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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 6, 2005 Parents and students walk to Walker Elementary School on Walker Street in Ashland on Wednesday, which just happened to be International Walk to School Day. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven A ‘new’ way to school, one step at a time Program encourages an alternate means of transportation for today’s kids — walk By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Back in the day, kids used to walk miles to school, barefoot, in the snow, uphill. Both ways. Just ask grandpa. But many of today’s students won’t have such tales of character-building treks to class. The number of kids walking or biking to school nationwide has decreased through the decades, dropping from 42 percent in 1969 to just 16 percent in 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month. The decline has prompted some schools to start incentive programs that hand out stickers, key chains and other treats to encourage youngsters to get to school under their own power. Phoenix Elementary and Ashland’s Walker Elementary both sponsored chaperoned school-bound strolls and accompanying treats Wednesday for International Walk to School Day. The University of North Carolina’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center started the event in 1997 to promote healthy physical activity and concern for the environment. Advertisement "It’s a great way to start the day," said Walker’s volunteer safe routes to school coordinator Wendy Conner. She walks or bikes daily with her three kids, two of whom attend Walker, while the other attends nearby Ashland Middle School. The neighboring schools generate "quite a bit of traffic," which can make parents nervous about letting kids walk there, she said. "Parents are concerned about that, so they drive without realizing that then they are contributing to it," Conner said. The CDC report found that distance, traffic, weather and concerns about crime were the most common reasons why parents said their kids didn’t walk to school. The report then noted that crimes against youth have decreased since the 1960s and kidnapping, the most feared crime against children, is actually quite rare — near schools or otherwise. Weather hasn’t worsened in the last three decades. Traffic has increased, but in the past five years, deaths among child pedestrians have decreased. Schools tend to be farther from homes now than they were in 1968, the report said. Most Rogue Valley districts, including Ashland, Phoenix-Talent and Medford, provide buses for students who live farther than one mile from school or have to cross a dangerously busy street. Because the neighborhood each school serves is different, the transportation situation varies from school to school. Abraham Lincoln Elementary Principal Art Peterson said about a third of students at his school arrive by car, a third by bus and a third by bike or on foot. "We have lots of parents who drive students," he said. Some mornings, 20 to 30 cars are backed up on Delta Waters Road, waiting to make a left turn onto McLoughlin Drive to reach the school, he said. When he was principal across town at Oak Grove Elementary two years ago, about 85 percent of the students rode buses, leaving only a few who walked or came by car. Washington Elementary is the only Medford elementary that runs no buses, so the bulk of its students walk, some accompanied by parents, said Principal Stephanie Johnson. She estimates 20 to 30 percent of parents drive kids to school, resulting in lines of traffic at the old school which was designed with walking in mind and doesn’t have a drop-off loop common at newer schools. Maria Valencia drives all her kids to school daily, dropping the youngest two at Washington and delivering the older two to South Medford High School. "I drive them to school to keep them safe," she said. "I want to make sure they get in the door safely. They are my treasures." Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail A �new� way to school, one step at a time ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s