Coming Up: National Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day

National Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day is coming to a school near you! 

Part of the Bay Area’s “Bike to Wherever Days” celebration of National Bike Month, Bike & Roll to School Day activities focus on group rides to school for students and families, celebrating school spirit and the joys of active transportation.

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs, in coordination with local bicycle coalitions and schools across the Bay Area are hosting group rides, community walking events and other activities to encourage families to walk, bike or roll to school. 

Some Bay Area counties (Marin, Santa Clara and Solano) are celebrating on May 8 for National Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day, while other counties (Alameda and Napa) are celebrating on May 16 for National Bike to Work and School Day.

San Francisco schools are celebrating Bike & Roll to School Week April 29 through May 3, and Contra Costa county is celebrating all month long for Bike to Wherever Days with tips for walking, biking or rolling to school.

National Bike Month events are happening all month long, so any day you choose to get out and ride is a good day.

2024 Focus on Safety

This year’s events have a special focus on e-bike safety for students at middle and high schools. San Mateo county’s Walk and Roll to School Guidebook includes a Readiness Checklist for riders of all ages.

SRTS programs are supported through funding from MTC’s One Bay Area Grant program. Throughout the year, they offer safety training and education programs, with outreach and encouragement for families to leave their vehicles at home. Some SRTS programs in the Bay Area also invest in infrastructure near schools, and help communities identify and make popular routes safer for students to walk, bike, roll, carpool and take transit.

Short car trips to and from schools make up a big percentage of Bay Area travel — and a big source of the region’s greenhouse gas emissions. With safer routes and pathways, families can get around by bicycle or by walking, and help reduce the amount of air pollution from those short trips. And by showing the next generation how fun and easy it is to get around by bicycle, they may grow up to be adults who, down the road, take more trips on foot or by bicycling.