New Jersey-2022-AJR105-Introduced

A Joint Resolution designating October of each year as "Walk to School Month."

Whereas, Walking or biking to school has a multitude of benefits for children, their parents, and the community and should be encouraged where possible; and

Whereas, Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle that decreases the risk of obesity and diabetes and increases the chance children will remain physically active into adulthood; and

Whereas, Walking or biking to school helps incorporate regular physical exercise for children and can build healthy habits that last a lifetime; and

Whereas, Motor vehicles emit a variety of air pollutants that result in increases of ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter that can cause asthma and other respiratory conditions; and

Whereas, By walking or riding a bike to school, families reduce the number of automobiles on the road and in turn reduce the number of air pollutants emitted in their communities; and

Whereas, Reducing the number of vehicles on the road also has the benefit of making it safer for children and their families to walk to school; and

Whereas, When children walk or bike to school, families save on gas and communities spend less on building and maintaining roads; and

Whereas, Improving conditions for walking and biking brings families, neighbors, school officials, and community leaders together which helps breed a sense of community and civic engagement; and

Whereas, It is important for communities to provide safe walking and biking routes to allow children to get to and from school; and

Whereas, There are many ways that communities can ensure walking and biking to school are safer for families including maintaining sidewalks, installing traffic calming devices near schools, and providing pedestrian signals at intersections; and

Whereas, Making communities safer for families and children to walk to school also makes the schools more accessible to others in the community such as individuals with disabilities or seniors; and

Whereas, Schools and families should work together to map and plan routes to school that make it easy for all children in a community to safely walk or bike to school; and

Whereas, Walking and biking to school benefit not only children, but their families, their school officials, and their neighborhood and should be encouraged in communities throughout the State; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The month of October of each year shall be designated as "Walk to School Month."

2. The Governor is respectfully requested to annually issue a proclamation recognizing "Walk to School Month" and call upon public officials, private organizations and all citizens of the State to observe this month each year with appropriate events and activities.

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This resolution designates October of each year as "Walk to School Month."

Walking and biking to school are beneficial for children, their families, their schools, and their communities. Walking and biking bring physical and health benefits to children and their families by providing regular exercise. This reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, making the whole family healthier. The more families who walk to school, the fewer vehicles there are on the road which reduces traffic and air pollution. The benefits also extend to the school and community with lower road maintenance costs.

In order to fully realize the benefits of more children walking to school, communities and schools must do their part in planning safe routes for families to walk. This can mean placing or repairing sidewalks along busy roadways, introducing traffic calming measures near schools, or installing pedestrian signals at intersections. It is important that parents, school officials, and community leaders work together to ensure safe walking and biking routes to schools for families in their community. By recognizing "Walk to School Month," the State encourages all schools and communities to promote the benefits of walking or biking to school.