to school.
THIS WEEKIn the 1960s and 70s, most children walked to school. By some estimates, 70 percent of children walked to school and I was one of them. However, this number has shifted dramatically with only 30 percent of children walking to school today. This is for a variety of reasons, including the lack of a safe route to school. Busy streets, lack of sidewalks, and long distances make walking to school a challenge. But the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is committed to assisting states and communities in enabling and encouraging children to walk, and even bicycle, safely to school.When my oldest child started school, I wanted him to have the same experience that I did, but I was nervous because we did not have sidewalks for our half-mile jaunt to school. Other neighborhood parents felt the same way. They wanted to walk with their kids, but felt unsafe because of the heavy commuter traffic in our neighborhood. Luckily, I discovered that the D.C. Department of Transportation was choosing 13 schools in the city to pilot a Safe Routes to School program, funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and administered by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. The Center provides grants and technical support to schools so they can start or sustain safe walking or bicycling to school programs.Working with our principal we were able to get a grant. We worked with our school community and neighbors to identify where we needed sidewalks and we got many of them. We got bike racks and we starting working with the senior centers in our neighborhood that faced the same challenges as our students did. With improved infrastructure more kids were walking and biking to school getting physical activity before they even sat in a classroom. I am very proud of what we accomplished and grateful that we won the 2009 National Oberstar award. But I am not alone. This community-based program is active all across the United States.Last month, more than 3,500 communities from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico celebrated Walk to School Month. And better yet, communities don’t need a grant to start walking school buses or rolling bike trains, any school can participate. To learn more about the Safe Routes to School Program and how your community can get involved, read Center Director Lauren Marchetti’s blog post. Creating a safe route to school might be easier than you think. Until next week,
Robin
Robin Schepper
Executive Director, Let’s Move! Initiative
FEATURED BLOG POSTS
Safe Routes to School
Posted by Lauren Marchetti, Director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School on November 16, 2010
Learn more about the Safe Routes to Schools program and the events that took place around the country during last month’s National Walk to School Month.
Many neighborhoods do not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Learn how one neighborhood in Seattle, Washington worked with their local Walgreens to make fresh produce available to the community.
Ben W. Murch Elementary School, in Washington, D.C., received the 2009 Oberstar SRTS Award in recognition for excellence in building community support and infrastructure for safe walking and bicycling to school.
