It’s back to school for thousands of school kids on the North Shore this week. And back to school means back to traffic.
In too many cases, traffic is parents driving their kids to school.
The system whereby parents get to choose where their kids go to school – regardless of where they live – is partly responsible. Especially on the North Shore, specialty programs draw students from far outside their catchment areas, and even outside of the local school districts. One consequence is more cars on the roads near local schools.
There are also plenty of older school-aged kids who could walk to school but don’t. Parents sometimes cite traffic safety as a concern.
And in some cases, we’re certainly not doing all we could from a municipal perspective to provide infrastructure that would help – from decent sidewalks to well-marked crossings.
“Walking school buses” that allow kids to buddy up with neighbours for a walk to school are a good option.
Ironically, of course, the more people who drive their kids to school, the less safe it is for those walking.
Other reasons for walking include providing increasingly sedentary kids with exercise and giving them a mental boost before sitting for much of the day.
The power of habit is important. Get into the habit of walking or biking while in elementary school and that will be more likely to carry through the teen years into adulthood. Sadly, today only about half the number of kids walk to school than did when their parents were children. It doesn’t have to be this way.
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