This task force is on the move

In February, while the snowbanks were still taller than the children, the Beaver Meadow School Safe Routes to School Task Force began meeting weekly to develop a plan to increase the number of children, parents and staff who walk or bike to Beaver Meadow. Its aim is to improve the health of our people and planet one step at at time and the intention was to kick off the plan during Green Commute Week, which was May 11-15.

The SRTS Task Force is a group of parent and teacher volunteers, as well as municipal stakeholders, who have come together to assess the barriers to walking or biking to school. In the process, parents completed surveys, teachers took daily tally marks on walkers, bike riders, etc., and students mapped their path and mode to school, all in an effort to determine what we could do to make it easier for the community to walk or bike to school.

Through the surveys, we learned that safety and time are the biggest barriers to walking or biking to school. To address these concerns, “walking school buses” and “rolling bike trains” led by parents or staff were set up in seven neighborhoods. Volunteers state the time, location and mode of transportation to school and children are encouraged to meet and join the bus or train. The children are then escorted safely to school by the volunteers. We hope more volunteers will join our effort and add to the number of neighborhoods.

During Green Commute Week, not only did the group get a little exercise and decrease their carbon footprint, but they had great fun doing it! This effort was made possible by the legacy of Dr. Roger Brooks, Beaver Meadow Principal for 22 years, who is retiring in June. He has fostered an environment where every child is celebrated and because of this, you know your neighbor and your community.

The Beaver Meadow SRTS Task Force is in the process of applying for grant funding from the state’s Department of Transportation, which is participating with support from the Federal Highway Administration in promoting walking or biking to school. The Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission provided technical support in the way of tabulating parent surveys and geo-coding the children’s routes to school to inform the process and provide content needed for the application. The startup grant will provide funding for evaluation, education and encouragement activities, such as an additional bike rack, bike helmets, water bottles and incentives like a pizza party for the class with the most consistent green commuters. With the success of this phase, the SRTS Task Force can apply for a larger grant that would assess the street safety, sidewalks, walkability and bikeablity of the various routes to school, with a plan to address the need for painted crosswalks and speed enforcement.

It is important to recognize that what we are trying to achieve is a change in culture and behavior. We have become accustomed to doing everything as fast as possible and squeezing in as many things as we can in a day. Our challenge to you is to consider the time that children, parents and staff are walking to school as quality time. Once you make it out the door, it does not take long for kids to start skipping or playing tag or telling the story of what they are most looking forward to or most worried about for the day. We encourage you to make the change even for just one day a week, and you may be reminded of how much fun it is. Many more of us used to walk or bike to school when we were young. Let’s bring this small, healthy pleasure back to our children’s lives.

Carlene Ferrier
Volunteer Chair SRTS