The beginning of the school year means many families put away bike helmets and pick up car keys. According to a 2003 EPA study (pdf), it is typical to see 30% more cars on the road between 7:15 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. during the school year. This means more traffic and air pollution near schools and playgrounds, to name just a few problems.

Concerned citizens are working for change with Safe Routes to School, a growing movement of people empowering their communities to walk and bike to school. Seattle nonprofits Bicycle Alliance and Feet First run the Center for Safe Routes to School in Washington State, a public resource funded by a grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The Center provides free conferences, trainings, bikeability/walkability audits and networking support for interested communities statewide.

According to Dave Janis at Bicycle Alliance, walking and biking to school has myriad benefits beyond CO2 reduction: Kids get exercise and are able to learn better, families meet their neighbors, and the constant outdoor activity improves neighborhood safety. 

Starting a Safe Routes program at your child's school can be easier than you think. Ellen Aagaard, a concerned parent at Laurelhurst Elementary, launched a safe & active routes advocacy program in 2005 with only $250 in PTA funding. In one year, Laurelhurst saw the number of students walking or biking to school rise from 16% to 29%--a 71% increase! Some parents walk or bike daily with their kids, while others compromise: For example, neighbors share walking responsibilities, or families switch to walking just on the days their schedules allow.

Aagaard says that because she walks or bikes her children to school every day, she feels confident of her kids' safety habits, and has found more exercise time for herself. Best of all, she says, "I am now connected to my children and their lives at school, because we have a half hour in the morning and a half hour every afternoon that is just about being together."

October is International Walk to School Month! If you'd like to learn about hosting a Walk to School event at your school this fall, contact Jen Cole or attend Feet First's informational meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11 from noon-1:30 at their downtown office, 2019 Third Ave, Suite 110.