Walking guru: Make QCA safe for kids, pedestrians

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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Monday, October 27, 2008 7:34 PM CDT | () comments

Mark Fenton, a national expert on walking, talks with educators, law enforcement, and other officials while on a walking tour to a Rock Island School. (Larry Fisher/QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo

The Quad-Cities is taking another stride toward community-wide fitness this week with the help of nationally known pedestrian advocate Mark Fenton, who says the first step needs to involve our children.

About 30 people from all parts of the metropolitan area attended a Monday workshop led by Fenton on how to establish safe routes to schools.

“We are raising a generation of unhealthy kids,” said Fenton, who spoke to educators, community planners, parents and police about the national initiative to promote daily walking habits.

Fenton has helped facilitate pedestrian planning in places such as Louisville and Lexington, Ky., Columbia, Mo., and Honolulu. He is a recognized authority on public health issues and promotes initiatives to encourage more walking and biking.

Safe pedestrian paths to school are critical to community development, he said, showing data that indicate the number of children dropped off by car at school grew 30 percent in the past 30 years while the number of children who walk or bicycle to school is down 35 percent. Busing children to school is also down 28 percent over the same time period.

“Somehow it’s happened that people think to be a good parent means to drive your child to school,” said Sue Ickes, a nurse serving elementary schools in East Moline.

Walking to school — or while at school for those who live too far from the building — helps the academic performance and behavior of students, Fenton said, pointing out new federal guidelines that show children should have at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily activity.

Children who are physically inactive tend to have low self-esteem and performance issues. Today’s children have an “inactivity epidemic,” he suggested, pointing to rising obesity rates and the number of related diseases such as diabetes.

Fenton offered a number of suggestions already in use around America:

n A “walking” school bus. A parent volunteer walks to school, picking up children at various homes along the route.

n A bicycle train. The same idea as the walking school bus.

n Adult volunteers on neighborhood corners. This, he said, is especially good for senior citizen volunteers who are willing to stand outside their homes with a cell phone as the children pass by.

n Early outs. Dismiss walkers and bicyclists a few minutes early so they clear out of the school building before the bus and auto riders leave. “This is not rocket science,” Fenton said.

Workshop participants walked from Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church to Audubon Elementary School in Rock Island to see actual student pick-up practices in action.

Fenton’s presentation is part of larger plans to make the Quad-Cities more user-friendly for walkers and bike riders. Jim Spelhaug, the superintendent of the Pleasant Valley School District, hopes the events help build the energy level of policymakers and other interest groups.

Matt Flynn, a senior planner from Davenport, said a master transportation plan is being designed for the city that will involve school routes. A grant to improve pedestrian safety recently was received by Jackson Elementary School in west Davenport.

Fenton, also a former member of the U.S. race-walking team, made a presentation Monday night at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport. He is scheduled to speak today to real estate and development directors, as well to members of the area business community.

His visit is sponsored by Activate Quad-Cities, as well as Palmer College, Metro transportation services and the Quad-City Chamber of Commerce Federation.

Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.