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Do-It-Yourself Guide: Start Walking A School
Bus
By Lorna Collier
(Public Access Journalism) Far from the days when kids
strolled to school on tree-lined sidewalks through “Leave It to
Beaver” neighborhoods miraculously bereft of crime, only 10 percent
nationwide now regularly make the trek on foot. Even among those
students who live within a mile of their schools, only 25 percent are
regular walkers.
While school liability, safety and sheer distance make “walkers” a
rarity, for those who live reasonably close to their schools, the
Walking School Bus offers a way to revive a healthy habit.
The program, which originated in the United Kingdom, teams a small
group of students — usually neighbors — with one or more adult
volunteers for the daily walk. One adult is at the “bus” head, another
brings up the rear and stops are made for children along the route.
“It’s an idea in this country that is just taking shape,” says
Christian Valiulis, associate director of the Pedestrian and Bicycle
Information Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. “You see it in its most
evolved form by looking at it in other countries — England, New
Zealand, Australia and Canada — where you have the kids in fluorescent
vests. It’s phenomenal.”
Only a handful of U.S. communities — Chicago being the first and
largest— are testing the concept, Valiulis says, usually as part of
the Safe Routes to School program funded by the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
Last year, an Indiana, Pa., school district began the walk with nearly
60 kids who make a daily trek of 15 minutes one way. The district
offers the “bus” service only to kids who live within one mile of
school, too close a distance to qualify for the real bus.
Even this year’s harsh and snowy Pennsylvania winter hasn’t slowed
down the bus. “We do this every day, rain or shine, snow or whatever,”
says Leann Chaney, a grant development specialist and a volunteer
walker.
Other adult walkers include a 77-year-old with the Retired Senior
Volunteer Program, as well as other adults who make up a cross-section
of the community, which Chaney says has had the added benefit of
bringing neighbors closer.
For those who would like to test-drive the idea, try it out on Oct. 8,
International Walk to School Day. Or to rev up the engines on your
own, here’s how to get started:
— First, find a few families who live close to each other and ask them
to experiment with a Walking School Bus. Remember to start small; try
one “bus” for a few weeks and see how it goes.
— If all goes well, provide the school with a survey to gauge
community interest in joining up. (A sample survey can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk/resources.htm)
— Display street maps at your school or send them home with students.
Ask interested adults to volunteer by signing their names next to
where they live on the map.
— Sort the responses into potential routes, linking clusters of nearby
households.
— Map out routes for the group.
— Organize a meeting with the group to set up the “driver” roster and
pick a coordinator for each bus.
— Get parental consent for each student “riding” the bus.
— Organize a meeting with school administration, interested teachers,
police and volunteers to explain and discuss potential problems. It
may take several meetings to sort out routes, schedules and volunteer
“drivers.”
— Once buses get into the routine, members can even identify and
report problem intersections along the route. More details are
provided in a walkability checklist, available at
http://www.walkinginfo.org/walkingchecklist.htm.
For more information:
— Walking School Bus:
http://www.walkingschoolbus.org
— Walk to School Day (Oct. 8):
http://www.walktoschool.org
— Kids Walk-to-School Guide:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk
—Safe Routes to School: National Summary:
www.transact.org/Reports/sr2002
Lorna Collier is a freelance writer who reports regularly on health
and family issues for the Chicago Tribune’s health and family section.
(c) 2003, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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