Group Travel

LPOSD Safe Routes to School encourages group travel: walking, biking, carpooling, and riding the school bus to get your child to and from school safely.

Help improve the health of our children and community...

• • Reach the recommended goal of 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

  • Arrive at school energized and ready to learn.

  • Leave the car behind and reduce fuel expenses.

  • Decrease school zone traffic congestion.

  • Reduce vehicle emissions in school zones.

  • Take an active roll in your family’s well-being.

Safe Routes to School encourages you to choose an alternative that will work for your family…

Walking Bus

A walking bus is a group of students walking to school with one or more adults. That sounds simple, and that is part of the appeal. It can be as informal as two families taking turns walking their children to school, or as structured as a planned route with meeting points, a timetable, and a schedule of trained volunteers.

Bicycle Train

A variation on the walking school bus is a bicycle train where a group of students and adult leaders ride together to school. A bicycle train offers a safe, fun way to ride as a group. Because of the equipment involved and the potential need to ride on a road, planning and conducting a bicycle train is more involved than having a walking school bus.

Park-and-Walk / Carpool

For those parents who must drive their children to school, several strategies can reduce traffic congestion at the school and in adjacent streets including park-and-walk and carpool programs. A park-and-walk program makes use of an off-site location as a parking area for parents (such as a nearby church or park) who then walk their child to school or join a regularly scheduled walking school bus to complete their journey. Families can also carpool to reduce traffic congestion at the school.

School Bus

Riding a school bus is a great way for your child to get to school. In the United States, 23 million students take the bus to and from school each day. www.safercar.gov

If you are interested in organizing a walking bus or bicycle train for your school, contact your school office or parent organization. Let them know you are willing to help make your school zone safer by reducing vehicle traffic. Encourage neighbors to join you. www.saferoutesinfo.org