NEWS

CHAPEL HILL -- Walking is fun and important to children’s lives – and millions of people across the world plan to send that message to their communities and beyond when they participate in Walk to School Day on Wednesday (Oct. 2).

The international event’s goal is to engage children and adults in activity and in the process highlight the need for communities to make their streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Another purpose of the walk is to help reconnect children and adults with the simple joy of taking a walk together, a practice that can produce other valuable benefits, said Lauren Marchetti of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, the national coordinating agency for the event. The center is based within the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center.

This year, participants representing more than 2,000 schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will join walkers in 28 other countries for the event. Beginning at the first hour of the first event, Internet users may view the progress of the events as they happen by clicking on www.iwalktoschool.org. Walkers will post quotes and send electronic photos of their communities’ events as they are completed.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, through funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, created and is hosting World Wide Web sites for the day’s events.

"October is Child Health Month and walking your child to school is a terrific way to obtain physical activity and discuss safety in your own neighborhood," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC.

National statistics indicate that the percentage of overweight U.S. children and adults has more than doubled in the last 20 years, putting more Americans at risk for heart disease, diabetes and other serious health problems associated with obesity.

"Most parents think the safest way to get their children to school is to drive them up to the school door," Marchetti said. "Unfortunately, the ‘drive everywhere’ mentality has created more and more congestion at schools and is contributing to the sedentary lifestyles that are starting to have major health consequences for even our youngest children."

The national Web site (http://www.walktoschool.org) includes resources such as health information, specifics on walk events and a downloadable checklist to help determine how friendly a community is for walking. Events planned for this year’s Walk to School Day include:

· Fayetteville, N.C.: Twenty Cumberland County schools have signed up, and organizers are hopeful that 15,000 children and adults will participate. Physical education teachers are mapping out one-mile routes, and cafeteria workers will provide breakfast for each participant.

· Tempe, Ariz: Thirteen Tempe schools are scheduled to participate in events that day, ending with a commemorative tree planting.

· Charleston, W.Va.: Charleston bicycle patrol police officers will join students after the walk for a snack and discussion on fitness. Children will wear pedometers for the walk and throughout the day and will use math skills to count their steps.

Also, organizers said the "walking school bus" has become a popular idea: A designated adult supervisor "picks up" each student, house by house, on foot. The group of students walks to school along a set route.

Last year, nearly 3 million children worldwide participated in the day. In some U.S. communities, information gained from neighborhood "walkability" assessments prompted cities to repair or build sidewalks, add crossing guards and make other improvements. In California, Walk to School initiatives contributed to the passage of legislation designating a portion of transportation funds specifically for the creation of safe routes to school for walkers and bicyclists.

"Walk to School Day is a wonderful opportunity to heighten awareness among families, educators and community leaders across the country about the importance of pedestrian safety and to promote a more pedestrian-friendly environment in communities nationwide," said Dr. Jeffrey W. Runge, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator.

The day is a perfect opportunity for families nationwide to spend a little extra time with their children and show how walking can be used not only for getting to school but for other transportation as well, said Mary E. Peters, Federal Highway Administration administrator.

"FHWA, in cooperation with states and localities, recognizes the need to provide facilities so that walking to school and to other destinations can occur not only one day a year, but each and every day of the year," she added.

In June 2002, the International Walk to School Day initiative won a Stockholm Partnerships Award for innovative solutions for sustainable development in metropolitan areas.

In 1997, the Partnership for a Walkable America established the event in the United States. Member agencies involved in this year’s event include the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the National Safety Council, America Walks, Shape Up America!, the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Governor’s Highway Safety Association.

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Note: Contact information for U.S. events coordinators is available at www.walktoschool.org.

UNC Highway Safety Research Center contact: Lauren Marchetti, (919) 962-7412