Columbia Kids Keeping on the Move

Columbia Mayor Kevin Hutchinson served as a crossing guard for students and parents walking or riding bicycles to school today as part of the third annual "Walk & Roll to School Day" locally.  Columbia's celebration was one of more than 3,200 events staged today to mark International Walk to School Day.

The Mayor's service was part of the local community's Safe Routes to School program, an ongoing effort to encourage and enable more children to walk and bicycle to school.  To support safe travel, special crossing guards were on duty along Main St. at Temple Ave., near Ron’s Pharmacy and near The Lantern Restaurant between 7:15 and 8:00 in the morning and between 2:30 and 3:30 in the afternoon. The crossing guard at Immaculate Conception School was on duty regular hours, as always.

Safe Routes to School provides grants each year for local communities to make infrastructure improvements such as adding sidewalks or trails as well as non-infrastructure projects like funding more crossing guards.  Last year, Columbia received a $70,000 grant for fixed speed feedback signs which will be installed within the next few months.