ACT Launches "Safe Walk to School" Campaign
Parents Throughout Montgomery County Join In
Press release issued May 8, 2013
Streets where students in all grades can safely walk to school is the goal of a countywide campaign launched today by the Action Committee for Transit. The campaign kicks off on National Bike to School Day.
Twelve needed steps to make roadways near schools safe for walking and bicycling were laid out a letter sent yesterday to the Montgomery County Dept. of Transportation and elected officials. The letter was signed by ACT president Tina Slater, Washington Area Bicycle Association executive director Shane Farthing, and parents and community leaders from all parts of the county.
Parents, students, and members of the community are being asked to write to the county council in support of this program. A new website, SafeWalkToSchool.com, has been set up to promote the campaign. Full text of the letter is on that site.
"The roads around our schools are not safe to walk on," said Ruthanne Stoltzfus of Germantown. "Something has to change."
"Walking to school makes our children and our communities healthier," added Wendy Leibowitz. She organized parents at Bethesda Elementary School in February after a driver turning onto Arlington Road near the school hit a three-month-old child in a stroller.
The campaign lists ten low-cost actions that county transportation officials can take to make streets safer around schools. These include better traffic light timing, more visible crosswalk markings, and narrowing lanes to slow traffic. In addition, it asks county police to improve enforcement of driving laws near schools.
"Our roads need to be designed for everyone -- transit riders, pedestrians, and cyclists as well as drivers," said ACT president Tina Slater. "Safe walking to school is an important part of that."