The Walking School Bus is part of the Safe Route to School program, which is designed to make walking and bicycling to school safer for children and to increase the number of children who choose to walk and bicycle.
The city has identified three possible routes for the Walking School Bus at Pawnee Elementary School:
The red route will be initiated first followed by the other two routes, depending on the number of volunteers.
By initiating programs, such as the Walking Bus Program, the city and school hope to increase the number of students who walk to school while, among other things:
- Increasing physical activity
- Decreasing adolescent obesity
- Reducing traffic congestion around schools
- Reducing air pollution and gas consumption
They also will be able to break through the barriers that keep students from bicycling/walking to school:
- Long distances
- Traffic danger
- Adverse weather
- Fear of crime
The city received a $14,525 grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to start the Walking School Bus program.
For more information on Overland Park's Walking School Bus program, contact Guy Alon at 913/895-6093.