Is walking to school dangerous?

I am puzzled by the request of the East Brunswick Board of Education to remove a planned footpath from a proposed new development to a nearby school.

In an article published in the East Brunswick Sentinel on March 21, 2012 it was reported that the township Planning Board approved a 13-home subdivision near Chittick Elementary School. “One of the conditions of the approval was the removal of a proposed footpath that would have run from one of the new cul de sacs and connect with a sidewalk near the Chittick parking lot. The applicant had originally included the footpath as a convenience for families with children attending the school.   However, the Board of Education submitted a memo to the board, requesting that the path be taken out due to safety concerns.”

I do not understand the logic behind this demand. A footpath will make walking to school safer for the kids who live close to school and don’t ride the school bus. What are the safety concerns? Having a path does not mean that young children will be walking unaccompanied to and from school. The adults who usually drive them can, and should, go with them, everybody will benefit: the kids, their parents, the town and the planet.  In a time when the government is promoting more physical activity for all, childhood obesity is an epidemic and kids are encouraged to walk and bike to school through local,  federal, international programs, global climate change and pollution are making us all think of ways to live a more environmentally responsible life style, walking more while driving less seem to be an easy step to achieve a better life style.

My family is fortunate to live near an elementary and junior high schools. Sky and Happy (not their real names, as you already know) walked to school every day when they attended those schools. They got some exercise, they chatted with their friends on the way, they waved at the neighbors, and they watched the birds and flowers and enjoyed some fresh air on the way to and from school. As did I when they were very young. With or without an adult, never had they been in any kind of a dangerous situation. In fact, my only concern was when they had to walk near cars waiting to drop off or pick up students—it has been shown that most accident occurring near schools involve cars dropping off or picking up.

I urge the planning board and board of education to reconsider the decision to remove the footpath from the plan.