More than 125 people took part in the walk as a way to teach children about pedestrian safety.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published October 15, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - Early-morning traffic on Sixth Street S slowed Oct. 8 as motorists craned to get a better look.
Along the sidewalk, children and adults formed a line more than a block long. Their white T-shirts proclaimed "Safe Kids Walk This Way." On foot and by bicycle, they made their way toward Lakewood Elementary School, mingling with school crossing guards and St. Petersburg Police Department officers.
McGruff the Crime Dog marched ahead of several children who carried yellow diamond-shaped signs - "Slow Down" and "Heed to Pedestrians" in English and Spanish.
In the midst of the crowd, 6-year-old Christopher Munoz grasped his mother's hand as the caravan stopped for the light at the intersection across from the school. His 7-year-old cousin, Samantha Frye, giggled at a passing motorist who honked his horn and waved.
Neither Christopher nor Samantha had minded getting up an hour earlier than usual that morning. They were thrilled that Christopher's mother, Abby Munoz, had agreed to let them participate.
Lakewood's International Walk to School Day, one of six in Pinellas County, attracted more than 125 students, parents and neighbors. The Partnership for a Walkable America, the organization that established Walk to School Day in the United States in 1997, estimated that hundreds of thousands of students, parents and community members from more than 3,000 schools participated nationwide. They all came together to celebrate a simple but increasingly rare act, said Shawna Browne, a spokeswoman for the partnership: the walk to school.
The Lakewood students and their parents met at Grandview Park, Sixth Street and 39th Avenue S, four blocks from the school. Several staff members walked with them, including Raquel Russo, coordinator for Lakewood's center for wellness and environmental studies.
Russo helped organize the event with cooperation from the Pinellas County Health Department, one of the school's community partners. Besides offering an opportunity for children to learn how to walk safely, the event provided them with some physical activity, she said.
"Our theme for the school is wellness. A lot of children live in the neighborhood, but they still come by bus or car. Kids don't walk anywhere anymore," she explained.
The hope, she added, was that if children could learn the rules of pedestrian safety, their parents would allow them to walk to school. Even better, perhaps their parents would walk with them.
Izella McCree, one of the school's teacher partners, got to the park shortly after 7 a.m. to greet arriving students. She was surprised at the turnout.
"It was so great, because you had parents, staff, students and the community participating," she said. "It also made the kids more aware of safety."
Tyler Butler, a St. Petersburg police officer assigned to the city's youth resources division, accompanied the children on his bicycle to demonstrate safe riding skills.
"You can talk to kids until you start to lose their attention," he said. "If you can show them, they're more apt to learn."
The need for children to be informed about safety issues is a great one, said Georgia Blake, the school's community involvement coordinator.
"I drive down Fourth Street every day," she said. "I see kids running across the street where there is no crosswalk. It just scares me to death."
Blake said she is unaware of any accidents involving children walking to or from school, but she said there have been some near misses.
Teachers could dwell on traffic accident statistics to teach children about safety, but engaging kids in positive activities such as International Walk to School Day has a greater impact on them, Russo said.
"We all know there is a problem. If we give the solution in a positive way, it will take care of the problem," she said. "If we guide the children, we'll be able to accomplish so much more."
How walkable is your community?
The National Safe Kids Campaign has created a survey to help parents determine if their neighborhood is a safe place to walk. The local Safe Kids Coalition is encouraging parents to pick a route, such as the one to school or to a friend's house, and notice walking conditions along the way.
After collecting the data below, which reflects questions asked on the survey, parents can send it to the Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition, All Children's Hospital, 801 Sixth St. S, St. Petersburg, 33701. The coalition will forward all responses to the national Safe Kids campaign.
Was your walk hindered by any of the following?
Sidewalks or paths started and stopped
Sidewalks were broken or cracked
Sidewalks were blocked with poles, signs, Dumpsters, etc.
There were no sidewalks, paths or shoulders
There was too much traffic
The road was too wide
Traffic signals made us wait too long or did not give us enough time to cross
Striped crosswalks or traffic signals were needed
Parked cars blocked our view of traffic
Trees or plants blocked our view of traffic
Curb ramps were needed or needed repair
Drivers backed out of driveways without looking
Drivers did not yield to people crossing street
Drivers drove too fast
Drivers sped up to make it through red lights
We could not cross at crosswalks or where we could see and be seen by drivers
We could not stop and look left, right and left again before crossing streets
We could not walk on sidewalks or shoulders facing traffic
