International Walk to School Day was celebrated on October 3, and all of October is designated as Walk to School Month. Nationally, more than 4,200 schools have registered events on the International Walk and Bike to School (IWALK) website, a 10 percent increase over last year!
October is such a great time of year.Everywhere I look lately, no matter what city or town I am visiting, I see more children and families walking and bicycling to school, the park, other destinations and just for fun.
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, was formed in 2005 as a response to the dramatic increase in prevalence of childhood obesity across the nation.
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a region’s approved list of specific transportation projects mandated by federal law. It serves as a multi-year financial schedule for obligating federal funds to state and local transportation projects. The TIP contains funding information for all modes of transportation including bicycle and pedestrian projects.
Peer pressure doesn’t all have to be bad. Studies show that it can be good, too! Kids can encourage each other into activities that will improve their health and social life and make them feel good about themselves.
I spend a lot of my working hours getting into the weeds of transportation project funding and implementation, and working with our state network to sort out the complexities of state policy and bureaucracy.