One problem noted in the article:
“Notice how the sidewalk actually stops at the school entrance, guaranteeing that any kid who dares to walk to school will find herself immediately in the path of motor vehicles. And that definitely would not be a good thing: parents’ traffic at Thurston, chauffering kids to and fro, has apparently gotten so heavy and unwieldy that the school has posted a flyer full of sternly worded cautionary rules and a complicated-looking traffic flow map,…”
And from a school official:
“However, in Laguna there are few sidewalks, winding roads with blind corners and a considerable distance for our students to travel and we cannot endorse walking or biking to school so much so that, at considerable cost (parents pay a portion), we provide busing for the elementary schools and middle school.’”
Hmm, so buses at considerable yearly cost from the education budget are an economical alternative to sidewalks and cycling considerations? Just another way of saving a few pennies in the transportation budget and make someone else pay for incomplete streets.
But if this is for the safety of our children … “But riding in a car isn’t exactly safe, either, given that each year some 250,000 children are injured in automobile accidents, including 2000 who die as a result. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for children between ages two and 14.”
It does not sound like we are improving the safety of our children at all.
From: https://rss.nrdcfeeds.org/~r/switchboard_kbenfield/~3/w2kQj4eBpwI/want_to_walk_to_school_laguna.html
Children & Car Accidents; the Alarming StatisticsoldId.20101019091812736