By Catherine Britell
Island Forum
For Mercer Islanders, the health and safety of our children is, as it should be, non-negotiable. For the past two years or more, Island Park parents and staff have been struggling with the very real safety issues brought on by so many cars dropping off and picking up children in front of the school each day. They have worked long and hard and have come up with a solution that entails giving up some of the already-scarce play field space at Island Park. Although everybody agreed that this solution is not optimal, it seemed to be the only effective way to deal with a truly dangerous traffic situation.
However, from a broader perspective, one wonders whether this is a problem of insufficient space for all the cars, or whether it’s a more basic problem of how our kids are getting to school; or perhaps an even bigger issue of how we all get around the Island.
Perhaps we need to ask why parents are loading up their children into the family vehicle and driving a few blocks to and from school every day. Is it because there is no other way to get to school? Probably not. Many could walk. Those who live too far from school to walk could ride the bus. But are there valid safety concerns with these alternatives? These days, many parents think there are. Most parents don’t feel comfortable having their young children walk any distance unaccompanied, for fear of molestation or abduction. Furthermore, most of the streets on Mercer Island are not pedestrian-friendly. And of course, we now have evidence that riding in buses fueled by petroleum diesel significantly increases the risk and severity of childhood asthma (American Academy of Pediatrics) and also may increase the risk of developing cancers of the lung and bladder in later years (California Department of Health). So what’s the solution? Most parents believe they have only one choice: get out the family vehicle and drive their child to school.
So, at Island Park Elementary a sports field is sacrificed. We might agree that this is a small price to pay for greater safety for our children; but other considerations may make that price higher than it looks at first glance. Childhood obesity is one of those. We know that 15% of 6-19 year olds are obese, nearly triple the rate in 1970. (Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Science), and that physical activity and school physical education time has significantly dropped in the same time period.
Furthermore, there isn’t enough play field space all the children who want to participate in sports. This often impacts the less coordinated, less fit child more than the athletic child, who will often find it much easier to play on “select teams” and who will have many other options. Many of the kids who need sports and general physical activity the most will be most impacted by loss of play fields, and also by being driven door-to-door to school and other activities without any opportunity to walk or bicycle anywhere.
We are some of the best educated, most resourceful and creative people around. We should be able to give parents better, safer, healthier, more environmentally sound ways of getting their kids to and from school, and at the same time maximize space for active sports. If diesel buses are really not safe and healthy, we may want to ask if any child should be riding on them until they are made to be so. Mercer Island CAN be more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly. As Mercer Island develops, we need to think carefully about how kids get to school, how seniors get to shopping and other activities, and how families and individuals travel about the Island for work and pleasure. We should consider addressing the larger issue of transportation for the youngest and oldest MI citizens as well as those in between, in a creative, sustainable, progressive way. This, I believe, is essential in making our island a safe, healthy, pleasant, and interesting place in which to live.
Catherine Britell is a physician and a long time Mercer Island resident.
