Walk & Roll to School Day 2018 was a great success with 92 schools participating citywide. Thousands of students and families enjoyed a beautiful October morning commuting to school together on foot, bicycles, scooters and other people-powered wheels.
Organized by our partners at Walk SF, this popular annual event encourages students and families to make a healthy habit of walking and biking to school. Your SF Bicycle Coalition and our Safe Routes to School partners helped promote Walk & Roll to School Day in every neighborhood, from Bayview to Chinatown to the Outer Sunset. We’re especially proud of the families who formed “bike trains” to roll alongside many of the “walking schools buses” bringing groups of children and caregivers safely to school.
The Walk & Roll to School Day kickoff was hosted by George Peabody Elementary School in the Richmond District, where a whopping 253 students and their parents walked or rolled to school. Of the many city leaders in attendance, Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Sandra Fewer both shared their memories of walking to school in San Francisco as children. Every student received a gold Vision Zero Superhero cape, yellow flags flying in support of San Francisco’s Vision Zero goal to end all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2024.
Vision Zero Superheroes bike to school.
What’s next?
Step up as a “roll model.” Encourage your colleagues, friends and schoolmates to bike more on weekends as well to schools. Become a Family Biking Ambassador for the SF Bicycle Coalition or SF Safe Routes to School.
Here are some tips to help keep up the walk-and-roll momentum.
- Increase your skills as an on-road biking family. Get the skills you need to show less experienced families how to bike safely and confidently. The SF Bicycle Coalition events calendar lists upcoming Family Biking classes.
- Make walking and rolling to school a healthy habit. Pledge to bike, walk, take transit or carpool once a week, or more.
- Start a walking or biking program at your school. SF Safe Routes to School provides free resources for any parent or school, public or private. Outreach staff members at the SF Bicycle Coalition, SF Unified School District and Walk SF are available to support you.
