When Sharon Fuller was growing up in La Crosse, she walked and rode her bike everywhere. Now, as a member of West Salem’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Ad Hoc Committee working on a Safe Routes to School program, she’s hoping to restore some of the mobility that today’s children seem to have lost.

Fuller and her committee have been working closely with Virginia Loehr, La Crosse County coordinator of the SRTS program. According to Loehr, today’s children are far more inactive than youngsters from previous generations, “plus they’re spending a lot of time sitting in front of a TV or computer playing games.”

There are numerous reasons why most kids don’t walk to school. They might live too far away, there might be no sidewalks, or their parents might think it’s too dangerous.

Fuller, in her work with the committee, continues to see evidence of parental concern.

“When we started the committee, we looked at bike paths connecting with Bangor and other areas, but what kept resurfacing was the safety of our children,” she said.

Despite the fears, there would be numerous benefits to the students and the community if students could make their own way to and from school. There would be less traffic congestion and better air quality around schools, but those would be far from the most important benefits.

“If we could make it safe for kids to walk to school, we could help to get them more active again,” Loehr said. “By teaching them how to lead more active lives the health benefits could be long lasting.”

It’s not just safe routes to school, Fuller added. “It could be important in summer, too. And it can impact adults, too. They did a walkability study in Albert Lea, Minn., and found that if residents walk, their health and even the town’s businesses can benefit.”

Fuller noted there’s significant grant money available, and “as a taxpayer, I think we should go after some of it.”

Loehr said she, too, had heard that more money may be available. “This last cycle, the state got $7 million — the word I’ve heard this time is that double or triple that might be available.“

Although the SRTS program is federally funded, it is administered by the state Department of Transportation. The program operates on a two-year-cycle, and the next cycle will begin in July. To qualify, communities need to submit a Safe Routes to School plan.

At this stage, West Salem is in the process of applying for grant money. “We’re writing applications for funding,” Fuller said. “The money would pay for training for crossing guards, extra dollars for police patrolling, and for bike safety training, engineering, signage and education of parents and drivers.”

Asked how she would reassure parents who wonder whether routes really can be made safer, Loehr had this to say: “They look at traffic patterns — you don’t want a lot of busy intersections. You want places that are safe to bike and walk, have good lighting and are not isolated. We look for main routes because there is safety in numbers. The grants can be used to identify where the main routes should be.

“We realize that this is not for everybody — you don’t want kids walking two miles to school — but it could be even a few blocks for some kids to get a benefit,” Loehr concluded.

In a talk explaining SRTS to the West Salem Business Association last week, Loehr brought up the concept of the “walking school bus.” That would entail groups of children (and perhaps parents) walking along a predetermined route and picking up more kids along the way. “We want to encourage kids to be with their friends,” she emphasized.

Business members in attendance who also walk voiced concerns about the walk signs on Hwy. 16. Loehr admitted the highway is a major problem. “Our biggest concern,” she said, “is crossing Hwy. 16. One solution could be countdown timers.”

Fuller said that data is continuing to be collected on the best feeder routes to schools. If West Salem was successful in getting a grant application accepted in July, that would not mean, however, that the program would be instituted next year. “The paperwork takes a couple of months to process,” Loehr said.

After that, there would be engineering studies on crosswalks, timers, sidewalks, etc. The earliest an STRS program could begin probably would be the fall 2011, Loehr said.

West Salem, she said, is in pretty much the same place as Holmen is right now. The city of La Crosse has been implementing a SRTS grant and is further along than anyone in the area.

An evaluation of how successful the La Crosse plan has been will be made at the end of this school year, so any impressions right now are only anecdotal, with reports of a lot more bikes in school bike racks. Still, Loehr, who’s been on the job just over two years, is upbeat about the results.

“I feel that just this year, the program is finally starting to catch on. It does seem like we’re seeing more kids walk and bike to school.”