Safe Routes to School
Suggested Safe Routes By School For Biking To & From School.
At our Bike Rodeo, safety was the front and center topic, info they can use every day while biking.
Walking School Bus
A Walking School Bus is a great way to encourage a healthy and environmentally friendly way of getting to school. This type of program is perfect for younger children who need supervision. It can be easily organized by parents and take place once a week, a couple times a week, or even everyday!
Steps for Starting Simple:
- Families in the same neighborhood decide to walk together to and from school.
- A route is designed and tested by adults for safety. Don’t forget to record how much time the entire route takes. Refer to the list of maps above to determine the best route for your walking school bus.
- The group decides how often to walk together. Consistant walking school buses are often the most successful.
- Create a phone list to ensure that all children have emergency contact numbers.
- Let the Walking School Bus begin!
Bicycle Train
Similar to the Walking School Bus concept, a Bicycle Train is a group of neighbors that ride their bikes together to and from school. This program involves more planning and training since children must understand bicycle safety and how to ride on a road.
Basic Considerations:
- Bicycle trains are best suited for older elementary children.
- We recommend that you start out by providing your children with a basic understanding of the rules of the road and bicycle safety. Practice as a group and have several parents on hand to help demonstrate.
- Every child must wear a bicycle helmet. Check to make sure that your child’s bicycle is working properly and is an appropriate size.
- More adult supervision is needed than for Walking School Buses. Consider having one adult for every three to six children.
See the Safe Routes to School Resources: Bicycle Trains for an example of steps to implementing a bicycle train in your neighborhood.
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