Walking to school w/o sidewalks? (Aiken: house, to buy, schools)

[debee2000]

Its debbie, again, asking stupid questions (well my hubby thinks so, anyways) ... we are moving into the Aiken area (as soon as we sell our house in WI)

If the kids are to walk to school if 1 1/2 miles from thier school, how can they do that w/o sidewalks?

I am all for walking, its healthy and a great way to get the kids into a healthy lifestyle. But w/o sidewalks is it safe?

We also have the rule of walking up to 1 1/2 miles before bused but we have plenty of sidewalks.

Thanks!

[baylovers]

Wow, 1.5 miles walk to school! Good for you, I think. I have a hard time getting the 15 y/o to walk less than half a mile....

There are some dangers without the sidewalks but it is very common here. Traffic really spikes just after school hours. I think walking is better than the bikes because of the tendency for kids to goof around more on bikes. Have them walk against traffic so they can see when cars are coming towards them.

[SatTerra]

I'd be more worried about stranger danger than cars, but that's just me.

[scyogi]

There are only a hand full of schools that you could safely walk to. (millbrook, kennedy, SAHS, come to mind) For the most part it would be a safety issue with traffic. Probably about 5 years (it could even be longer than that)ago a older child was hit by a car on the way to school. He was riding his back on Whiskey Road.

[moedog]

In SC there is a state law or regulation that school transportation is NOT to be provided to children which live within 1.5 miles of the school. In the past, the law was not seriously enforced and buses did sometimes pick up kids that lived closer. However, for the past several years, the wonderful state legislature has refused to purchase ANY school buses, even to replace buses which which no longer safe or repairable (in SC the state, not the local district provides and funds all school transportation). Some districts, especially those in fast growing areas, have been forced to enforce the 1.5 mile rule, and this has caused a lot of controversy. This year, the state (over the governor's veto) did agree to buy some new buses, though not enough to solve the prolem.

[Dave O]

SC is more progressive than most people think. They are combatting childhood obesity and global warming with one measure.

As for the OP's question: It isn't difficult to walk safely alongside the road without a sidewalk.

[Oogax3Girl]

By law, SC isn't REQUIRED to provide transportation to school within 1.5 miles. They're allowed to though, and most schools do. If you live right at the mile and a half marker, try to get them to ride a bus. Most areas in SC aren't good for walking to/from school.