Milton seeks app to encourage kids walking to school

William White IV walks his daughters Allison White (from left), Amber White (second from left) and Ashley White (right) to M. Agnes Jones Elementary School, Atlanta. Milton has awarded a contract to create a smartphone app that would encourage kids to walk to school. AJC FILE / ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM

William White IV walks his daughters Allison White (from left), Amber White (second from left) and Ashley White (right) to M. Agnes Jones Elementary School, Atlanta. Milton has awarded a contract to create a smartphone app that would encourage kids to walk to school. AJC FILE / ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM

The Milton City Council has awarded a $32,850 contract to create a smart phone app that would encourage more children to walk to school.

AppZoro Technologies Inc. is to create an app that would give parents the ability to coordinate and schedule groups of students from nearby neighborhoods to form a “walking school bus,” with a parent volunteer as leader/chaperone, according to report to the council by Community Development Director Parag Agrawal.

“The wider application of this project is to alleviate some of the non-essential car trips to school, which lessens the traffic build-up and carbon emissions on Birmingham Highway,” Agrawal said. “Walking to school also promotes physical activity and social interaction with other neighborhood kids and parents.”

The project is funded by a $50,000 grant awarded to Milton from Georgia Tech via the Atlanta Regional Commission. Milton was one of four communities selected to participate in the spring 2019 GA Smart Communities Challenge. Information: https://smartcities.gatech.edu/georgia-smart