Let’s Go KC

Just everyone else who has chosen to depend on automotive transportation, school districts are facing the problem of how to deal with rising fuel costs.  For the first time ever, the Blue Springs School District expects to spend more on fuel for schools buses than it spends on the actual buses. It is a problem that is sure to hit all school districts in the metro soon, and then hit taxpayers when the schools ask for more operating money.

One solution is to get kids out of the buses and onto their own two feet. It used to be that most kids walked or biked to school, and buses were used only for kids living in the country. Now only 16% of American kids walk or bike school, and schools maintain giant fleets of buses to transport kids short distances. Even worse, many suburbs have chosen to make it difficult and dangerous for kids to walk or bike to school.  Many neighborhoods lake sidewalks and many schools are located on busy roads.

There is a national movement called Safe Routes to School that seeks to reverse this situation. The Federal government even provides grants for cities and schools to implement educational problems and build sidewalks. For information getting money for your community, check out the Mid-America Regional Council.

Instead of spending our tax money putting fuel into dinosaur school buses, lets spend some of it on building sidewalks, crosswalks, bike racks, etc.