Bike Week / Bike to Work Day 2011

[Tri Girl]

OK- so I have to whine/vent for a minute here:

I want to organize another bike/walk to school day during Bike to Work Week. We organized something on International Bike to School day last October. Most of our kids live too far to walk or bike to school (we are not a neighborhood school) so in the fall I had parents drop off the kids a block away and they walked and that counted. I want to do it again. So I found a safer way that doesn't involve crossing streets (principal was concerned about safety). Apparently that's still too worrisome (it's probably less than .2 of a mile, around the corner on the same block and I have enough teachers out there to monitor). Grrr... organizing this is so much more trouble than it's worth. I don't know that the kids even get anything out of it. I TOTALLY understand her concerns for safety, I really do. I don't want anything to happen, either. It's just in this day and age you have to be so careful to CYA. I'm just disappointed I can't do all the things I want to do because we are such a litigious society now and you have to be so careful. I miss the days of our childhood when we didn't worry so much.

And then, to encourage our very unhealthy staff to get out and move, I said that any teacher that gets to school under their own power on Friday will get a free breakfast in the teacher's lounge (complete with prize baskets that I'm putting together). I will make them breakfast (pancakes and omlettes). I gave them the option of parking at one teachers house (.5 mile away), the principal's house (less than 2 miles away) or my house (2.7 miles away) and either biking or walking to work. You should have seen the looks. Some of them with kids were like "how will I get my kids to school?" Ummm... I don't know- WALK the .5 mile with them. Even the preschoolers can walk for 10 min- they do it all the time when you take them to WalMart. So far I don't think anyone is going to participate. I overheard someone talking and they didn't like my idea very much.

Just frustrated. People just cannot see any other way than getting in their car and driving. Not even for one day a year. I realize not everyone wants to ride their bike or walk to school/work everyday, but it's just one day a year.

Sorry- vent over.