Please don't give up on this issue. I have been trying to get a Safe
Routes to School project started in Madison for several years. As an
alder, I felt a bit of conflict of interest, since it is possible that
Bicycle Federation might be bidding on a contract or consultant fees if
the city goes that route. But I have been pushing quietly at both the
Board of Education and the city level. Maya Cole is especially
interested in this topic, and there is a joint BOE-Council Liaison
Committee that has heard testimony as well.
As with many issues, you often have to repeat the message many times
before it sinks in. If the Bikies want walkable/bikeable/neighborhood
schools, it is very important to speak to as many Board of Education
members, alders, neighbors, city staff, teachers, parents, principals,
and others as possible. Tell them it will cut down on hazardous busing
costs. It is part of a healthy lifestyle to walk/bike to school. It's an
important community asset to have schools close by. Whatever hook you
can use, or about which you are passionate, that's the one to speak on.
The way I see it, even if you don't have kids, better walking and biking
will extend to the entire city. I once looked at a map of the MMSD
schools. One mile seems a walkable/bikeable distance, even for young
kids. (I walked/biked about 3/4 mile to school every day starting in 1st
grade, 2 miles for 7th and 8th grade, and 1.5 miles in high school.) If
you draw a circle of 1 mile radius around every MMSD school, you would
cover almost the entire city.
So I urge everyone to talk to whoever you know and make this an issue at
every level. It's not just about neighborhood schools, but also safe
walking and biking routes to those schools.
-- Robbie
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Matt Logan said ...
I believe the answer to this is to provide small walkable/bikable
neighborhood schools, at least for kids through 9th grade.
Then Mike said
I testified to the Board on this issue (having schools that can be
safely biked and walked to) a couple years ago. They didn't seem the
least bit interested. At best, it was in one ear and out the other.
Personally, I think a better strategy would be to get our newly
reelected mayor and several of our alders to testify before the Board
on this concern. Transportation issues are a city-wide issue and
consolidating and closing one or more MMSD schools will undoubtedly
have community-wide repercussions on livability, as Matt previous
suggests.
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