THE BRONX CELEBRATES NATIONAL WALK OUR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL DAY

BOROUGH PRESIDENT TO "DRIVE" WALKING SCHOOL BUS TO PS 73

March 2, 1999

The Bronx Borough President, Fernando Ferrer, will be joined by students and parents from PS 73, who will be walking together to school to call attention to awareness for child pedestrian safety concerns.

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1999, 8:10AM
WHERE: THE "BUS" WILL LEAVE FROM THE CORNER OF 165TH ST. AND ANDERSON AVENUE AND TRAVEL TO SCHOOL FROM THERE, PICKING CHILDREN UP ALONG THE ROUTE.
WHAT: A "WALKING SCHOOL BUS" IS A GROUP OF CHILDREN, LEAD BY VOLUNTEER PARENTS, WHO WALK TOGETHER ALONG A SET ROUTE TO SCHOOL, PICKING UP MORE CHILDREN WHO LIVE ALONG THE ROUTE.

In The Bronx, which has the highest rate of pedestrian death and injury in New York State, being struck by a car is a leading cause of preventable death and injury for children age 5-14. Each year, an estimated 5,700 pedestrians are killed in the United States- one out of seven of those are children. It is against this backdrop that the Bronx Borough President established the Safe Routes to School Program two years ago.

School is back in session, that means children are once again facing their greatest health threat, that is traffic as they head to and from school. In The Bronx traffic is the leading cause of death and injury for children 5-11 years old. The Bronx Borough President's Office has taken note of the need to make children's traffic safety a priority and has successfully established Safe Routes to School Programs at thirteen elementary schools. The walk is an opportunity to bring attention to the need for safer streets at PS 48 and PS 71 , two of the participating schools.

"We are tired of feeling threatened by cars and trucks speeding and turning aggressively on the streets our children use to get to school. Our children deserve to travel freely to school in safety," states Shirley Powell the PTA president at PS. 48, where a 6 year old child was killed over the summer by a 18 wheeler. "Emphasizing the need for safety on the streets where the predominant users are children is long overdue. National Walk Our Children to School Day and the Bronx Borough President's Safe Routes to School Program work together to bring this issue to the fore" states Susan Boyle, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator.