Promoting Safe Walking and Biking to School: The Marin County Success Story
Catherine E. Staunton, MD,
Deb Hubsmith, BS and
Wendi Kallins, BA for the Marin County Bicycle Coalitions Safe Routes to School Program
Catherine E. Staunton is with the National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga. Deb Hubsmith and Wendi Kallins are with Safe Routes to School, Marin County, Calif.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Catherine E. Staunton, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mail Stop K-30, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717 (e-mail: cstaunton{at}cdc.gov).
Walking and biking to school can be an important part of a healthylifestyle, yet most US children do not start their day withthese activities.
The Safe Routes to School Program in Marin County, California,is working to promote walking and biking to school. Using amultipronged approach, the program identifies and creates saferoutes to schools and invites communitywide involvement. Byits second year, the program was serving 4665 students in 15schools.
Participating public schools reported an increase in schooltrips made by walking (64%), biking (114%), and carpooling (91%)and a decrease in trips by private vehicles carrying only onestudent (39%).
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