Back to the future

As students head back to school this week, drivers will see many more children walking.

State budget cuts forced many districts to find ways to cut costs, including a cut of almost half a million dollars for Cape Henlopen.

Cape responded by changing routes; for some children, officials say, those changes mean children will ride for up to an hour less to get to school, and no child will spend more than 30 minutes on the bus. The tradeoff is that children will not be picked up at their doors. Instead, they will walk to bus stops at the entrance of their developments.

In Sussex County, about 28 percent of adults – more than 1 in 4 –are obese, and that number is likely to rise unless children learn to eat better and exercise more. A walk to and from the bus stop each day will get children moving and might help them learn to enjoy it. Walking outside in fresh air instead of sitting on a bus is definitely a step toward better health.

Still, children will be walking to the bus stop at the very time other residents are leaving, and frequently hurrying, to go to work. Keeping children safe means drivers must take extra time and show extra care.

Parents also fear children walking alone through developments will be easy targets for those who wish them harm. As anyone who lives in the Cape Region is well aware, dangers to children can arise in places we least expect them.

Our children will be safer if parents and teachers take time to discuss the dangers. Children should be encouraged to walk in groups, and parents who can should take time to walk with them. Other residents along the routes children take can do their part by being vigilant and watching out for our youngest citizens.

The change in bus routes began with saving money for taxpayers. Yet the benefits could be far greater, as children learn to develop the habit of exercise and neighbors strengthen the bonds that turn developments into communities.