[Winona Online Democracy] I live within 2 miles of the high school where my daughter goes. I certainly would not feel comfortable with her walking up Gilmore Avenue, across Highway 61 and then along Gilmore Avenue to the high school. There is way too much traffic to make this a safe walk.
I often take her to school in the mornings so that isn't so much of a problem. However, school ends much earlier than work does for my wife and I and getting home would be much more of an issue. Steve Hacken -----Original Message----- From: Ed Thompson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 12:20 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Winona] walking to school [Winona Online Democracy] At 08:42 AM 1/20/05 -0600, Linda F wrote: >I don't claim to have all the answers but having students walk 2 miles to >school is too much. Not all parents are able to drive their children to >school. How is a 6 year old supposed to walk 2 miles? >Yes, I know our grandparents did it........ At the risk of sounding like the community grouch here, I have to at least partially disagree. Many health studies have not only shown that walking (or running) five or more miles per day is not excessive for elementary-aged (and certainly secondary-aged as well) children, but that it is positive and something to be encouraged to help keep our kids healthy. Lack of extensive daily exercise, as much as diet, is why so many of our children are either obese or in such poor physical shape, and walking to and from school has been noted as one of the better ways for kids to get this exercise. Our grandparents, parents, and indeed many of us did indeed walk two miles or more to school, and we were healthier for doing it. Now, I do indeed realize there are many other circumstances that have to be taken into consideration. Primary among these, being in a northern state as we are, is the very real danger of kids walking or biking on roads, particularly rural ones such as Linda's, during darkness. Walking during extremely cold weather is also another, as would be younger children crossing railroad tracks or busy intersections. However, all of those are problems for kids walking any distance, be it half a mile or two miles. Transportation issues certainly need to be discussed and many issues remain to be resolved, but let's keep the real problems clear and see what we can do to address them. Ed Thompson _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
