By Naomi Buck, the Globe and Mail, October 19, 2019
(...)As a kindergarten student in 1977, I set out every morning into the vastness of North Toronto. Having been ditched by my older brother at the first hill (he had a reputation to maintain), I would join dozens of other neighbourhood kids on the migration to school. We walked – or biked – not to be virtuous or to make a statement or to get a sticker when we got there, but because it was the obvious thing to do. The decline in active school transport, as the experts call it, has prompted a florescence of research correlating walking or cycling to school with everything from improved alertness to mental health, social competence and physical fitness. As our grandmothers could have told us: It’s good to start the day with a little fresh air and exercise.And yet, we opt to drive. Why?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-why-did-our-children-stop-walking-to-school/