The city has put together an easy to use website for Walk to School week for people looking to either create or participate in a program. You don't have to be a teacher or administrator to set up a walk (although you do to set up a larger event). To register your event, click here.
October 9th is Walk to School Day, both nationally and in the City of Los Angeles. This year, LADOT has teamed with Alta Planning + Design to encourage more students, parents and schools to participate in the event. Walk to School Day is the second event of Walktober, following the WalkLAvia parade that will be part of the October 6th CicLAvia.
At their blog, Los Angeles Walks promotes Walk to School Day:
With the City’s increased emphasis on pedestrian safety, Walk to School Day 2013 is a great platform for shining a light on the importance of improving safety of students walking to school, increasing the share of students walking and biking to school, and providing physical activity opportunities. This event and the SRTS Strategic Plan process of the past year mark a wonderful and unprecedented collaboration between LAUSD and the City, who are working together to enhance the safety, health, school performance and physical fun of our students and future walkers!
Taking part in Walk to School Day can be as simple as taking your child, and walking him or her to school. That's my plan. But for those looking to make a larger splash, they can partner with LADOT and the school to make the day more memorable. LADOT can provide giveaways, banners and even some help on site for larger events But you have to register by the end of this week so they can plan how to use their resources.
If you're planning a Walk to School event near, but not on, October 9th, you should still register with the city as they can still provide some level of support.
Last, if you're such a Streetsblog fanatic that you can't bear the thought of leaving this website, leave your contact information and what school you represent/are partnering with in the comments section and they will get in touch with you. Once they tell me they've made contact, I'll delete the information so it doesn't live forever on the Internet.
Jessica Meaney, a director with the Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership, likes what she sees as a growing relationship between LADOT and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
"One of the things I am most excited and hopeful about is the growing relationship between LADOT and LAUSD on incorporating the needs of families and students into our transportation decisions and investments," Meaney writes.
The City of Los Angeles seems to be making a good faith effort to make the city a safer place to walk with increased emphasis on Safe Routes to Schools, an aggressive rollout of the Continental Crosswalk Program, a revived pedestrian advisory committee, and an improved Walk to School Program. The city has a modest goal of 50 participant schools in this year's Walk to School Program. I'd be willing to bet the program will have hundreds of schools participating in future years.
