Earth Day 2013 Art Contest - Enter Now!

What does "green transportation" mean to you? How do you picture the future of transportation? Submit your art - One entry per class!

Entries must be received by Friday, April 12th at 4pm

The Napa Safe Routes to School program is part of the solution to increase physical activity and improve unsafe walking and bicycling conditions. It may also improve air quality. The school setting provides a unique opportunity to create an environment that encourages walking and bicycling as a way to travel to and from school and, especially for walking, as an activity during the school day. This holds the potential to reach the vast majority of children who regularly attend and must travel to school.

Walking does not require special skills or expensive equipment, which makes it feasible for most of the population. School-based walking programs have the potential to address several of the most commonly cited barriers to physical activity, including motor vehicle traffic dangers and lack of a safe environment. Walking and bicycling to and from school can contribute towards the development of a lifelong habit and a community-wide norm of incorporating physical activity into daily routines. Children who walk to school are more physically active overall than those who travel to school by motor vehicle, although the journey to school itself contributed relatively little.