Circulate San Diego had a great time joining students and families at Chollas-Mead Elementary and the San Diego Police Department to celebrate Walk to School Day. Some families walked from home, while others met at a nearby location and joined the “Walking School Bus” to be safely guided to school by parent volunteers and officers.
Earlier in the year, students participated in a pedestrian safety course at school provided by Circulate San Diego. Because we want students to walk to school but we want them to do it safely. Walk to School Day at Chollas-Mead built on these presentations by emphasizing the importance of increasing pedestrian safety, physical activity among children, concern for the environment, and building connections among families, schools, and the broader community.
The celebration was part of the Vision Zero initiative, which is working towards zero traffic deaths in San Diego by 2025. Through Vision Zero, eight priority corridors were identified to have the highest concentration of collisions in the City of San Diego. Chollas-Mead Elementary is adjacent to Market Street, which is one of the eight Vision Zero Corridors. On Walk to School Day students had the luxury of being escorted to school by officers and families; however, this is not possible every day. Therefore, it is important the City of San Diego continues to take steps to create safe and forgiving streets for everyone.
Chollas-Mead Elementary is a great school that creates the opportunity to learn in a safe environment. Education is a key component to reducing traffic deaths and reaching Vision Zero. It was a great opportunity to be able to partner with one of the most vulnerable schools to bring pedestrian safety presentations to their students. While we continue to ask for infrastructural updates that will have a significant positive impact on Vision Zero Corridors and most importantly the residents that live in the surrounding areas.
Partial funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
