Walking to school could make a comeback soon BY DANIELLE MEDINA Correspondent BRICK TOWNSHIP - School and township officials have taken the first step in getting more local children to walk to and from school. The school district has a possibility of receiving a $200,000 grant to make infrastructure improvements and implement educational opportunities at Midstreams Elementary School, through the Safe Routes to School Program, a federal, state and local initiative to encourage and enable more children to walk to school. "There are 147 walkers right now at Midstreams," said township Assistant Planner Tara Paxton. "Because the school is surrounded by a neighborhood, it has the most potential for more walkers. But we have to start in small steps." The Safe Routes to School Program includes four components - engineering, enforcement, education and encouragement. Improving traffic safety and the perception of children's personal safety is key to getting more children to walk, Paxton said. Infrastructure improvements would include the installation of sidewalks and curbs, walking pathways, crosswalk enhancements, additional signage and markings on the street, she said. The paved walking pathway that would be created would be through a wooded area the township owns at the end of Winchester Drive and Village Way, Paxton said. "But the state is not just going to give us money for sidewalks," Paxton said. "We have to try to make behavioral changes. There's a reason why kids who live between 500 and 800 feet away from school are being bused. We have to find out why." The grant includes programming elements at the school, such as a once-a-week walk to school day and a walking school bus. In a walking school bus, the children would be picked up by an adult - a member of the traffic safety department or school transportation department for example - and escorted to school. Parents would also be encouraged to walk their children to school, Paxton said. In addition to the health benefits walking provides the students and the environment, there is would also be a financial benefit to the district. "There's a real potential for good cost savings because if we eliminate one bus that's $30,000, " Paxton said. Since the grant is available annually, connecting the sidewalks on Lanes Mill Road, where Brick Township Memorial High School students walk, might be considered for a grant in the future, she said. The township's grant writer, Bruno Group, worked with the township's administration, engineering and traffic safety departments, the Board of Education and the administrators at Midstreams Elementary School in preparing the application. The Bruno Group also met with the Midstreams Parent Teacher Association, teachers and residents. A decision on the grant award is expected in May.