Bike and Roll to School Day 2024
We were blessed with a beautiful sunny morning, perfect for celebrating National Bike and Roll to School Day on Wednesday, May 8. Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin and several C-U SRTS volunteers joined students at nine schools across Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy.
BRTSD events encourage and bring attention to safe bicycling and walking practices to the broader C-U community. The event focuses on celebrating active transportation for children traveling to school, which has the effects of promoting health, safety, environmental sustainability, and reduced traffic. “I love supporting, encouraging kids from an early age to do this and to walk and ride their bikes when they can,” Mayor Diane Marlin said.
Students biked and rolled to the following schools:
“Our students really do like to bike to school,” said Leal Elementary School Principal Adriana Ochoa.
BRTSD events are organized annually by C-U Safe Routes to School Project (C-U SRTS), Champaign County Bikes (CCB), the cities of Urbana and Champaign, Champaign Unit 4 School District, Urbana School District #116, and Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (RPC) with support from Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD).
BRTSD events encourage and bring attention to safe bicycling and walking practices to the broader C-U community. The event focuses on celebrating active transportation for children traveling to school, which has the effects of promoting health, safety, environmental sustainability, and reduced traffic. “I love supporting, encouraging kids from an early age to do this and to walk and ride their bikes when they can,” Mayor Diane Marlin said.
Students biked and rolled to the following schools:
- Carrie Busey Elementary School
- Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr. Elementary School
- Franklin STEAM Academy
- International Prep Academy
- Leal Elementary School
- South Side Elementary School
- Urbana Middle School
- Westview Elementary School
- Yankee Ridge Elementary School
“Our students really do like to bike to school,” said Leal Elementary School Principal Adriana Ochoa.
BRTSD events are organized annually by C-U Safe Routes to School Project (C-U SRTS), Champaign County Bikes (CCB), the cities of Urbana and Champaign, Champaign Unit 4 School District, Urbana School District #116, and Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (RPC) with support from Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD).
Bike and Roll to School Day Resources
Educators
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Why bike?
Today, only 13 percent of children ages 5 to 14 walk and bicycle to and from school - a dramatic drop from 50 percent in 1969 of children who walked to school (The CDC Guide to Strategies to Increase Physical Activity in the Community). As a result, school districts and families spend billions getting children to school. The high number of vehicles around schools create traffic congestion, safety hazards, air pollution, and wear on streets. Safe Routes to School works to improve streets, sidewalks, and build bike lanes so that children can safely walk and bike to school. As a result(!) there is:
a) Less traffic congestion.
In 2009, U.S. families drove 30 billion miles to take their children to and from school. This cost was $5 billion in fuel.
b) Kids are more physically fit and healthier.
This is particularly important in light of the fact that there are currently 23 million overweight children and teens in the U.S. In Illinois, approximately one in three children maintain a weight that puts their health at risk. Bicycling and walking to school also helps to reduce financial burdens on school districts by reducing hazard busing costs.
c) More jobs.
The maintenance and construction of safe streets, sidewalks and bicycle lanes require the assistance of engineering, planning and construction firms. These projects create more jobs per million dollars spent than road repair and construction projects.
a) Less traffic congestion.
In 2009, U.S. families drove 30 billion miles to take their children to and from school. This cost was $5 billion in fuel.
b) Kids are more physically fit and healthier.
This is particularly important in light of the fact that there are currently 23 million overweight children and teens in the U.S. In Illinois, approximately one in three children maintain a weight that puts their health at risk. Bicycling and walking to school also helps to reduce financial burdens on school districts by reducing hazard busing costs.
c) More jobs.
The maintenance and construction of safe streets, sidewalks and bicycle lanes require the assistance of engineering, planning and construction firms. These projects create more jobs per million dollars spent than road repair and construction projects.
Check Out Our Past Events
2023 Bike & Roll to School Day
The 2023 Bike & Roll to School Day event was held Wednesday, May 3rd. BRTSD events work to create safer routes for bicycling and walking and emphasize the importance of a range of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, cyclist and pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.
Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin and several C-U SRTS volunteers join students at eight elementary schools in the area. Check out the rest of the page to view fun pictures and videos of the various BRTSD events.
Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin and several C-U SRTS volunteers join students at eight elementary schools in the area. Check out the rest of the page to view fun pictures and videos of the various BRTSD events.
Bike & Roll to School Day 2022
Bike & Roll to School Day 2022 was held on Wednesday, May 4th as part of National Bike Month! It was a chilly morning, but we still had plenty of students come to the bike stations and distributed plenty of t-shirts and materials.
Students from several schools in the Urbana and Champaign area biked to school along with parents, teachers and community leaders. Students from Urbana High School’s Project Ignition Club assisted with a Bike Station near the Urbana Aquatics Center that morning. Urbana Middle School and Urbana High School Students who took the online Illinois Bike Safety Quiz picked up their free Bike Month t-shirts, reflectors, bike lights, and bike safety information at the bike station. Over 80 Urbana Middle and 200 Urbana High School students have taken the Bike Safety Quiz as part of this program. Urbana Mayor Diane Marline read a proclamation declaring Bike and Roll to School Day in Urbana.
Additionally, Urbana High School Project Ignition Club students Elena Poulosky, Isiah Menard, and Park Mitchell attended the Illinois Student Safety Project Competition (ISSP) in Effingham, IL, the following day. They won Gold Level recognition for the following categories: Illinois Safety School Club of the Year, Best Community Safety Project, Best T-Shirt Award, and Outstanding Youth Safety Student of the Year Award (Park Mitchell). Congratulations on these students for their outstanding work!
The BRTSD events were organized by C-U Safe Routes to School Project, Urbana High School Project Ignition, Champaign County Bikes, the City of Urbana and the Urbana School District with support from MTD.
Students biked to the following schools:
Students from several schools in the Urbana and Champaign area biked to school along with parents, teachers and community leaders. Students from Urbana High School’s Project Ignition Club assisted with a Bike Station near the Urbana Aquatics Center that morning. Urbana Middle School and Urbana High School Students who took the online Illinois Bike Safety Quiz picked up their free Bike Month t-shirts, reflectors, bike lights, and bike safety information at the bike station. Over 80 Urbana Middle and 200 Urbana High School students have taken the Bike Safety Quiz as part of this program. Urbana Mayor Diane Marline read a proclamation declaring Bike and Roll to School Day in Urbana.
Additionally, Urbana High School Project Ignition Club students Elena Poulosky, Isiah Menard, and Park Mitchell attended the Illinois Student Safety Project Competition (ISSP) in Effingham, IL, the following day. They won Gold Level recognition for the following categories: Illinois Safety School Club of the Year, Best Community Safety Project, Best T-Shirt Award, and Outstanding Youth Safety Student of the Year Award (Park Mitchell). Congratulations on these students for their outstanding work!
The BRTSD events were organized by C-U Safe Routes to School Project, Urbana High School Project Ignition, Champaign County Bikes, the City of Urbana and the Urbana School District with support from MTD.
Students biked to the following schools:
- Dr. Howard Elementary School
- Leal Elementary School
- Jefferson Middle School
- Thomas Paine Elementary School
- Urbana Middle School + Urbana High School (in collaboration with the Project Ignition Club)
- Yankee Ridge Elementary School
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Bike & Roll to School Day 2021 Pandemic Style!
The Mayor of Urbana and the Superintendent of the Urbana School District joined us to celebrate the day. We had staff from the Community Development Department of the City of Urbana join us along with parents and students. It was a virtual class day so families and students biked up to the event on their own.
Mayor Marlin proclaimed May 5th to be Bike to School Day in Urbana!
Bike to School Day 2020
Bike to School Day is an event held nation-wide to encourage youth and community members to bike to school in celebrate of the benefits and enjoyment of cycling. While Bike to School Day was scheduled to be held on Wednesday, May 6th, 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak schools were closed; therefore, the event was postponed until 2021.
Bike to School Day 2019
In coordination with National Bike Month, Bike to School Day 2019 was held on Wednesday, May 8th. This event is held to encourage children to safely bicycle or walk to school. It provides an opportunity for the community to connect with each other, celebrate and build off of the energy of National Bike Month.
This year's Bike to School Day was windy and cool, nevertheless students rode to school. We enjoyed meeting students at the Urbana High School and Middle School station. University of Illinois planning students helped out through distributing Bike locks and lights to students who did not have them along with healthy snacks and bike safety educational materials. Urbana High School and Middle School, Yankee Ridge Elementary, Westview Elementary, and Holy Cross Elementary all registered as a part of Bike to School Day 2019.
This year's Bike to School Day was windy and cool, nevertheless students rode to school. We enjoyed meeting students at the Urbana High School and Middle School station. University of Illinois planning students helped out through distributing Bike locks and lights to students who did not have them along with healthy snacks and bike safety educational materials. Urbana High School and Middle School, Yankee Ridge Elementary, Westview Elementary, and Holy Cross Elementary all registered as a part of Bike to School Day 2019.
Bike to School Day 2018
It was a beautiful morning for Bike to School Day. We had a great time talking with students at Urbana Middle and High Schools where we hosted a bike station with University of Illinois students. Westview Elementary had fun with Champaign School Board Member Kathy Shannon meeting and greeting the parents and kids who bike to school. Families joined the fun at Kenwood Elementary too. We distributed bike locks, C-U Bike Month t-shirts, bike lights, and string bags at the Urbana Middle and High School station.
Bike Month 2018
May was a busy month as it is Bike Month! During May C-U SRTS Project ran four bike rodeos. The events are a lot of fun and kids learn and get to practice important bicycle safety skills. We are able to run these events thanks to the very generous donation of time by many volunteers and staff. Thank you everyone! Pictures from the events are below.
Stratton Elementary Bike Rodeo (May 23, 2018)
Students from Novak Academy in Champaign and other volunteers helped the 4th grade students at Stratton Elementary learn bicycle safety skills on a beautiful spring day. We had a visit from a News-Gazette photographer and two of the students were featured in the News-Gazette May 24, 2018.
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C-U Safe Routes to School Project
1101 East University Avenue Urbana, IL 61802 217-384-8188 [email protected] |
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