A European think-tank has come up with a novel suggestion to reduce childhood obesity and, perhaps, help out adults fighting the battle of the bulge as well.
Car exclusion zones should be set up around schools to force children to walk to lessons, an environmental think-tank said yesterday.
It said parents should be banned from driving within a half-mile radius of a school to help tackle the dramatic decline in childhood activity levels.
Car-free areas should also be established next to shopping centres to prevent motorists making unnecessary short journeys, it added.
In addition to increasing the amount of physical activity for parents and children, the study also notes that such a plan would significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, thus benefiting the economy.
Unfortunately, like many “think tank” ideas, this one’s not terribly well thought out. Parents driving their cars to within the half-mile zone near schools, for instance, would still need a place to park while they walk their kids the rest of the way. The result: fewer trees and more parking lots, pretty much undoing the benefit of the reduced emissions.
As for shopping malls, one can easily imagine store owners protesting such a move. Lazy consumers would merely wind up patronizing those malls and stores that didn’t require a half-mile walk or opting for an online clothing store. Even those energetic folk willing to deal with the half-mile car-free zone would find themselves hesitant to purchase larger, more bulky items they’d then have to schlep a half-mile to their car.
I’m all in favor of reducing car travel, and very much a fan of a return to pedestrian shopping. “Car-free zones” aren’t the way to accomplish it, however. Give us back old-fashioned neighborhoods with Mom & Pop stores on the corner, a cafe the family can walk to, and a church just down the street and I’ve little doubt America would begin slimming down once again.
Chubby Mommy 