Wearing a helmet ruins my hair...

[singletrackmind]

Pedal Wench, wow, those are some very powerful images.

Singletrackmind, my son's school doesn't allow bikes to be ridden to school. It states in the school regulations that the bike will be confiscated and will only be released to a parent. After reading that DH was tempted to call his buddies and escort DS to school in protest. He never did follow through on that though. Although, as a parent, it's not the safest road to bike on for kids. No sidewalk, narrow shoulder and since it runs parallel to Bothell-Everett Hwy, some drivers zoom through it to avoid traffic on the highway. Never mind that it's a residential street with a posted speed limit of 25mph(plus we're supposed to slow down to 20 when children are present, no matter the road) and with an elementary school, park, and daycare on it. For school events, I've parked my car on the nearby neighborhood street and walked my children to the school only to have a car go by at 50mph. WTF I'd really like to slap these people.

Wow, all of that really really bites!

We have sidewalks, it's a 30 mph street with a 25 mph school zone and there's a small shoulder on that main drag with a stoplight and crosswalk coming from the neighborhoods across the street to the school. The principle said the main worry was THE OTHER PARENTS THAT DROP THEIR CHILDREN OFF BY CAR.
WTF indeed!


So don't ride or walk to school, cut both playground and gym time, feed 'em junk food and/or drinks at school, increase homework amounts so they can't get out when they are home and marvel at the increase of obesity.

*huffing off to simmer in my little corner for awhile*

[PscyclePath]

Wow, all of that really really bites!

We have sidewalks, it's a 30 mph street with a 25 mph school zone and there's a small shoulder on that main drag with a stoplight and crosswalk coming from the neighborhoods across the street to the school. The principle said the main worry was THE OTHER PARENTS THAT DROP THEIR CHILDREN OFF BY CAR.
WTF indeed!


So don't ride or walk to school, cut both playground and gym time, feed 'em junk food and/or drinks at school, increase homework amounts so they can't get out when they are home and marvel at the increase of obesity.

Things like this often make me glad that I'm single and childless... notwithstanding that they tax me a little extra for that in order to help pay for this sort of foolishness. We're raising a generation of house plants, it seems.

There's a federal program out there called "Safe Routes to School" that provides federal funding to help make streets leading to elementary and junior high schools more bike and pedestrian friendly. It's a good program if you have a little vision and initiative. I helped with a panel that reviewed this past year's round of grant applications, and if the education folks wrote those applications, I'm not surprised that our public schools are in trouble.

And yes, I counted off points for spelling and grammar errors in those applications

The major use of SRTS funds here appears to be by local mayors to help build sidewalks in some neighborhoods sort of close to where the schools are. Several of us are working with the state highway folks to provide some education and outreach on bike education and the Complete Streets program before the next round kicks off this winter...

[Veronica]

Don't get mad at the principal. Get mad at the parents who insist on driving their little darlings to school. If they are like the parents at my school (I HATE the day I have after school duty!), they are often rude, in a rush and don't want to follow the rules.

They will double park and wave to their kid to come between the cars to get in. They will speed through the parking lot. They will park in the handicapped spots or the Principal's spot if it happens to be open. They will go the wrong way.

Not all of them are like that of course, but enough to make after school duty very distasteful.

V.