Walking, bike map gives students the tools to get around

By Leslie Phemister

Matteson School District 162 students will be able to safely navigate by foot and bike through the area thanks to the free 2008 Bicycle and Walking Map they received last month.

The scene was a traffic safety utopia: School district officials distributed copies of the map to O.W. Huth Middle School students as junior high students helped younger students properly fit helmets. The school district is busy getting all 3,600 copies of the map out, delivering them to schools and libraries.

In addition to giving students the tools to get around Matteson, Park Forest, Richton Park and Olympia Fields, the map will also catalyze some active living among students and their families.

“The benefits are enormous: healthier kids, safer traffic around school buildings, cleaner air, and reduced use of foreign oil,” said Judith Anderson, library media specialist and district library media coordinator with Matteson School District 162.

This map provides recommended walking and biking routes, off-street trails, streets with sidewalks. It also identifies hazardous intersections to avoid on their way to and from schools and libraries.

Designing the map involved many particulars. The Park Forest Library provided space to hold a meeting for community members to identify routes, barriers and destinations in Matteson, Park Forest, Richton Park and Olympia Fields. The school district hired the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation) as consultants to develop the map.

"Having a school librarian as the champion for this project was a really delightful departure,” said Active Trans Program Director Melody Geraci. “Judith encouraged us to use the public libraries, schools and public parks as the major destinations for the public discussions, and it brought in a unique set of perspectives."

Funding for the project came from the Illinois Library Association and included money to provide students with bike education and wellness classes.

If you want information on creating a walking and biking map of your community, contact Tom Armstrong, senior transportation planner, at 312.427.3325 x227 or Tom@activetrans.org.

Leslie Phemister is the Active Transportation Alliance’s South Suburban Safe Routes to School coordinator.