How far should kids be expected to walk to school?

Making some news in Ottawa this week is the cancellation of bussing for a lot of kids because “new walk zones” have been created and many children are now deemed to be too close to be bussed.

 

At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon… good. I’m glad to hear it.

At one point in Saskatoon kids were being bussed from distances beyond 500 meters. This included my kids. I refused. I made them walk. 

What I was a kid my walk was 514 meters (thank you Google Maps. I never occurred to me that this was anything other than VERY short.

I have friends who walked at least 1 KM (again, thank you Google Maps). 

I do not understand the thinking behind bussing kids. I think people perceive risk where there is little – from traffic and predators. But, the reality is that the world is actually a very safe place for kids and walking to and from school is, I think, good for them. It’s some modest exercise. And, it teaches some self-discipline. The skill to do “X” in order to achieve “Y”

How far for busing? My father always taught me that the army marches at 3 miles per hour. I will dial down to 2 miles per hours for kids who are never in a hurry. And, I will arbitrarily declare that a 45 minutes walk is not unreasonable. 

So, the Scharf Rule of School Busing – 2.4 KM or closer to school, you’re walking. If you don't like it, cry and cry until your parents move closer to school (or farther).