Searching for the safer routes

Program goal is to map out the safe routes for children

By ANDREW POTTER, TIMES-REPUBLICAN
TOLEDO — City officials from throughout the area converged at the Reinig-Toledo Civic Center Monday to learn more about how to cut childhood obesity rates and have less cars on the road.


The Safe Routes To School program of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition put on the presentation dealing with education and encouragement for communities to take a look at how to get children walking or biking to school.


“We want to have people talk about how to make it safe to walk or bike,” said Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.


In Marshalltown, the issue of providing sidewalks for walking has been a pressing one within the past few months and debated at city council.


Wyatt touted the benefits of having sidewalks in a community.


“I think sidewalks are an integral part of any active community,” he said. “They make communities more livable.”


Jen Bedet, SRTS program director, noted 18 to 20 percent of children in Iowa are obese.


“Today’s children may be the generation since the Civil War that have a shorter life expectancy than their parents,” she said.


Steps to creating safe routes talked about during the meeting were bringing together people, gathering information, making a plan and getting funding.


The program is looking to hold about 15 of these types of events throughout Iowa in the next two months.


“A lot of communities are looking into building trails,” Wyatt said.


To learn more information about the SRTS program visit www.iowasaferoutes.org or call 515-309-2867.


———


Contact Andrew Potter at 641-753-6611 or apotter@timesrepublican.com