Opinion
Student Well-Being Opinion

Biking to School by Example

By David Polochanin — September 30, 2009 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

One afternoon, as I walked past the empty, rusting bicycle rack outside my school, I was reminded of a story I’d read in The New York Times about a town in Italy. As part of a campaign to lower greenhouse gases, cut down on traffic, and promote general health, 450 of the town’s young people now walk to school regularly, led by school staff members and adult volunteers.

Reading the story brought a smile to my face. Throughout the town of Lecco, it reported, students form piedibuses (meaning “foot buses” in Italian), and these “buses” pick up walkers as the routes wind their way toward the school. Students carry “fare cards” that are punched to encourage “ridership” (eligible students can win a free pizza party with these), and some of the bus routes have even picked up nicknames. The one that passes through the graveyard, for instance, is the “mortobus.” The routes are generally less than a mile long, according to the story.

What a difference at the Connecticut school where I work. Our 500-plus students have no consistent, interconnected sidewalks leading up to the school. Nor is the campus located on a quiet street in a small neighborhood. Cars routinely travel 45 miles an hour or more on the road in front of the building. Our students have other disadvantages compared with their Italian counterparts. Their routes to school cover a town of more than 50 square miles. (The school serves all of the town’s 6th graders.) They also are 11- and 12-year-olds, too young, perhaps, to walk or ride a bike to school by themselves over a long distance.

I suspect that our bike rack is not the only one going unused in schools across America. Even in places where schools are close to neighborhoods, and sidewalks and bike racks are available, such healthy transportation options aren’t being chosen often enough. And that’s the problem.

While a community like Lecco, Italy, throws its weight behind a walk-to-school initiative capable of reaping countless personal and social benefits, this is not the case in most of our country’s cities and towns, where student performance ranks much higher than lifestyle matters.

Walking to school in America has declined steadily over recent decades. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Household Travel Survey, only 13 percent of children walked to school in 2001. By way of comparison, 40 percent of students walked to school in 1969.

What has changed?

Besides the fact that automobiles more than ever dominate the landscape, and most new homes come with standard two- and three-car garages, American culture has changed dramatically over the last 40 years. Most parents today probably wouldn’t trust that their children would arrive safely at school if they let them walk or bike. For one thing, many children don’t know the rules of the road for biking. And, for another, the much more visible threat of child predators these days makes a strong case against kids’ traveling alone to school. Today’s heavy backpacks are a problem, too, as they are liable to create wobbly bike rides or aching backs from walking.

Yet, the notion of walking or biking to school is comfortably nostalgic. It calls up images of a Norman Rockwell village, where healthy residents are grounded in their communities. It’s a smaller place, with real neighborhoods. Life is simpler, and slower. Which is exactly what we seem to need.

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to find the best route to ride my own bike to work. The commute would be harsh. I live in a hollow at the convergence of four steep hills, and even though the seven-mile ride seems doable, I probably would be drenched in sweat at 7 a.m.

Still, this is not a reasonable excuse. I need to park my bike in that bike rack, wedging the front tire between the two metal bars, and lead by example.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 07, 2009 edition of Education Week as Biking to School by Example

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
From Classrooms to Careers: How Schools and Districts Can Prepare Students for a Changing Workforce
Real careers start in school. Learn how Alton High built student-centered, job-aligned pathways.
Content provided by TNTP
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Student Well-Being Why RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Views Matter for Schools
This year could bring significant changes to how school-age kids are protected from many viruses.
7 min read
Angela Hayes, a nurse practitioner with Jefferson County Public Schools, prepares vaccines for students at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Angela Hayes, a nurse practitioner with the Jefferson County public schools, prepares vaccines for students at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Mary Conlon/AP
Student Well-Being A State Chief's Order to Schools: Provide Free Meals for All—With No New Funding
Oklahoma's state superintendent told districts to fully cover student meal costs. Districts say the mandate is costly and unenforceable.
6 min read
Cafeteria workers serve student lunches at Firebaugh High School in Lynwood, Calif. on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
Cafeteria workers serve student lunches at Firebaugh High School in Lynwood, Calif. on April 3, 2024. Demand for school lunches has increased after California guaranteed free meals to all students regardless of their family's income. Now, in Oklahoma, state Superintendent Ryan Walters is mandating that districts provide free meals to all students, although no state law requiring them has passed and the state hasn't set aside additional money.
Richard Vogel/AP
Student Well-Being The Online Behaviors Most Harmful to Kids’ Mental Health, According to a New Survey
A new survey asked 11- to 13-year-olds how they felt when they engaged in certain behaviors online.
5 min read
Photo of teen girl using cellphone.
Georgijevic / E+
Student Well-Being The U.S. Is Having Its Worst Year for Measles in More Than 3 Decades
Only 93% of U.S. kindergarteners had the MMR vaccination in the 2023-24 year—below the level that prevents outbreaks.
2 min read
A sign is seen outside of Seminole Hospital District offering measles testing, Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas.
A sign is seen outside a Texas hospital offering measles testing. Only 82% of kindergarteners in Gaines County, Texas were up to date on MMR vaccines.
Julio Cortez/AP