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International Walk to School Day
Tennis shoes and bike tires to hit road Oct. 9

You’ll find them in pairs or groups; single file and side-by-side; on foot, scooters, skateboards and bicycles; accompanied by parents, friends or teachers.

Slow-moving jovial groups of school children throughout Idaho will join a national campaign next week by walking to and from school, solidarity committed to better health, a cleaner environment, less vehicle congestion, and even penny-pinching efforts to save their parents gas money.

Students from an estimated two-dozen schools will participate in International Walk to School Day, Wednesday (Oct. 9), as part of a global event. The annual event involves communities from more than 40 countries walking and biking to school on the same day.

It began in 1997 as a one-day event. Over time, it has become part of a movement for year-round safe routes to school and a celebration – with record-breaking participation – each October. Thousands of schools across America – from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico – participate every year.

Students might not be aware of the compounding results of their simple efforts, but the benefits are substantial:

Healthier habits
Walking and bicycling to school enables children to incorporate the regular physical activity they need each day while also forming healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Regular physical activity helps children build strong bones, muscles and joints, and it decreases the risk of obesity.

In contrast, insufficient physical activity can contribute to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and stroke.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children and adolescents get one hour or more of physical activity each day. Research suggests that physically active kids are more likely to become healthy, physically active adults, underscoring the importance of developing a lifetime habit of regular physical activity early.

It’s fun
Remember the thrill of riding a bike for the first time or walking to school that first day?

There’s a feeling of joy and independence —a sense of adventure—that doesn’t fade. When walking or biking, parents and children get to appreciate things they don’t notice while driving – listening to the sounds of the neighborhood, seeing friends and neighbors and feeling connected with their community. Parents, children and friends can enjoy one another’s company without the usual distractions.

Walking and bicycling events celebrate these experiences and help make them possible for others. They bring schools and communities together for a common purpose. Most of all, they are fun!

Cleaner environment
When families decide to lace up their sneakers or strap on their bike helmets to get to school instead of riding in a car, they help reduce the amount of air pollutants produced by automobiles.

Vehicles emit a variety of air pollutants, resulting in increases in ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter such as dust, soot, smoke, dirt and liquid droplets. To learn more about the health risks of pollution, visit www.epa.gov/air/toxicair/newtoxics.html.

Promoting safety
In 2009, 203,000 children ages 15 and younger were injured in motor vehicles crashes; 15,000 of those injured were pedestrians (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2011). Priority must be placed on making it possible for everyone to walk safely, especially in neighborhoods and school zones.

Some of the best ways to increase the safety of a child's walking or biking trip to school are to:

Provide safe, well-maintained walkways separate from vehicles.
Teach children to cross streets at marked crossings and to always look left-right-left.
Slow traffic in neighborhoods and near schools through traffic calming strategies and enforcement efforts.
Work with parents of children with disabilities and special education professionals to identify accessibility barriers.
Ensure that walkways are continuous and meet national accessibility standards.
Install curb ramps at every intersection and at mid-block crossings.
Provide accessible pedestrian signals at intersections.

As in the past, Moscow schools are setting the standard for walk or bike to school activities. Seven schools have committed to participate this year. Statewide, participants include (as of Sept. 20):

Boise
• Garfield Elementary School
• Horizon Elementary School (Walk/Bike/Bus to School Day in conjunction with the Mayor's 150 Challenge - encouraging adults and children to walk 150 miles this year to commemorate our statehood's sesquicentennial)
• Trail Wind Elementary School

Idaho Falls
• Dora Erickson Elementary School,
• Linden Park Elementary School
• Temple View Elementary School
• Westside Elementary School

Meridian
• Ponderosa Elementary School (Students will walk or bike to school. Incentives will be given to participating students.)

Moscow
• A.B. McDonald Elementary School (We will have walking School Buses with maps, stickers, and "bus stop signs" award prizes, international pen-pal opportunities, as well as incentives provided by Moscow's Safe Routes to School program.)
• J. Russell Elementary School (Same)
• Lena Whitmore Elementary School (Same)
• Moscow Charter School (Same)
• Moscow Middle School (There will be student participation in event planning and the morning's event activities and encouragement. Also, there will be art projects, as well as incentives provided by Moscow's Safe Routes to School program)
• Palouse Prairie School (We will have Walking School Buses with maps, stickers, and "bus stop signs" award prizes, international pen-pal opportunities, as well as incentives provided by Moscow's Safe Routes to School program.)
• West Park Elementary School (Same)

Nampa
• Ronald Reagan Elementary School (We have organized a one-mile walk from a nearby park to the elementary school. Breakfast will be ready upon arrival at the school.)