This October, schools and municipalities throughout New Jersey came together to celebrate Walk and Bike to School Month. This initiative encouraged students and families to walk or bike to school, highlighting the importance of bicycle and pedestrian safety, physical activity and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Here are a few examples of how communities throughout the State partnered with their Transportation Management Association to celebrate Walk and Bike to School Month this year:

Avenues in Motion

More than 25 schools and about 2,000 students within the Avenues in Motion service area participated in Walk and Roll to School Month events in October. Notable efforts included a week-long Walking School Bus at Riker Hill Elementary in Livingston and guided walks with teachers along designated routes at Valley Road Elementary in Stanhope. Additionally, Avenues in Motion delivered 40 in-class pedestrian and safety education sessions, reaching 800 more students with hands-on learning.

Cross County Connection

Mansion Avenue School, Haviland School, and Mark Newbie Elementary School all celebrated Walk to School Month events this year. CCCTMA attended many of these, handing out giveaway items to participating students along the way. Mansion Avenue School in particular hosts a “Walking Shuttle” every day, which has been continuing for years, and was originally started as a way to help families who were impacted by school structure changes in order to get their children to school safely across new routes. “Safeties monitors” help facilitate this system each day, and up to 50 students typically participate in this program each day.

EZ Ride

In EZ Ride’s service area, 5,864 students participated in 49 different Walk and Bike to School Month events this year. EZ Ride’s Bike & Pedestrian team attended 11 of the events, with a total of 1,871 students. EZ Ride conducted ten bike and pedestrian safety presentations, six pedestrian safety and five bike safety presentations, two Bike Safe skills classes, one Learn to Ride class, and one poster contest. Additionally, hundreds of students received stickers, and some took bookmarks, bike helmets, bike bells, wristbands, and temporary tattoos home. Some schools also hosted Walk and Roll to School events in September and Ruby Bridges Walk to School events in November, which EZ Ride was present at as well.

goHunterdon

75 percent of Hunterdon County Walking District Schools participated in Walk and Bike to School Month. Before each event, staff from goHunterdon, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable transportation, visited participating schools to teach students safety tips. Safe Routes to School staff joined for each school’s event and once again highlighted important safe walking tips before embarking. Each year, Hunterdon County holds a competition to reward the school with the highest percentage of walking-eligible students who participate. This year’s winner was Barley Sheaf Elementary School, with 68% participation. The school received the Golden Sneaker Trophy, which they will hold until the next competition in October 2025.

Greater Mercer TMA

The Greater Mercer TMA team facilitated many exciting Walk and Bike to School Day events at Mercer and Ocean County schools this year. GMTMA ran a Quiz Wheel at Ben Franklin and Slackwood Elementary Schools in Lawrenceville to award students for their bike and pedestrian safety knowledge. In conjunction with the Montgomery Township Police Department, the 3rd grade class at Village Elementary School participated in bike and pedestrian education programs. Littlebrook Elementary School in Princeton held a successful 3rd grade Bike Rodeo in addition to joining many other schools in hosting a Walk and Roll to School Day event. Lastly, GMTMA, along with the East Trenton Collaborative, DVRPC, HTS, and school staff, conducted a walkability audit in the Darlene McKnight neighborhoods and created a School Travel Plan for 2024.

Hudson TMA

Walk and Bike to School month was a great success in Hudson County this year, driven by increased support from teachers and administrators focused on addressing childhood obesity and environmental improvement. This renewed interest has led to a surge in participation, with a record number of families joining walk-to-school celebrations in October. Parents, children, and staff, along with Hudson TMA’s mascot Buster the Walking Bus, walked to school together. Beyond the walks, children are learning to encourage their families to walk more and practice safety by using their eyes, ears, and brains whenever they are on the road. Hudson TMA is also excited to report that new municipalities are joining the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, expanding efforts to promote walking to school in 2025.

Keep Middlesex Moving

35 schools and more than 11,000 students participated in Walk and Bike to School Day in Middlesex County. Students received pencils, stickers, bookmarks, pedometers, reflectors, and other giveaways to honor Walk and Bike to School Day. Keep Middlesex Moving would like to thank the following school districts and municipalities for participating in this year’s event: Carteret, East Brunswick, Highland Park, Metuchen, Cranbury, Middlesex Borough, Milltown, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, South River, Spotswood, and Woodbridge.

RideWise

Many schools within RideWise’s service area hosted Walk and Bike to School events this October. North Plainfield and Stony Brook Elementary both hosted “Walk-a-Thon” events, and in the Bridgewater School District, hundreds of students participated in bike and helmet safety workshops and pedestrian education classes. These events also often included fun games to engage the students. Weston Elementary in Manville also hosted its first Walk to School Day, where over 80 kids participated in a “walking school bus” event.