Radio Commentary
Just a few generations ago, in the
1950s and 60s, half of all children bicycled or walked to school. Today, only
one in ten does so.
In fact, even among school-age
children who live within two miles of school, only about two percent ride
bicycles to get there. These figures have implications for health, fitness, and
safety.
The Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition
cites several major reasons for the decline:
• As we widened roads for cars, we
decreased safety for bikers and walkers, leading to a lack of area for children
to walk and bike safely.
• Excessive media stories about the
dangers of child abductions, gun violence, drugs, and other
real-but-overblown-concerns add to a sense of danger and worry for parents.
The truth is that automobiles are
by far a bigger threat to children than all these other potential threats
combined.
• With both parents working, for
longer hours, many try to compensate through the perceived ‘gift’ of driving
children around.
These changes have contributed to
increased rates of obesity among young people.
They have also helped foster a loss
the independence that comes from bicycling.
As was the case with recycling and
smoking, it will take shifts of awareness and attitude to change the current
condition. We should all try to help.
