Why is a Safe Routes to School Program Important?
Although most students in the United States walked or biked to school pre-1980’s, the number of students walking or bicycling to school has sharply declined. This decline is due to a number of factors, including urban growth patterns, school siting requirements, increased traffic, and parental concerns about safety. Some of the challenges associated with this change include:
Traffic Congestion: Neighborhoods are becoming increasingly clogged by traffic. By boosting the number of children walking and bicycling, Safe Routes to School projects reduce traffic congestion. Within the span of one generation, the percentage of children walking or bicycling to school has dropped precipitously, from approximately 50% in 1969 to just 13% in 2009. While distance to school is the most commonly reported barrier to walking and bicycling, private vehicles still account for half of school trips between 1/4 and 1/2 mile—a distance easily covered on foot or bike. In 2009, American families drove 30 billion miles and made 6.5 billion vehicle trips to take their children to and from schools, representing 10-14 percent of traffic on the road during the morning commute. Safety: Safe Routes to School projects focus on infrastructure improvements, student traffic education, and driver enforcement that improve safety for children, many of whom already walk or bicycle in generally unsafe conditions. Pedestrians are more than twice as likely to be struck by a vehicle in locations without sidewalks. A safety analysis by the California Department of Transportation estimated that the safety benefit of SRTS was up to a 49 percent decrease in the childhood bicycle and pedestrian collision rates. Health and Obesity: Children today are simply not getting enough physical activity, contributing to growing rates of obesity and obesity-related health problems, such as diabetes. Safe Routes to School projects make it safer for more children to walk and bicycle to school, which will help address this obesity crisis among children by creating increases in physical activity. Walking one mile to and from school each day is two-thirds of the recommended sixty minutes of physical activity a day. Plus, children who walk to school have higher levels of physical activity throughout the day. Environment: Safe Routes to School projects increase the number of children walking and bicycling to school, which also cuts down on the number of cars. As cars emit pollutants for each mile traveled, reducing traffic can improve the quality of air that children breathe in and around their schools. Bus Transportation Costs: Schools often make cutbacks in bus routes to save money—meaning that more children will be walking and bicycling in potentially unsafe conditions, or more parents will drive their children, which increases traffic congestion and air quality concerns. |
Communities Benefit from Safe Routes to School Programs
Benefits of Walking and Bicycling to School Active kids are healthy kids, and walking or bicycling to school is an easy way to make sure that children get daily physical activity. Benefits to children include:
Kids benefit:
Neighborhoods benefit:
Schools benefit:
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