Walking to School Uphill- both ways

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program increases student's physical activity through encouraging them to walk or bike to school. A short promotional film produced by Blue Cross Blue Shield shows how one family and one suburban school has incorporated this into their daily regime. the video shows the success of the program, as well as it limitations, in a setting where sidewalk access and single use low-density residential zones restricts safe access by walking and biking. The SRTS program is a good start for many communities to make families aware that there is a choice to walk or bike, but physical layout of some neighborhoods is a challenge. With a large residential lots, multi-acre school campuses, scarcity of sidewalks, and few other walkers, it is a challenge akin to walking to school uphill- both ways.

On the other hand, another local effort which was the recipient of a recent grant- one of twenty awarded nationwide- is set within a walkable neighborhood where the layout encourages students to walk. The walking school bus, conceived of by David Engwicht, promotes student mobility and independence in a sociable way.