" "A generation or two ago"....well, which is it? Big difference between 20 or 40 years ago. Nothing like fuzzy statistics in support of preexisting conclusions. For example kids toady are much more involved with all kinds of Saturday and Sunday club sports than "a generation or two ago" might there be an "exercise" offset there? Also, no mention of the other alternative - school buses, either. So I guess we tax and build all the infrastructure listed - bike lanes, crosswalks, etc., and "they will come" or "walk and bike" in this case. Sorry - I don't buy it. Especially when we can't maintain the regular roads. Anyone drive recently in front of Silverado Middle School? Imagine a bike on that. Imagine a NCPTA planning meeting that actually addresses road expansion, repair and maintenance issues rather than utopian pedestrian or light rail navel gazing. Fix. The. Roads. "

" Back in the dark ages, when I attended Silverado Junior High, I road my bike from our house on Loma Heights (off Hagen) down first avenue (that first hill was worth twenty flat miles), on to Coombsville, and on to school. But in the eighties, the child abductions and molestations seemingly became rampant. Whether more actually happened on a percentage of population basis, or the issue was just getting reported more is really a non-issue for this discussion. The fact is parents became terrified to allow their children out of the house, let alone go on a five-mile trek to school unattended. That fear still exists. The only time my children walk or bike to and from school is if my wife or I am with them. So now the novel idea of walking and biking to school is being floated. Given the level of fear people generally have regarding their children, you really think this will fly? We would have to post a police officer every quarter mile along every route to ease parental fears. "

" Yes! Just what we need! More 5-14 year olds wandering the streets of Napa! Pedofiles and kidnappers, be on alert! "

" 2 months ago the Napa County Office of Education obtained a grant of $500,000 from Caltrans and the grant application was supported by a letter from NCTPA. This half a million dollars is obviously being squandered and wasted because the incompetent agencies involved are not talking about this, cooperating on the best use of this money nor working together on this issue. "

" I neglected to say that the $500,000 grant entitled "safe routes to schools" and was for exactly this issue. "

" I'll tell you, I walked my son to the bus stop near our house on first ave and on the best of days it was a dangerous situation. None of first ave has a bike lane and as more devlopement in east napa causes more traffic problems more and more people use first ave as a bypass from north to south and vice versa speeds in excess of 70 mph are the norm. Little or no police presence. Scarey stuff "

" My high schooler either rides the city bus or walks, depending on the weight of the textbook load for the day. I drive my middle schooler because it's a long walk that I don't think should be made alone. "

" My husband walks our kids to school every day. About a mile each way. He has to take a longer route because the fastest way has no sidewalks, and no bike lane. Just a little strip along the road between the street and a ditch. Any sidewalk/street improvements around ANY school would be great. "