Walk to School Day 2020 by Floyd Mills licensed under Creative Commons.

This Wednesday, October 6, is the annual Walk to School Day, celebrating the joy and independence of families choosing non-car modes for their school commutes. Schools across DC will be participating in various ways, with a marquee event being held in Ward 6’s Lincoln Park. Hosted by the Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization, the event will feature remarks by Councilmember Charles Allen, US Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Robin Hutcheson, snacks, swag and more.

Walk to School Day 2020 event by Floyd Mills licensed under Creative Commons.

But this year organizers are also recognizing the tragedy of traffic violence that threatens families trying to choose healthier and more sustainable school commutes. Traffic violence has already claimed the lives of 30 people in DC this year, including two children under the age of 6 — Zy’aire Joshua on Georgia Avenue in April, and Allison Hart in Brookland — in September.

Ward 6 organizers will be distributing pinwheels in memorial of lives lost and as a call to action to take stronger action to eliminate unsafe street conditions.

They have also partnered with us at Greater Greater Washington to ask participants to help document the particular conditions that make their walk to school route perilous. Families are invited to post photos of the most dangerous segments of their walks (from a safe location!) using the hashtag #EveryBlockCounts. Photos can also be emailed to EveryBlockCountsDC@gmail.com. We will collect the submissions and highlight some of them in a follow-up post.

If your family is interested in participating:

  1. See if your school is hosting a registered event already here
  2. Register an event at your school here
  3. Just participate on your own by walking to school and submitting a photo with #EveryBlockCounts!

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Tagged: dc, pedestrians, safety, schools, ward 6

Nick Sementelli is a 17-year DC resident who lives in Ward 5. In his day job, he works as a digital strategist for progressive political campaigns and advocacy groups. Outside of the office, you can find him on the soccer field or at Nats Park. He currently serves on GGWash's Board of Directors.