International Walk and Roll to School Day is the first big event of the school year for the Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) program. This year, it was held on October 9, and it was a huge success. 

Kicking off a year of walking and rolling

International Walk and Roll to School Day encourages students, families, and school staff to be more physically active while reducing pollution from transportation emissions. It promotes mode shift to active transportation and shared modes, such as carpooling or taking public transit. 

Transform SR2S staff and the many school champions who make this day happen celebrated students who walked, rolled, carpooled, or took the bus to school. We raised awareness about the Safe Routes program and the support available for people who want to bring more movement into their school commutes.

Moving toward mode shift

This year, 143 schools participated in the event, and 101 sent in counts. Over 10,000 students walked to school, more than 4,300 rolled in on bikes or scooters, and almost 3,400 carpooled. Close to 1,100 students got to school on school buses or public transit, for a total of close to 19,000 students participating in the day. That’s more than twice as many as the 8,400 students who came to school in a solo car. 

International Walk and Roll to School Dayl takes a large number of cars off the road, reducing congestion and making the trip to school easier, safer, and more pleasant. It was a day of mode shift in action, with more students walking than driving, and a great start to a year of active and shared transportation activities.