September 26, 2014 – Midland’s Non-Motorized Transportation (NMT) Committee encourages K-12 students to walk or bike to school on October 8 in recognition of International Walk to School Day.
In the U.S., Walk to School Day is expected to be celebrated at over 4,000 events at participating schools. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world on this special day.
Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment, and building connections among families, schools, and the broader community.
“While we do not directly sponsor any events in Midland, we wanted to raise awareness about this day,” said Kerry Irons, Vice-Chair, NMT Committee. “The NMT Committee is working to make Midland a more bike-walk friendly city. From feedback received, it’s obvious that parents want safer options for non-motorized transportation for their children.”
The NMT Committee is currently working on implementation of the Midland non-motorized transportation plan, which was approved by the Midland City Council in 2009 and recently updated. The plan includes city-wide bike routes, bike lanes, and a range of related activities involving education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, and evaluation.
For information on bike-walk efforts in Midland, visit the NMT Committee website at http://www.cityofmidlandmi.gov/441/Bike-Walk-Midland. For more on National Walk to School Day, visit the following websites: International Walk to School in the USA (www.walkbiketoschool.org), National Center for Safe Routes to School (www.saferoutesinfo.org), and International Walk to School (www.iwalktoschool.org).
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