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Building Healthier Communities Through School-Based Active Transportation

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  • 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
  • All areas of bicycling
    • Transportation bicyclists
    • Recreational road bicycling
    • Mountain biking
  • Encourage more people to �ride bicycles
  • Make conditions better for �people who ride

About Bike Utah

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  • Why Active Transportation at Schools?
  • History and Existing Barriers
  • Negotiating Barriers
  • Technical Resources
  • Financial Resources

Overview

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Why Active Transportation at Schools?

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Physical Activity

Increased obesity

    • Second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
    • Utah adolescents: 10.5% are overweight and 6.4% are obese.

Utah adults: 56.9% are overweight and 22.5% are

obese.

General lack of physical activity among adolescents

      • 82.7% of Utah adolescents were not physically active for the recommended amount during the week prior to the survey.
      • 78.2% of Utah adolescents do not attend daily physical education class in an average week.

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90% of Americans believe their local K-12 schools should play the biggest community role in fighting obesity.

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Air Quality

  • Nine Utah counties are projected to more than double their population by 2050
  • 57% of emissions come from motor vehicles
  • Air pollution around schools linked to poorer student health and academic performance

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Academic Performance

Participation in physical activity is positively related to academic performance in children

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Livable Neighborhoods

If it’s safe and enjoyable for kids to ride and walk . . .

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Equity

Riding out of necessity rather than choice

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History and Barriers

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How Kids Get to School

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Identifying Barriers

Barrier

Percentage of Parents Identifying with the Barrier

Distance to school

61.5

Traffic-related danger

30.4

Weather

18.6

Crime danger

11.7

Opposing school policy

6.0

Other reasons (not identified)

15.0

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2005)

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Distance to School

  • Lower likelihood of being in a neighborhood
  • Renovating vs. Building New
  • Minimum siting acreage requirements
  • Zoning

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Traffic-Related Danger

Perceived to be Unsafe for Bicycling and Walking

More Parents Drive their Kids to School

Too Many Cars Around the School

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Weather

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Crime Danger

  • 2% of reported missing children were the result of non-family abductions �(US Department of Justice, 2002)

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Opposing School Policy

  • Not safe to walk or bike to school
  • Don’t want to be responsible for bikes or scooters�

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Negotiating Barriers

4 Es

  • Engineering
  • Enforcement
  • Education
  • Encouragement

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Engineering

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Changing Who We Build For

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Protected Infrastructure

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Enforcement

  • Speed
  • Signage
  • Drop-off location buffer
  • Law enforcement

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Education

  • Youth Bicycle Education and Safety Training Program
  • SNAP Walk N’ Roll
  • SNAP Maps
  • Bicycle Rodeos

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Encouragement

  • Walking School Bus
  • Bike Train
  • Bike to School Day
  • Walk to School Day
  • Gold Medal Schools Program

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Technical Resources

  • Bike Utah
  • Utah Safe Routes to School & SNAP
  • Safe Routes to School National Partnership
  • Utah PTA

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Financial Resources

  • Safe Routes to School (UDOT)
    • Infrastructure and Non-infrastructure
  • Joint Highways Committee – Transportation Alternatives Program (UDOT)
  • UDOT Projects
  • Metropolitan Planning Organizations: TAP, CMAQ, STP

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Phil Sarnoff

psarnoff@bikeutah.org

801-440-3729

www.bikeutah.org