In a recent San Antonio Express News Op-Ed, Councilwoman Shirley Gonzalez shared some thoughts on why San Antonio should make its streets friendlier to pedestrians & cyclists.
She discusses how 8 pedestrians from her district alone were killed due to motor vehicle accidents, during her first 8 months of office. Gonzalez also goes on to talk about the city's SA 2020 vision and about the city's 2010 Comprehensive Master Plan, which will soon be updated.
"Achieving and exceeding the SA2020 goals, and ensuring a better San Antonio for our children, requires a plan addressing these issues jointly," Gonzalez said in the news column. "Achieving these goals means deliberately planning, and implementing projects, to reduce automobile use while making walking, cycling and use of public ...
Organizing a Walk-to-School day can be one great way of keeping kids healthy and active. It can also serve to improve neighborhood safety, and capture the attention of parents, local school officials, and policymakers. According to a success story from the California Endowment, Latino children in Santa Ana organized a successful walk-to-school day event in 2007. Before the event, students conducted a walking audit of their neighborhood streets to identify sidewalks and intersections that needed improvements. Then students and teachers presented pictures of the areas that needed repairs to the police department and school board before Walk-to-School day. Organizers say that by taking something negative and turning it into a positive, like Walk-to-School day, they were able to ...
Learn more about the latest trends in walking and biking to school. According to this 2013 report produced by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, more kids are walking to school across the country. The report found that the percentage of kids both walking to and from school increased between 2007-2012. This perhaps is due to the rise in Safe Routes to School programs across the country. To learn more about this growing trend, access the October 2013 report here. ...
A Walking School Bus at Boland elementary in Springfield, MA is helping Latino kids stay safe, healthy, and active. According to an editorial from Masslive, the walking school bus has become a popular way of getting to school---even on cold days. Every morning, teachers lead about 35 children from a nearby apartment complex on the commute to Boland elementary. Students say they enjoy the program which launched in 2013, because it allows them to meet new friends and feel safe on their way to school. Boland is not the first school in Springfield to organize a walking school bus program. In 2010, Brightwood elementary started their own program and saw some impressive results including: decreased neighborhood crime, and improved school attendance and tardiness rates. See the ...
More students across the nation are walking to and from school according to an October 2013 survey, conducted by the National Center for Safe Routes to School. The survey found that in 2012, 15.7% students walked to school compared to only 12.4% in 2007. The percentage of students that walked home also rose from 15.8% to 19.7%. Initiatives to get kids up and moving have become increasingly popular with the rise of schools participating in Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs. According to a blog post from the Sustainable City Network, in 2007, only 1,833 schools participated in National Safe Routes to School programs. By September 2013, approximately 13,863 schools were involved. While more kids seem to be walking, trends also show that students of medium income households ...
Thirteen-year-old Estrella Hernandez, a member of the Mayor's Fitness Council Student Ambassadors, is making waves with her idea for an innovative fitness app made just for youth. Her app, "WeWalk," aims to motivate kids to exercise by using technology that they are familiar with. Kids play games on apps all the time, but now they can lead healthier lives while continuing to play. After learning about health issues and how obesity is affecting other youth her age, Estrella was inspired to combine health and technology. She has already received $12,500 in funding from the 80/20 Foundation and HEB. Building the app isn't simple, as it involves maintaining users accounts, monitoring how much users walk, and using Geo locations. Once the app is developed and beta tested, it will ...
If you're working to encourage your community to walk, you might want to take a look at some of the work Walk Boston is doing!
First, view their "Walk Your Way to Health" Powerpoint presentation to learn about research that supports the many health benefits of walking. Walking can prevent obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many other common ailments like diabetes and joint-pain. It can also promote healthier brain development and aid in memory retention. The development of more walkable communities also has economic and safety benefits! Then take a look at Walk Boston's walking resources to learn about more specific content such as walking in rural areas, information on laws, safe routes to school, community and data on the economic benefits of walking. Learn more by visiting ...
Pennsylvania residents will soon have increased opportunities to bike and walk thanks to a law which will make up to $2.4 billion in transportation funds available towards pedestrian and bicycle oriented projects. According to Streetsblog and PreventObesity.net, the bill enacted in November 2013 will: provide at least $2 million towards pedestrian and bicyclist projects annually;
increase the state's multi-modal fund from a total of $33 million to $144 million over the next five years (pedestrian and bicycle projects will be eligible);
allow for the use of transportation funds in lighting pedestrian projects; and
include pedestrian and bicycle facilities as part of the state's comprehensive transportation system. In April 2013, this policy was in development. At the time, a ...
Edison High School students, families and community members partner with school officials to open school’s new lighted track for a regular walking program. EMERGENCE
Awareness: Toward the beginning of her sophomore year, Edison High School student Brianna Reynosa began to notice there had been some changes to her school’s lunch menu.
“It started with the new lunch menu. When I noticed the changes in the menu, I asked [Edison Principal] Mr. [Charles] Munoz about it and he began to tell me about how obesity was a problem in the community, and how he wanted the students at Edison to be healthy,” Brianna said. Before, Brianna hadn’t really stopped to think about the consequences that come with making unhealthy lifestyle choices. She began to think about her ...
