Walk and Roll to School Day encourages children and their guardians to walk or roll to school and regularly incorporate physical activity into their commute.
October 9, 2024 marks the 28th annual Walk and Roll to School Day! Led by the National Center for Safe Routes to School, children and their guardians are encouraged to walk or roll to school to increase the awareness for the need of walkable communities, promote physical activity, and create safer streets for all.
The first Walk and Roll to School Day began in 1997 as National Walk Our Children to School Day in Chicago. Since then, the event has spread and continues to be celebrated throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The success of Walk and Roll to School Day spurred interest for an event promoting biking to school, which resulted in the first national Bike and Roll to School Day in May 2012.
"These events are used to encourage families to celebrate the benefits of walking and rolling and to increase local leader commitment and visibility for traffic safety and community quality of life," the National Center for Safe Routes to School website states. "Most event coordinators report that their events led to changes to policies or the physical environment — the kinds of changes needed to support safe walking and rolling every day, not just for special events."
The Walk and Bike to School website lists the following benefits of encouraging children to walk and roll to school:
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Less traffic congestion. According to the 2011 National Center for Safe Routes to School report, personal vehicles taking students to school accounted for 10 to 14 percent of all personal vehicle trips made during the morning peak commute times (based on National Household Travel Survey Data, 2009). Reducing the number of private vehicles commuting to school can reduce morning traffic around the school. Less traffic congestion also improves conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists, creating a positive cycle — as the community sees more people walking and rolling, more people feel comfortable walking and rolling.
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Stronger sense of community. The common goal of improving conditions for walking and bicycling brings families, neighbors, school officials and community leaders together. The sense of community also builds as children and parents develop walking and rolling buddies and chat with neighbors on the sidewalk or path.
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Safer streets. Communities with higher rates of walking and rolling tend to have lower crash rates for all travel modes. One reason may be that motorists drive more cautiously when they expect to encounter walkers and rollers. More walkers and rollers can also improve personal security by providing more “eyes on the street.”
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Lower costs. Encouraging and enabling active trips reduces costs for the family, community and school district. Families save on gas, communities spend less on building and maintaining roads and school districts spend less on busing. In fact, one school district calculated $237,000 in annual savings.
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Improved accessibility. Enabling students of all abilities to walk and roll to school makes it easier for everyone in the community to get around, including parents with strollers, senior citizens, residents without cars and residents with temporary or permanent mobility impairments.
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Economic gains. Sidewalks, paths and other investments in pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure can increase home values and direct additional traffic to local businesses.
Visit the Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day website for tips and tools for advancing safer walking, biking and rolling October 9th and all year long! Also check out our Guides and Toolkits section for more pedestrian and bicyclist safety resources.