Schoolhouse Walks

Municipalities try to encourage students to walk to school

Posted at 4:21 PM on 11 Sep 2007

Cities across the U.S. are turning their attention not only to green education, but to how students get to school. Forty years ago, half of all students walked or bicycled to the schoolhouse. Today, that number has dropped to 15 percent, while 60 percent of youths are toted in a car. The shift, brought on by fears of traffic hazards and stranger danger, has contributed to increases in other problems: obesity rates, traffic congestion, vehicle accidents, and air pollution around schools. In an effort to encourage students to transport themselves to school with their own two feet, many municipalities are seeking funding for more sidewalks, safer bike lanes, and other pedestrian-friendly measures, while parents are organizing walking versions of carpools. One potential downside: Groups of walking kids may be highly susceptible to homework-eating neighborhood dogs.

source: The New York Times

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Comments: (8 comments)

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This has nothing to do with anything, but...

"Daily Grist" is a much cooler name than "In the News." In fact, "In the News" sounds boring; if I wanted to read stuff "In the News," I bet the New York Times has a website.

Daily Grist is cool. If it ain't fixed, don't break it.

by Pathos at 7:31 PM on 11 Sep 2007

Daily Grist ...

... does still exist, as an email sent out each weekday. You can subscribe here. But this daily news section of our website has expanded and now has more info than is included in the email, so we changed its name. True, the name isn't exciting, but that's not reason enough to throw us over for the MSM, is it? We're still not boring! Or so we tell ourselves ...

by Lisa Hymas at 9:51 AM on 12 Sep 2007
[ Parent ]

Homework eating dogs...

"One potential downside: Groups of walking kids may be highly susceptible to homework-eating neighborhood dogs..."

Only in Grist do we find such comprehensive analysis as this. Who knows - maybe it will turn out that the environmental crisis has been engineered by gangs of kids looking for more homework excuses...!!!

Good work, guys.

Ed http://careofcreation.org

by ebrown53717 at 10:54 AM on 12 Sep 2007

Mayberry R.F.D., We're Not

Maybe the editors of Grist are a bunch of ex-Weathermen holed up in some "hamlet" in Vermont, but dogs aren't the main reason kids are shuttled to school. The ignorance and disconnectedness of the Grist writers are thoroughly transparent here.

What about predators?

Yeah, you'd happily send kids out in the street just to satisfy some post-Rousseauian fantasy, meanwhile leaving them victim to every scraggily bearded 30 year old male with a pick up truck and box of candy.

Texeme.Construct(Participant)

by jabailo at 10:02 AM on 13 Sep 2007

predators

You mean like velociraptors? Or SUVs?

Funny that anyone is worried about predators when there are more incidents related to poor driving than there are attempted abductions. And, most sexual predation happens with people the child/family already knows. (For the record, I wouldn't let John Bailo anywhere near my kids, nor would I want to see him driving.)

Granted, the nicer the neighborhood, the safer it will be. However, what better incentive do you need to crack down on crime than having kids out walking the streets? If kids are out, parents might be more watchful, neighbors might get to know each other, and drivers might be more careful. Who wants to live in a world where kids can't walk in the street?

I think that this is an excellent idea. I also think schools should create spaces outdoors where kids can eat lunch outside the cafeteria walls. Getting kids outdoors is very important today, for health and mentality - and this is a great idea!

by zacaroni at 10:53 AM on 13 Sep 2007

Humor! Funny! Exaggeration! Get it?

I have a really difficult time understanding how anyone would take "groups of walking kids may be highly susceptible to homework-eating neighborhood dogs" as a serious statement. It seems that the last sentence of a Grist article often tries to be a humorous exaggeration of a stereotype. Hmmmm...

Kids take school buses because they have to walk too far to get to school. They also take buses because the parents feel it is safer. Other parents think it is safer to bring them to school by car. Statistically speaking I believe that they are taking more risks when driving their children. In some cases I am certain that kids rather take the bus than walk even though the distance is reasonable. It is up to the parents to encourage that. And it is up to the driver to drive respectfully and realize that the road is not their's alone anymore. If schools and communities supported this thinking we would be a good step further forward in the right direction.

On the other hand, I am astonished how many times a school bus has to stop to pick up a few kids. Can't the parents teach their kids to walk to the neighbor's house and all meet in one place? Some of my local school buses have to stop three to four times within 60 yards. Every time the bus and all following vehicles stop and accelerate more pollution is caused than if they halted less frequently. Not to even talk about the aerodynamic (or any other for that matter) performance of the American school bus. This is a vehicle from the stone age, but probably cheaper to build this way. Safe though!

Karsten PolluteLessDotCom

by PolluteLessDotCom at 12:25 PM on 13 Sep 2007

Schools cutting buses to cut costs...

The district of schools that I used to attend stopped offering buses to students under 1.5 miles away from their schools. This increased driving by both students and parents. I'm betting that scenarios like this are far more common than encouraging walking to pollute less.

by Grevangelical at 4:44 PM on 13 Sep 2007

I bet you are right

...and unfortunately it results in the opposite. School costs are reduced but more pollution is created. People are so stupid and short-sighted. I guess, driving is just not expensive enough yet.

North America: Drive cars or die trying. Tssss.

by PolluteLessDotCom at 3:47 AM on 14 Sep 2007

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