Did you know? Bell’s Fast Facts Fridays
Well parents – the time has come. What time has come, you ask? Back-to-school time, of course! The time has come to pack up your child’s backpack, help them throw on their new or favorite first-day-of-school fit and bike them off to class. Bicycling with your child to school in the morning will save more than just your pocket book. Don’t believe me? Well then, do read on!
1. A Walking School Bus Bicycle Train is a school bus powered not by an engine but by legs. Children don’t sit inside this bus – they walk or cycle in a group to school, with an adult ‘driver’ in the front and an adult ‘conductor’ at the rear. (Walkingschoolbus.org)
2. Walking and cycling to school is considered active transport. Active transport is defined as physical activity undertaken as a means of transport and not purely as a form of recreation, and it typically refers to walking and cycling for travel to and/or from a destination. (Move Transport)
3. A safety analysis by the California Department of Transportation estimated that the safety benefit of the Safe Routes to School program was up to a 49 percent decrease in the childhood bicycle and pedestrian collision rates. (Saferoutepartnership.org)
4. In 2002, then Bell Sports CEO, Bill Fry, gave the following reason for Bell Sports Bell Sports becoming a Bikes Belong member, “Whether it is kids bicycling to school or families going for a bike ride, we need to make cycling easy and convenient. Otherwise, they are going to find another sport or hobby. It’s that simple.” Well, it’s 2009 and initiatives toward bettering our roads and making cycling more enjoyable are stronger than ever (See: Summer 2009 SRTS Program Tracking Brief). (Busted Spoke)
5. Since January of 2009, over 1,285 schools have registered to participate in the International Walk to School program, which supports walking and bicycling to school. Check here to see if your school is registered! (Walktoschool-usa.org)
Already letting your child ride their bicycle to school? We’d love to hear your stories about your initial worries, trials and tribulations, etc, below. Also, stay on the lookout for us to post a survey about kids bicycling to school. There may be something extra that you’ll be able to get out of it!
