Moms Talk: Walking And Biking To School

Moms Talk is part of a Vienna Patch initiative to reach out to moms, parents and families in Vienna.

Grab a cup of coffee and settle in as we start the conversation today about something that's been in the news this week: walking and biking to school

From the Dad on Moms Council, Jeff Anderson:

How many times have you heard “I walked to school five miles, uphill both ways when I was a kid," or even said it yourself? 

I have. I lived across the street from my elementary school.  Today less than 15 percent of children walk or bike to school, down from 50 percent in 1969 (when 87 percent of children living within one mile of school did).  The question begging to be asked is “Why?”  

There are lots of reasons:  growth causing longer distances to schools, dual income parents needing to get to work, safety concerns such as increased traffic along walking routes or stranger danger, lack of sidewalks and weather.  

Nationally the Safe Routes to School Partnership (SRTS) was created to address this issue.  Its mission is to advocate for safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.  In 2005, Congress authorized over $620 million as part of the Federal Transportation Act to address this issue, adding another $183 million in 2010.  Monies were set aside to help fix infrastructure such as sidewalks as well as to deliver programs to educate and encourage walking to school. 

The Commonwealth of Virginia has received more than $14 million in funding, with many counties, cities and towns dipping into this pool.   Unfortunately to date, Fairfax County and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) have not applied for any significant funding. (Trails for Youth have received $10,000 for education activities at Lynbrook Elementary School).  Things may be changing as some SRTS parent champions have teamed up with advocates from Fairfax Advocates For Better Bicycling and Washington Area Bicyclist Association to help start  

This isn’t just a local issue. It is as much national as it is local.

Most people agree on the many benefits of walking and biking to school, but for many children today, their lives are structured around scheduled activities.  Sports practice occurs many times a week, play dates are scheduled and homework in elementary school can be daunting. So when can one find time to walk or bike to school?  

Assuming the average child has to walk one mile or so to/from school (based on whether a child in FCPS is considered a walker or bus rider), that should take less than 20 minutes (40 minutes extra exercise a day if walking – less if bike riding). One might argue that the number of kids who drive to school instead of walk or bike is yet another tree in the forest of why childhood obesity is on the rise. 

But the point here isn’t to address child obesity and how we raise our children but instead how we can instill in them some basic core values and education that will serve them over their lifetime.  Children are already educated on green issues like recycling and thus can easily relate to how walking fits into green education. But because they don’t walk or bike as much they are often lacking in basic safety principles of being a pedestrian.  For sure parents drill them on ‘Look both ways before crossing” but practice makes perfect and walking five times a week really helps drive home that message, in the same way that saying "do your math tables" helps children learn multiplication. 

Children love walking and biking to school.  They discover things along the way. They spend free time with their siblings or friends.  They spend quality time with their parents or grandparents.  A child on a bike is freedom and independence.   

But  how can a family fit time in to simply walk to school when they have to get out the door in short order, because the kids needed their sleep from being so busy or two parents have to get to work?   A back of the envelope count was done at two Vienna-based elementary schools and it’s estimated that over 125 cars a day drive over 150 kids to school – which means approximately 30 percent of the school population arrives at school by car. 

That is pretty significant considering that FCPS requires students within certain distances to walk unless there are unusual hazards. The system provides a seat on a bus for all other students. It also indicates that buses are less utilized and there is extra traffic congestion around the schools during commuting hours (25+ percent of traffic is attributed to parents) which contributes to another troubling statistic: 50 percent of children struck by cars near schools are hit by parents driving other children to school.    

But to be clear this is not just a parent issue or Kiss and Ride problem. There are many entities involved in solving this problem regardless of where in the country one lives.  It involves school departments that are responsible for busing, safety patrols and overall school safety; transportation departments that are responsible for traffic management issues; police departments that are responsible for enforcement and crossing guards; school principals who are often provided little guidance from a school system and thus must make cut and dry calls regarding walking and biking; PTAs and the SRTS advocate within who are often responsible for driving any school to apply for a grant and encouraging their neighbors to walk. 

We can’t get caught up in big solutions alone to reverse the downward trend.  We can’t feel that a school system must apply for millions of dollars before they can begin getting kids to walk to school.   Things like bike trains and walking buses can be easily organized, bike/walk week challenges can be setup between nearby schools and all schools should promote International Walk to School day which happens every October.  

So how do your children get to school?  What can be done to get kids out of cars and on a bike?  Do you know parents who can organize neighborhood walking buses?     Discuss.