Walking to school safety tips
- Wear bright-colored clothes and wear reflective gear or use a flashlight if it is dark or hard to see
- Look for traffic at every driveway and intersection, and be aware of parked cars that may be getting ready to move.
- Obey all traffic signals and signs.
- Cross the street safely at locations with pedestrian crossings or a crossing guard.
- Walk on sidewalks away from traffic if possible. If there are no paths or sidewalks, walk on the side of the road facing oncoming traffic.
- Avoid crossing busy or high-speed intersections.
Source: Safe Routes for Schools
There were a tad fewer cars on the roads Wednesday morning as Gainesville parents and students went to school on foot.
More than 200 parents and kids at Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy and Centennial Arts Academy participated in the national Walk to School Day, an effort to fight both childhood obesity and traffic congestion while supporting pedestrian safety.
"We live really close, over on Morningside Drive. It's kind of a trafficy street so I was excited to have the opportunity to be able to walk with people and make it safe," said Ginny Early, who walked her kindergartner to Enota. "It was really fun. There were lots of kids. My daughter had a great time."
Early said she and her daughter don't normally walk to school because there's no sidewalk.
Enota kids and parents met at either Green's Grocery or the Elks Club at 7 a.m. and traversed to class with some of Gainesville's public safety officials and Gainesville City Council members.
Cindy Bryant, mother of a fourth-grader, organized the event for Enota.
"This is the seventh year," Bryant said. "It just looked like a neat thing to do. I think everyone always has a great time. We invite the City Council and mayor, and the officers join the kids in the cafeteria for breakfast."
Gainesville City Councilman Bob Hamrick said Enota was "busier than Hartsfield Airport" after all the families and officials filed into the cafeteria.
"It spotlights one of the educational programs and one of the schools, so it's just a fun thing to do," he said. "This is parents coming together for a common purpose. It's always a success and a lot of fun and enjoyment, so I think that's a part of it."
The 2011 event was the fourth Walk to School day for Enota PTA Co-President Tammy Coley.
"There was no rain, the weather was gorgeous, it was pretty warm, which probably gets more people out," she said. "For it to be so early and to have this kind of participation, I think it shows the eagerness. ... People walk every day, but getting the kids involved in it, they look forward to it. Even if you don't want to get up early they're going to get up."
About 3,700 schools nationwide participate in Walk to School Day, which began in 1997 in the U.S., according to Nancy Pullen-Seufert, associate director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School at the University of North Carolina.
"It actually was begun by a group of organizations that said, ‘How can we bring more awareness of safety for children walking?'" she said. "In 2000, it became an international event and just a few years ago it became an international Walk to School Month."
Pullen-Seufert said some schools have guided routes like Enota's while others have parents and kids walk to school on their own. For those who don't have safe walking areas, schools host walks at the school.
"In 2009, 13 percent of students in grades K through eight walked or bicycled to school," Pullen-Seufert said. "Forty years ago, almost half — 48 percent — walked or biked to school."
Pullen-Seufert said she has heard from local groups who say Walk to School Day fosters a stronger sense of community and allows parents more time to bond with their kids.
"I don't think you can do too much to think about how important physical activity is and how if you walk somewhere it's good for the environment," Bryant said.