Kids encouraged to walk or ride bikes

Gigi Mense

Ten-year-old Gigi Mense either walks or rides her bike to school every day.

Her mother, Ms. Cindy Mense, works with local schools to design the safest routes for kids to walk or ride to school.

The Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program is a national program that combines concerns about health, traffic relief, environmental awareness and kids' safety.

One morning last month, Gigi and two of her friends walked with Ms. Mense to their school in Ferguson, Lee Hamilton Elementary School.

They had designed their own "walking school bus" to get the kids safely to their school.

The "walking school bus" is their way of getting a group of kids safely to school without using a big yellow motorized school bus.

The SR2S program encourages school kids to set up routes that start in neighborhoods within a mile of their schools. The kids are encouraged to set a meeting time where a group of kids will start together from their nearby homes.

Miya Walton

Then, accompanied by an adult, the group will follow a pre-set route that avoids as many dangerous intersections or heavily-traveled streets as possible.

Gigi's group included 9-year-old Miya Walton and 8-year-old Willow Canaday. Accompanying them were Ms. Mense and Elizabeth Fox. Miss Fox is an intern from Saint Louis University who works with Ms. Mense on the SR2S program.

The two adults left the kids off at school and then jogged back home, getting in more exercise. They used the "safe route" both ways.

In the metro-St. Louis area, the SR2S program is active in three school districts, St. Louis Public Schools, Webster Groves and Rockwood. Officials are looking for other districts to join in this program.

(For information about the Safe Routes to Schools program, visit www.trailnet.org. Or your teacher can call Ms. Mense at (314) 436-1324, Ext. 113.)

Gigi said, "I usually bike to school with my dad. Last year, I rode four days and then walked one day." She said the only exceptions were on rainy days or poor winter weather.

"I like to do something active with my family. And I also know that there's less pollution than if I rode to school in a car," the 5th grader said.

Fourth grader Miya Walton said, "Walking to school is great exercise and, when I walk with others, they get exercise too."

Willow Canady

Miya said she walks to school every Friday. The rest of the time she admits she gets a car ride to school.

Third-grader Willow Canady said she's new to the walk-to-school idea. But, she said, "It's fun and it's good for you."

The SR2S program has some special events during the year to help publicize the advantages of the program.

For instance, in October, the local schools will participate in the International Walk to School Day.

Last year, hundreds of local kids banded together in "walking school bus" groups to get to school.

Once a school signs up for the program, Ms. Mense works with school officials and interested parents to get organized.

She said one of the first things that's needed is to plan a series of "safe routes" to each school.

"I meet with parents and go over the routes. People in the neighborhoods know which streets to avoid and where there are shortcuts," she said.

"We want to stay on sidewalks whenever we can. However, sometimes communities don't have sidewalks. That makes the planning harder," Ms. Mense said.

She said parents are encouraged to plan a schedule for accompanying the groups of kids. "We also have 'parent-passoff' points where one parent will escort the kids so far and then meet another parent who goes the rest of the way to school," she said.

The walking or riding bikes to school also encourages kids to do other things outdoors.

Gigi said, "We have a pool in our backyard and I'm in that a lot. Also, I like running and jumping rope and soccer."

Miya said she also likes jumping rope and soccer as well as basketball.

Willow said she does lots of stuff with her mother and her 2-year-old twin brothers. "They like to be outdoors and I look after them," she said.

She said she also likes swimming and soccer.

All three girls also like to read. Gigi said, "Before I'm a teenager, I want to have read the book, 'War and Peace,' all the way through," she said. War and Peace is a very large book.