US Secretary of Transportation to walk with our children

Government of the District of ColumbiaDepartment of Transportation

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Media Contact:  John Lisle at 202-486-5838

                              

MEDIA ADVISORY AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

DDOT and DC Schools to Celebrate International Walk to School DayU.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will Participate in Walking School Bus at Anne Beers Elementary in SE

(Washington, D.C.)  On October 5, students and parents in the District will join thousands of school communities across the nation in celebrating the simple act of walking and bicycling to school. Wednesday is International Walk to School Day, an annual event that promotes the health and environmental benefits of walking and bicycling and draws attention to the need for safer routes to school.

This year a record 22 D.C. schools have signed up including Anne Beers Elementary School in Southeast DC where U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez and District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Terry Bellamy will help escort students to their classes.

The event will feature four Walking School Buses that will walk from the neighborhoods surrounding the school starting at 8 am. The walk will be followed by a pep rally in the school auditorium. This event is the result of a partnership between DDOT, the DC Safe Kids Coalition, Children’s National Medical Center, FedEx, The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), and Anne Beers Elementary School and will also be attended by representatives from the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

WHAT:       International Walk to School Day – Walking School Bus

WHO:         Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Victor Mendez, Federal Highway Administrator
Terry Bellamy, DDOT Director

Kwame Brown, DC Council Chair
Yvette Alexander, Ward 7 Councilmember

Anne Beers Elementary School Community

WHEN:         Wednesday, October 4, 2011

    8:20 am

WHERE:       Fort Davis and V Streets, SE

(Group will walk to Anne Beers Elementary which is located at 3600 Alabama Avenue, SE)

In addition to students at Anne Beers, thousands of students from the following schools will also be walking to school with parents, teachers, and community leaders as part of International Walk to School events during the month of October:

·        Aiton Elementary School

·        Ron Brown Middle School

·        Burrville Elementary School

·        Capitol Hill Cluster School

·        Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan

·        C.W. Harris Elementary School

·        Drew Elementary School

·        John Eaton Elementary School

·        E.L. Haynes Public Charter School

·        Lafayette Elementary School

·        Lowell School

·        Kenilworth Elementary School

·        Maury Elementary School

·        Thurgood Marshall Elementary School

·        Kelly Miller Middle School

·        Nalle Elementary School

·        Ross Elementary School

·        Tyler Elementary School

·        Washington International School

·        H.D. Woodson High School

·        Whittier Education Campus

Across the nation, International Walk to School Day is expected to include 4,000 schools from all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world.

Walk to School events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.

Year-round, DDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program offers planning assistance for DC Schools that are interested in improving safety for student walkers and cyclists. For more information please visit the Safe Routes to School page on DDOT’s website.