Biking and Walking to School

Biking/walking to school is a great American past-time, which has become increasing less prevalent in the last 40 years. Schools are located farther from neighborhoods, schedules and lifestyles have changed, and parents are worried about safety issues. However, the benefits of walking or biking to school are great - increased health and fitness, quality time spent between children and parents, and setting healthy behavior patterns for today's youth are just a few.

Many adults remember their childhood travels to school with euphoric nostalgia - considering the freedom of biking home with friends, or the quality time spent walking to school with parents. Most people would love to walk or bike to school with their children, and many children would love the opportunity to do the same. There are lots of opportunities to help improve the pedestrian environment around schools and organize events to increase safety and confidence, so that children and parents feel comfortable biking and walking to school.

If you would like to learn more, take a look at the following resources and work with your principal and PTA to get started!

International Walk to School Day

Each October, millions of children, parents, teachers and community leaders across the globe walk to school to celebrate International Walk to School Day. It is an energizing event, reminding parents and children alike of the simple joy of walking to school. It also serves as an opportunity to focus on the importance of physical activity, safety, air quality and walkable communities. Walk to School activities often become a catalyst for on-going efforts to increase safe walking and bicycling all of the time.

Steps to Get Started:

1) Get Partners - work with the principal, public officials, PTA volunteers, police and other local organizations like the Durham SAFE Kids Coalition to form a partnership.

2) Create a Plan - plan a great event that works for your school. If walking to school from home is too far, plan to meet up at a central location and walk a mile to school; if many parents are unable to attend the event, plan to use a "walking school bus" model. For ideas, visit the National Walk to School website.

3) Register Your Event - make your event known by registering here.

4) Promote Your Event - contact parents and staff to inform them of the event and encourage their participation. Work through existing channels, such as school newsletters, morning news, etc. Also, contact the local media to gain wider attention to the purpose of the event and issues that children and parents face when it comes to biking and walking to school.

Now, you're ready to go! For other great ideas and resources (like stickers), visit the California Walk to School website.

NC Safe Routes to School Program

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is a new funding program that is 100% federally funded, as opposed to most federally-funded programs which are 80% funded. This does not permit a local match, primarily to ensure that equal weight is given to communities with limited resources.

Funding is allocated over a three-year period. The minimum that will be allocated per state is $1 million per year. On average, North Carolina is about 22% higher than the National average. The following chart displays the current three-year allocation schedule:

ALL federal funding must go through the local Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP), also known as the TIP/STIP process. However, these projects can be bundled as infrastructure and non-infrastructure. Funding can include training volunteers, street crossings, safety and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), bicycle/pedestrian lanes, etc.

Although no local match is permitted, local governments are allowed to contribute to a project. All projects must be within two miles of a K-8 school.

The SRTS program allows for a great variety of programs that can be implemented. However, there are projects that are not allowed. The following are ineligible activities:

• Recurring costs, such as school crossing guards
• Pick-up and drop-off sites
• Educational focus buses
• Bus stop improvements

The SRTS program is implemented through the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). Further guidance on the program’s implementation will be provided by the new Safe Routes program Director Terry Canales.

For more information on this program, please visit the Safe Routes to School website at:
http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/saferoutes/index.htm

Other Resources

Active Living by Design

KidsWalk to School

Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center

NC Healthy Kids Healthy Communities

Thanks to Jeremy Raw and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization for their assistance with this site.
Site designed by: Phillip Barron