school has significantly contributed to increased auto use. It has been estimated that the “school run” adds 20-30 percent to traffic volume during the morning commute. 5 Changes in land use and driving patterns certainly seem to have contributed to the decreasing number of children walking to school. Have other changes led to the Safe Routes To Schools movement? It appears that the answer is yes. Environmental Quality At the same time as land use and transportation practices have been changing, we have seen significant changes in environmental quality. Air pollution concerns in the 1960s and ‘70s resulted in the passage of regulations aimed at reducing various pollutants. While many air pollutants have decreased during the past thirty years, the decline is now threatened by the continuing rise in the number of cars and trucks on the road, and in the miles each vehicle is driven. 6 However, one important emission has not decreased, carbon dioxide. This greenhouse gas is released in direct proportion to the gallons of gasoline consumed. The amount of carbon dioxide American cars and light trucks emit into the atmosphere has steadily increased. From 1970 to 1999, the amount increased by fifty-six percent, culminating in an estimated three hundred million metric tons of carbon dioxide being released in the latest year. Concerns about global warming have grown during this period as well. 7 Changing land development and driving patterns have also caused loss of natural habitat and farmland. Water quality suffers because more pavement is required to handle the increase in vehicles. This results in runoff of water laced with toxic substances from the pavement into lakes, streams, and rivers instead of being absorbed by the earth. Health and Wellness During the past twenty years, obesity among adults has risen significantly in the United States. The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows thirty percent of U.S. adults twenty years of age and older, over sixty million people, are obese. This increase is not limited to adults. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens aged six to nineteen years, sixteen percent, over nine million young people, are considered overweight. The Center for Disease Control has documented that Obesity among Americans is growing at an alarming rate: 8 In 1991, four states had obesity prevalence rates of 15-19 percent and no states had rates at or above 20 percent. In 2004, 7 states had obesity prevalence rates of 15–19 percent; 33 states had rates of 20–24 percent; and 9 states had rates more than 25 percent.
CENTER TOWNSHIP SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS FEASIBILITY STUDY
3