Credit: richard winchell

Today people feel more comfortable behind the wheel of a car, a van, maybe even a large sport utility vehicle. For many people what they find comfortable is what they teach to their children. These patterns that are passed to the next generation have a negative impact on not only their health but also the health of our planet.

Consider the following example:

• In 1969, about 50% of all students walked or bicycled to school
• In 2008, about 15% of all students walked or bicycled to school

How do we account for the remaining 85%? The remaining 85% of children get to school in the following ways:

• 25% of all students take the school bus
• 60% of all students arrive at school in private automobiles

For most parents the safety of their children is their primary concern. They would rather guarantee the safety of their children by driving them to school instead of letting them walk or bicycle. When safety is the primate concern, the potential exercise their child could have and the amount of CO2 emissions they could reduce simply aren't deciding factors.

What may come as a surprise to many parents is that the Federal Highway Administration has a program designed to specifically address these safety concerns, it's called Safe Routes to Schools.

Credit: madmetal

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), "This decline in walking and bicycling has had an adverse effect on traffic congestion and air quality around schools, as well as pedestrian and bicycle safety. In addition, a growing body of evidence has shown that children who lead sedentary lifestyles are at risk for a variety of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Safety issues are a big concern for parents, who consistently cite traffic danger as a reason why their children are unable to bicycle or walk to school."

The Safe Routes to Schools or SRTS Program started in August 2005 is a Federal-Aid program of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). According to the FHWA, the goal of the program is to enable:

• To both enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school
• 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
• 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 (approximately 2 miles) of primary and middle schools (Grades K-8).

Under the SRTS Program, each state bears responsibility for its own program. You can find more information on your local Safe Routes to Schools program at:

• http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/contacts/index.cfm

• http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/getting_started/

The Safe Routes to Schools program works. According to Laura Kelley, the new Project Coordinators for the Safe Routes to Schools program in Fairfax, California, she has "observed a significant increase in bikers/walkers in Fairfax, and a decrease in motor traffic, as the Safe Routes program has grown."

Think back to your childhood, can you remember a time when walking and bicycling was part of your everyday life? Isn't that something you'd like to share with your children? The Safe Routes to Schools program let's you do just that and best of all you are promoting the health of your children and the health of the planet with one simple action.

Labels: article, bicycle, bike, biking, earth, exercise, pollution, safe route, safe routes, safe routes to school, safety, srts, walk, walking

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