International Walk to School Day, Oct. 5

Today is Walk to School Day, and children, parents, teachers and community leaders in all 50 states are dusting off their sneakers, getting out their bikes and taking part.

Walking to school is an easy way to address three of the many factors that influence the overall health of a community:
1.    Integrating physical activity into daily routines can help combat obesity and prevent chronic disease.
2.    Replacing car trips to school with walking or bicycling can help reduce air pollution that is harmful to health.
3.    Identifying best routes for walking and bicycling and making improvements to sidewalks, bike lanes and traffic crossings can help improve public safety and encourage more physical activity.

You can support safe walking and bicycling all year long by developing pedestrian/bicycle master plans that work to increase walking and biking trails and improve connectivity of non-auto paths and trails; by establishing a Safe Routes to School program in your community; or by improving streetscape design to encourage walking, including some or all of the following: street lighting, traffic calming design elements, increased sidewalk coverage, infrastructure projects to increase ease and safety of street crossings, and increased connectivity of pedestrian walkways.

Here are some resources to get you started:
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
Federal Highway Administration’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program
Active Living By Design
Leadership for Healthy Communities: Active Living

Image by Brooke Fishwick, Wikimedia Commons