What is the rationale behind Safe Routes to School?

Most of today’s parents walked or biked to elementary school when they were young, according to a recent study conducted by the Federal Highway Administration (www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohpi/nhts/index.htm). They explored their neighborhoods regularly on bike or on foot. As long as they behaved, they maintained a tremendous amount of independence, which resulted in a sense of self-assurance.

Things are much different today. Today’s children are driven to nearly all their activities, and only about 10 percent of children walk to school everyday. There are several reasons for this sharp decline. For one, the journey between home and school has become longer and more treacherous because of decades of auto-oriented development. This pattern has been compounded by the trend towards building new schools far away from residential areas. Then, too, there are the fears and concerns of parents about exposing their children to threats from strangers and motor vehicles. And finally, in many communities, sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and trails are either missing or inadequate.



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