Utah School Honored for Walk-to-School Program

The National Center for Safe Routes to School has selected Alpine Elementary School in Alpine, Utah, for its 2010 James L. Oberstar Safe Routes to School Award.

The award recognizes outstanding achievement among the more than 10,000 campuses that have Safe Routes to School programs.

Between September 2008 and May 2010, the school increased the number of children who regularly walk and bicycle to school from 35 to 50 percent.

The school received $71,500 to install four solar-powered speed-limit signs, build a new walking and bicycling trail, and improve the bike storage area at the school. The city of Alpine donated $125,000 in labor and materials to improve sidewalks and crosswalks near the school.

"We want to help come up with safe ways to help children walk, ride their scooters or bike to school," says James Christian of the Federal Highway Administration’s Utah office. "It’s a healthy way to get around, and it really fits with the First Lady’s Let’s Move initiative. Plus, it saves gas and helps cut down on the amount of pollution in our air."