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Omro, WI— U.S. Representative Tom Petri will walk to Omro Middle School with students on October 11 to launch a Walk and Bike to School event. The walk will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Omro Footbridge (north corner of South Webster and Main Street downtown). Other scheduled participants include State Senator Richard Spanbauer and Omro Middle School Principal Paul Williams. The Walk and Bike to School event will conclude with a press conference from 9:40-10:15 a.m.
“This is a great event,” says Rep. Petri. “We want to be sure that kids can bike and walk to school in a safe way and encourage them to do so. This lays the groundwork for a healthy lifestyle and sets them on the right path - a good path for all of us to follow."
Upon arriving at the school, Petri will speak to students and learn about school's comprehensive Safe Routes to School program, which works to increase the number and safety of kids walking and biking to school. Petri will learn about bike rides the school offers at recess and as part of the physical education curriculum, an in-school bike shop, an earn-a-bike program, and a school fitness trail.
Representatives from the Wisconsin Safe Routes to School Network and the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin will be on hand to answer questions about Safe Routes to School programs throughout the state.
Omro Middle School is one of hundreds of schools across Wisconsin with an active Safe Routes to School program. In 2008, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation awarded Omro a $21,000 federal Safe Routes to School planning grant. Omro has applied for an additional grant and will find out in October whether its application was successful; its proposal was one of 50 Safe Routes to School proposals received this year by WisDOT.
Safe Routes to School promotes walking and biking to school to address rising bus costs and overweight issues among students. Teachers have reported that children who walk or bike to school start the day refreshed and ready to learn.
Quick facts about schools, transportation and health:
- Nationwide, as much as 20% to 30% of morning traffic is generated by parents driving their children to schools. (Dubay A. “See Dick and Jane Sit in Traffic,” The Press Democrat, September 7, 2003 cited in Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting. US Environmental Protection Agency EPA 231-R-03-004. October 2003. Available at www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/pdf/school_travel.pdf)
- People living in auto-oriented suburbs drive more, walk less, and are more obese than people living in walkable communities. (Frank LD, Andresen MA, Schmid TL. “Obesity relationships with community design, physical activity, and time spent in cars.” American Journal of Preventative Medicine 2004; 27: 87-96.)
- For each hour of driving per day, obesity increases 6%, while walking or biking for transportation reduces the risk of obesity. (Frank LD, Andresen MA, Schmid TL. “Obesity relationships with community design, physical activity, and time spent in cars.” American Journal of Preventative Medicine 2004; 27: 87-96.)
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that physical inactivity results in $76 billion in direct medical costs annually.
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About Safe Routes to School: Safe Routes to School is a growing national movement to increase the number and safety of kids walking and biking to school. Safe Routes to School is now a federally funded program that is being adopted in communities across the nation to address skyrocketing childhood obesity rates, poor air quality and the crashes and injuries due to increased traffic near schools.
In 2005, Congress authorized $612 million in funding for Safe Routes to School. Grants from the federal Safe Routes to School program are awarded by state departments of transportation and allow schools and communities to retrofit roads, sidewalks and bike paths to allow children to more safely walk and bicycle to school. Funding also supports education, promotion and enforcement campaigns. As more children are able to safely walk and bicycle to school, children and their communities benefit from reduced traffic congestion, better air quality, and healthier lifestyles. More information is available at www.saferoutes.bfw.org.
About the Wisconsin Safe Routes to School Network: The Wisconsin SRTS Network comprises 50 groups working to increase physical activity among all students, to ensure that federal SRTS funds are spent on quality projects, to leverage additional state resources for SRTS initiatives, and to advocate to remove barriers to walking and bicycling to schools through policy initiatives.
About the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin: The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (Bike Fed) is a statewide bicycle advocacy organization representing thousands of members across Wisconsin. Its mission is to inspire, motivate, and unite a strong community of civic, business and political leaders, motorists and bicyclists to move bicycling forward in Wisconsin. For more information on the Bike Fed visit www.bfw.org.
For More Information Contact:
Niel Wright, Press Secretary
Office of Rep. Tom Petri
(202) 225-2476
niel.wright@mail.house.gov
Kathryn Kingsbury, Director of Communication
Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin
(608) 251-4456
kathryn.kingsbury@bfw.org
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