Today is National Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day

Today is National Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day, part of the Bay Area’s “Bike to Wherever Days” celebration of National Bike Month.

Several local Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs, in coordination with local bicycle coalitions and schools all across the Bay Area , are celebrating by hosting group rides and other activities to encourage families to walk, bike or roll to school. Local Safe Routes to School programs are supported through funding from MTC’s One Bay Area Grant program.

SRTS offers 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 share 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, thereby reducing the amount of air pollution from those short trips. And by showing youngsters how fun and easy it is to get around by bicycle, they may grow up to be adults who take fewer trips by vehicle.