October 6 is International Walk To School Day

(October 6, 2010) In 1997, the first U.S. International Walk to School Day (IWTSD) was held in Chicago, Illinois.  Today, 14 years later with all 50 states participating, more than 3500 events will be held.  Traditionally set for the first Wednesday in October, most localities celebrate the day with walking events, health program kick-off’s, and school assemblies highlighting the benefits of walking and biking to school.

In Maryland, IWTSD is proudly supported and promoted through our Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS).  SRTS is a federally funded grant program providing funds to local communities to make walking and biking to school safer and to encourage kids to adopt this method of traveling to and from school.  More than 65 projects in 17 counties and the city of Baltimore.  Close to 10 million dollars have been committed to these projects.  Across the country, more than 4500 schools have been part of a Safe Routes to School program.  Projects which have been funded include sidewalks, handicapped accessible ramps, pedestrian countdown signals, traffic calming, school zone law enforcement efforts, and educational programs to teach children to be safe when walking and biking.

Almost every county in Maryland will have events on Walk to School Day.  Some schools will celebrate Walk to School month, and promote healthy activities such as walking and biking throughout October. Special programs will be taking place in Baltimore City with the mayor and other elected officials making appearances – even the Mounted Police Unit will participate by walking with students at the Dallas F. Nicholas, Sr. Elementary School.  District Heights Elementary School will be combining their Walk to School activities with the dedication of their new sidewalk project completed with SRTS funding.  This is just a sampling of the IWTSD activities happening in Maryland.  More than 40 Maryland Walk to School events have registered with the National Safe Routes to School Center.  You can learn more about these specific programs and about International Walk to School Day by visiting their website - www.saferoutesinfo.org. 

See which schools in Maryland are participating in IWTSD (PDF format)

For more information on the Maryland Safe Routes to School program, you can contact Mr. Joe Pelaia, Maryland Safe Routes to School Coordinator, at the Maryland Highway Safety Office.

Trends in School Travel

Fewer children walk or bicycle to school than did so a generation ago.

• In 2001, 16 percent of students between the ages of 5 and 15 walked or bicycled to or from school. (The 2008 National Household Travel Survey, which is currently being conducted, will highlight the newest trends in school travel.)
• In 1969, 42 percent of students walked or bicycled to school.
• Less than half of students who live within a mile of school walk or bike to school even once a week.
• This is an opportunity lost. Walking or bicycling to school gives children time for physical activity and a sense of responsibility and independence; allows them to enjoy being outside; and provides them with time to socialize with their parents and friends and to get to know their neighborhoods. The entire community benefits when there is less traffic congestion and improved air quality as a result of fewer vehicles on the road.

Changes in school size and location have affected children’s ability to walk or bicycle to school.

• Over the past several decades schools have been moving out to the edges of towns where land is less expensive and more available.
•  In 1969 about 45 percent of students lived less than a mile from school. By 2001 only 25 percent of students did.
• School consolidation and more distant school locations tend to go hand in hand - bigger schools require more land.
• In addition to creating more conducive conditions for walking and biking to school, smaller, neighborhood schools have other documented benefits for students and the community. Neighborhood schools encourage civic engagement and help strengthen sense of place in communities. Students at these schools perform better academically and have higher graduation rates.
• Increasing distances between school and home can cause significant impact on a school’s transportation budget. For example, the state of Maine saw its school transportation costs increase six-fold between 1970 and 1995, despite decreases in enrollment. This increase has been attributed to school construction patterns and school locations.

Steady increases in gas prices are straining school transportation budgets across the country.

• Average cost per student transported using bus service in 1980-1981 was $466. In 2004-2005 the average costs was $737.7
• As of July, 2008 average diesel fuel prices in the U.S. were 66 percent higher than a year ago. ($4.73 dollars/gallon in 2008 vs. $2.85 dollars/gallon in 2007).
• Walking and bicycling to school can be low-cost alternatives to bus service for some children.

Perceptions about traffic can lead to even less walking or bicycling. As more children are driven, more parents become convinced that traffic conditions make it unsafe for walking or bicycling and they join the line of cars at the school.

• Travel to school accounts for 7 to 11 percent of non-commuting vehicle traffic. This figure does not include trips during which parents drop their children off on the way to work.
• Studies in some cities show that 17 to 26 percent of morning rush hour traffic can be school-related.
•  If more children walked or bicycled to school, it would reduce the number of cars near the school at pick-up and drop-off times making it safer for walkers and bicyclists and reducing traffic congestion.

It takes about five to ten minutes for children to walk a quarter of a mile or bicycle an entire mile.

• Walking or bicycling to and from school is an easy way for children to get some physical activity each day, which all children need.

Safety

Walking and bicycling need to be safe and accessible transportation options. This means creating safe environments for students of all abilities and teaching safety skills to walkers, bicyclists and drivers.

Safe walking and bicycling environments include:

• Neighborhood schools that are within walking and bicycling distance from homes
• Sidewalks or bicycle-paths that connect homes with schools
• Child-friendly opportunities to cross streets (such as the presence of adult crossing guards, raised medians or traffic and pedestrian signals)
• Slow vehicle speeds accomplished through roadway safety measures (traffic calming) and/or police enforcement where needed
• Pathways that are accessible for students of all abilities.

Vehicle speed is a key element in safety. Driving slower saves lives.

• A pedestrian hit by a car traveling 40 mph has a mere 15 percent chance of survival.
• At 30 mph, those odds increase to 45 percent.
• By contrast, a pedestrian has an 85 percent chance of survival if hit by a car moving at 20 mph.

Safety education includes working with:

• Children - to provide them with basic safety skills, such as how to choose where to walk and cross streets, obey crossing guards and be visible to drivers.
• Parents - to create awareness of the need for pedestrian and bicyclist safety education and opportunities to walk and bicycle and the importance of practicing safety skills with their children.
• Drivers - to alert all drivers to the presence of walkers and bicyclists and the need to slow down.
• Law enforcement - to enhance pedestrian and bicyclist safety with school zone enforcement.
• Local officials - to identify changes needed to improve walking and bicycling conditions around schools.

Teaching children walking and bicycling safety skills can help create lifelong traffic skills.

• Short periods of skills-based training can significantly improve child pedestrian behavior.
• Pedestrian and bicycle safety education activities should be done when all students can participate.

Physical activity

Physical activity contributes to overall health.

• Experts recommend that children get at least 60 minutes of age appropriate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.

Many kids are not getting the exercise that they need.

• As age or grade in school increases, physical activity participation drastically declines.
• Less active children are more likely to be overweight.
• Research shows that overweight children are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity in adulthood.

In 2006, over 17 percent of children aged 6 to 11 years old were overweight.

• Between 1976 and 2004 the percentage of overweight children aged 6 to 11 years old almost tripled.
• The most recent nationwide health survey indicates that within the past few years the upward trends in childhood obesity may be leveling off. Data from the 2007-2008 survey will help to better understand the most recent trends in childhood obesity.
• Children with disabilities are at a higher risk for sedentary behavior and can therefore benefit greatly from SRTS programs.

Walking and bicycling to school offers an opportunity for children to get physical activity as part of their daily routine.

• The U.S. public health initiative Healthy People 2010 recognizes walking and bicycling to school as opportunities to increase physical activity among children.
• Walking and bicycling to school is associated with higher levels of physical activity throughout the day and greater physical fitness.

Potential benefits of physical activity for youth include:

• Weight and blood pressure control
• Bone, muscle, and joint health and maintenance
• Reduction in the risk of diabetes.
•  Improved psychological welfare

Physical activity is associated with improved academic performance in children and adolescents.

Environment and air quality

Private vehicle emissions contribute to air pollution and global climate change, both of which threaten human and environmental health.

• Passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles, and SUVs together account for 62 percent of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. The transportation sector is responsible for one third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the US.

Air pollutants can be especially harmful to children because their respiratory systems are still developing.

• Air pollution has negative effects on lung development in children and can reduce lung function, increase respiratory infection, and aggravate asthma symptoms.
• Childhood asthma rates more than doubled from 1980 to the mid-1990s and they remain at historically high rates today. Presently, asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic childhood diseases and is a major cause of childhood disability.
• At least 14 million school days are missed annually due to asthma.

Walking and biking to school provide opportunities for children and families to reduce their carbon usage and contribute to the health of the environment.

• If a family chooses to walk to school (rather than drive a personal vehicle) they can reduce their carbon use by .164 metric tons annually.  If half of the students at an average size elementary school choose to walk to school their impact could be a savings of over 39 tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year.  This is the equivalent of the carbon-removing abilities of 1000 trees.
• Leaving the car at home just two days a week will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,600 pounds per year.

Schools placed in neighborhoods near residential areas with a good street and sidewalk network have more students arriving by bicycle and on foot. Air quality is measurably better at such locations.

Exposure to nature and time for free outdoor play can have multiple health benefits including stress reduction, relief of ADHD symptoms in children, and increased cognitive and motor functioning.

The daily walk to school offers children an opportunity to spend time in the natural environment.  When appropriate and safe, walking and biking to school is an experience that can help children develop a sense of independence that is important for development.

About Safe Routes to School

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are sustained efforts by parents, other community members, community leaders and local, state, and federal governments to enable and encourage children to safely walk or bicycle to school.

• In July 2005, Congress passed federal legislation that established a national Safe Routes to School program. The program dedicates a total of $612 million towards SRTS from 2005 to 2009.
• In May 2006, the National Center for Safe Routes to School was established to assist communities in enabling and encouraging children of all abilities to safely walk and bicycle to school. The National Center for Safe Routes to School is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.
• Many communities launch SRTS programs as a result of Walk to School events.
• More than 50% of schools that hold registered Walk to School events conduct walking and/or bicycling promotional activities throughout the year.

Making Walking to Maryland Schools Safer

• The State of Maryland is a new participant in the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, in which federal funding is awarded by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration on an annual basis.

• The SRTS program:
• brings together parents and school administrators and teachers, along with other community groups and agencies, to improve the safety of children who walk or bicycle to school;
• enables and encourages children in grades K-8, including those with physical limitations, to walk and bicycle to school;
• makes walking and bicycling to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from a very early age; and
• facilitates projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of elementary and middle schools.

• Funds can be used for engineering improvements, such as upgrades to crosswalks, traffic signals and signage around schools, as well as for educational and enforcement efforts.

• Grants are distributed to state, local and regional agencies, as well as non-profit organizations.

• Approximately $5.8 million in grants have been awarded to 20 jurisdictions around the State.

Why Safe Routes to School?

• As traffic volumes have increased, parents have felt less comfortable letting their children walk or ride bicycles to school.

• According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 85 percent of children’s trips to school are made by car or school bus; only 13 percent of school trips are made by walking or bicycling.

• The increase in car trips to schools has added to growing traffic congestion, which creates gridlock near school drop-off and pick-up lines; other drivers stuck in these traffic jams become impatient, even angry, which fuels aggressive driving.

• Walking to school helps children feel more connected to their community and increases their confidence that school is a safe place for learning.

• Teachers report that students who walk and bike to school arrive more alert and ready to work.

• On average, 100 people die each year in pedestrian-related incidents.  In 2006, more than 690 pedestrians younger than 16 were struck by motor vehicles in Maryland. 

Participating Jurisdictions and Proposed Improvements - FY 2010

•  The Local Management Board of Allegany County will be receiving $256,900 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, law enforcement overtime for school zone speeding and pedestrian right-of-way enforcement at numerous schools within the county, and infrastructure improvements at Bel Air Elementary school.
  
  
• The Baltimore City Department of Transportation will be receiving $335,900 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, and infrastructure improvements including school zone signage, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals at numerous elementary and middle schools throughout the city.
  
  
• The Dorchester County Health Department will be receiving $156,100 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, law enforcement overtime for school zone speeding and pedestrian right-of-way enforcement, and infrastructure improvements including school zone signage, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals at numerous elementary schools throughout the county.
  
  
• Frederick County Public Schools will be receiving $180,000 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, implement the "Walking" School Bus program, and infrastructure improvements including sidewalks, crosswalk marking, pedestrian signals, and bike racks at numerous elementary schools throughout the county.
  
  
• The City of Aberdeen will be receiving $10,700 to fund the "Encouragement" program, and infrastructure improvements including pedestrian signals and crosswalk markings at Bakersfield Elementary and Aberdeen Middle schools.
  
  
• The Harford County Sheriff's Office will be receiving $57,700 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, and infrastructure improvements including sidewalks, raised crosswalks, and pedestrian signals at Joppatowne and Edgewood Elementary schools.
  
  
• The Montgomery County Office of the County Executive will be receiving $63,700 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, and law enforcement overtime for school zone speeding and pedestrian right-of-way enforcement throughout the county.
  
  
• The City of Rockville will be receiving $143,000 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, law enforcement overtime for school zone speeding and pedestrian right-of-way enforcement,  the "Encouragement" program at numerous elementary schools throughout the city, and infrastructure improvements at Meadow Hall Elementary School.
  
  
• The City of Takoma Park will be receiving $47,200 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, law enforcement overtime for school zone speeding and pedestrian right-of-way enforcement, sidewalk infrastructure improvements at numerous elementary and middle schools throughout the city, and an annual Safe Routes To School 5k walk/run.
  
  
• The City of Kensington and Chevy Chase View will be receiving $101,300 to fund sidewalk infrastructure improvements, and the "Encouragement" program at three elementary/middle schools within the city.
  
  
• The City of College Park will be receiving $124,500 to fund sidewalk infrastructure improvements and crosswalk markings at Hollywood Elementary school.
  
  
• The City of Greenbelt will be receiving $136,800 to fund infrastructure improvements including median and curb extensions and crosswalk markings, and the "Encouragement" program at Springhill Lake Elementary school.
  
  
• The Washington County Health Department will be receiving $112,700 to fund infrastructure improvements including sidewalks and bike racks at Pangborn Elementary School, and enforcement overtime for school zone speeding and pedestrian right-of-way enforcement at numerous elementary and middle schools throughout the county.
  
  
• The Worcester County Health Department will be receiving $63,800 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, law enforcement overtime for school zone speeding and pedestrian right-of-way enforcement, and infrastructure improvements including sidewalks, bike racks and pedestrian signals at Ocean City Elementary school.
  
  
• The Washington Area Bicyclist Association will be receiving $73,500 to fund bicycle and pedestrian education programs, a "Train the Trainer" program, and development and approvals of pedestrian and bicycle curriculum in area school systems.
  

For more information about the Safe Routes to School Program, please contact Safe Routes to School Program Manager Joe Pelaia at 410-787-7620 or 1-800-323-6742