Walk to school day is right around the corner. Wouldn’t it be great if it were every day?

Walk to School Day is October 2, and families across the District will be gathering at parks, squares and plazas to make their way on foot to school. A dedicated, celebratory day like this promotes the idea that really, couldn’t walk to school day be every day? But not all families feel they have that option.

Every kid should have the right to walk to school safely, within reasonable limits of distance, weather, and physical capacity. It’s a positive experience for students in many respects: it can promote physical fitness; strengthen bonds within communities; decrease risk during the chaotic school dropoff period; promote kids’ confidence and independence; and reduce cars on the road.

Hey! I’m walkin’ here…but not there.

Transit planners can use tools like walksheds to figure out who lives and works within “walkable” distance of a high capacity transit station. Walksheds take into consideration both distance and access issues like missing sidewalks or awkward crossings.

There’s room to look at this issue on a systematic level, if we take both educational and transportation equity seriously. If a heavily-trafficked corridor with abhorrent driver behavior stands between your house and your childrens’ school (think of the kids crossing K Street NE pre-road diet), you’re less likely to let them cross it daily without supervision.

Suburban school routes can present their own challenges. Long-distance commuters may not look out for kids shuffling across a fast-moving, six lane road, with nary a traffic light in sight.

Other issues might be harder to see on a map, but be just as terrifying: families have cited fear of crime and violence as a key reason for not allowing their kids to walk or use public transportation alone to reach school.

One way of addressing these risks, as well as tapping into a bit of “it takes a village” spirit, is a walking school bus where parents take turns escorting groups of kids to school. Even this great, free initiative takes some organization, social capital, and again, a certain expectation of physical safety, so it isn’t always an option either.

How can we protect kids? We want your input!

What factors make it easier or harder for kids to walk to school? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Are you looking for a Walk to School Day event near you? Check out this list of participating schools. Want to set up a Walk to School Day event of your own? Here are some neat ideas to “rock the walk.”

I’ll be joining a walk at Lincoln Park in Capitol Hill, and my colleague Ron Thompson will be taking part in a walk to Ketcham Elementary School in Anacostia. We’ll be writing about the experiences and rounding up your great ideas from the comments about what earns a walk to school a A+ or a Needs Improvement.