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New name, new look, same goals: National Center for Safe Routes to School renames two annual events as Walk & Roll and Bike & Roll to School Day 

The National Center for Safe Routes to School is proud to announce the relaunch of its two annual events focused on promoting safe active trips for all, starting with the trip to school. Walk to School Day will now be known as Walk & Roll to School Day and Bike to School Day will now be known as Bike & Roll to School Day. The events have new names, new logos, and new resources to help with planning and promotion, but the goals of the events remain the same. 

“At the heart of these events is the idea that by starting with children and the trip to school communities become safe places for everyone to make active trips, whether that means walking, biking or rolling,” said Nancy Pullen-Seufert, Director, National Center for Safe Routes to School—the coordinating agency of Walk & Roll and Bike & Roll to School Days. “Our new event names better reflect our longstanding goal of promoting safe, accessible spaces for all active trips.” 

The first National Walk to School Day—called Walk Our Children to School Day—was held in 1997 and the first National Bike to School Day was celebrated in 2012. Communities across the country have used these two annual events—in October and May, respectively—to celebrate the benefits and joys of safe, active trips to school and to bring attention to needed changes to support safe walking and rolling year-round. Today’s update marks another step forward in the evolution of these progress-driven events. 

As part of the relaunch, we created downloadable materials to help with promoting your events, decorating your school, and getting students involved in and excited about the celebration. 

We have also updated and added new resources to our website to help you plan fun, impactful events. These new or recently revised resources include: 

• Getting Started Guide – a nine step guide for taking your Walk & Roll or Bike & Roll to School Day event from an idea to a reality.
• Changes to the Environment Resources – a list of resources for getting the community involved in supporting design changes to improve the route to school.
• Accessibility Resources – a selection of resources to help with planning events and Safe Routes to School programs that are accessible to the entire student community.
• Talking Points – information about trends in school travel, safety, physical activity, environment and air quality, Walk & Roll and Bike & Roll to School Day events, and more that may be useful for planning communications about events.
• Re-envisioning School Streets: Creating More Space for Children and Families – a resource that includes five case examples of temporary and permanent changes schools and cities have made to support active travel.

Walk & Roll and Bike & Roll to School Day events help communities celebrate the benefits and joys of safe, active travel and can be an impetus for lasting changes. Most event organizers report that their events led to changes to policies or the physical environment in their communities – the kinds of changes needed to support safe walking and rolling every day, not just for special events. And, of course, the events are fun!

We hope you’ll join us at the next event – Bike & Roll to School Day, which will be held on May 4, 2022. Registration opens March 8!