Westover: Want kids to walk to school? Then make it safer for them, Ottawa

Early in September, as I was walking my daughter to class on her first week of Grade 6, we spotted a tent set up beside the school’s front office, touting the many benefits of hoofing it to school. There’s no doubt, it’s good for the kids to get some pre-classroom fresh air and it’s a boon for the environment.

But every year around this time, the editorials and articles start piling up, pointing a finger at those parents who don’t let their elementary age kids walk alone, or who choose to drive them, lamenting the loss of independence and ensuing confidence.

As parents, I think most of us would rather send our children off on a daily jaunt to school, footloose and fancy-free. But here’s the problem: distracted drivers, busy intersections, lack of crossing guards and speed cameras — the list goes on. Oh, and have you seen the size of the average family SUV? Good luck spotting an under four-footer crossing in front of one of those behemoths.

My daughter’s school can be reached by most students only by running the gauntlet of a ridiculously busy intersection, which is bisected by an OC Transpo bus route, which is further complicated by a need for cars turning left or right to pull well ahead to see past oncoming traffic.

The result is a noisy, intimidating honk-fest — not a high-visibility vest to be seen — with buses turning right on green, failing to wait for the herd of kids to cross. On many occasions I have had to hold out an arm aggressively, channelling my inner traffic cop, to stop a harried driver from turning in to us. I’ve had student transport drivers pull so far into the crosswalk we’ve had to veer outside the lines to get to the other side.

My daughter and her friends aren’t Indiana Jones. They shouldn’t be expected to take their lives in their hands simply by walking to school.

Our culture has changed from those halcyon days when kids could run to school freely, the biggest vehicle on the road a wood-panelled station wagon, the greatest distraction for drivers a static-y radio. Now, our phones ping and beep ad ad nauseam, and for some, cars double as offices, a phenomenon exacerbated by the pandemic.

Today is International Walk to School Day.

But walking to school is an ideal we’ll reach, only if, as a community, we work together. Cars need to slow down in school zones. Fines need to be redoubled. Crossing guards should be a matter of course at busy intersections. Flashing, on-demand cross-walks should be installed at quieter stop streets.

Back in September, I inquired at the tent about a crossing-guard as a good first step. I was told to call the city, where the intersection would be assessed based on how many children use it. I pointed out that the number would likely be a lot higher if there was an adult dedicated to safe passage. Could we not, I suggested, put a guard on a pilot project and see how many more parents feel safer about giving their kids a little boost of independence? Do we need a child to be injured, or worse, before we decide to make things safer?

We don’t take that approach with our local beaches, for example. We put lifeguards in place to prevent drownings. We don’t wait for these to happen and then say, “You know, a lifeguard might be an idea.”

If we want kids to reap all the benefits of walking to school, including the self-sufficiency that comes with doing it alone or in a small group, we need to be prepared to make the grade on safety.

Suzanne Westover is an Ottawa writer.