Today is day #24 of the 2012 30 Days Of Biking challenge. I rode the Long Haul Trucker into town to run some errands and pick up some groceries.
Yesterday, I looked at a new school that Spring Hill, Kansas is building, Wolf Creek Elementary, and why its isolated location is a poor choice in terms of transportation, especially for walking and biking.
Today, in contrast, I’m taking a look at most of the schools in Gardner, Kansas (USD231), a nearby community slightly larger than Spring Hill, that has five elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school.
This is Gardner Elementary, located near downtown Gardner. Two bike racks and 6 bikes. [A]
This is Madison Elementary, on the west side of town. Two bike racks, 17 bikes and one scooter. [B]
This is Sunflower Elementary, located in northern Gardner. Three bike racks, and 7 bikes and one motorized scooter. [C]
Moonlight Elementary, on the east side of town, has four nearly full racks, with about 30 bikes! [D]
And the fifth elementary school, Nike Elementary, has no bike rack and no bikes at all. It is located about 2.5 miles south of the center of town town, along an arterial road with no sidewalks. [E]
Wheatridge Middle School, located near downtown Gardner, has six bike racks in two different areas, with a total of about 20 bikes. [F]
Gardner Edgerton High School is located on the west side of town. It has one small bike rack, and 5 bike commuters on this day. [G]
There is one more middle school, Pioneer Ridge, located on the far northwest fringe of Gardner, roughly three miles from the center of town. I didn’t have time to check it out, but I’d be willing to bet that it had very few kids biking to school. [H]
Here are the schools plotted on a map:
Hmmm, wonder if there’s a relationship between a school’s location and how many students bike or walk to school?
It’s a no-brainer: Make it safe and easy to bike or walk, and that’s the mode of transportation that kids (and parents) will choose.
Glad to see that Gardner has mostly made the right decisions!
And for the kids at Nike Elementary and Pioneer Ridge — sorry, but your community let you down.
Post tags: 30 Days Of Biking 2012
