Governor Phil Murphy declared May as New Jersey Walk and Bike to School Month 2024! New Jersey’s eight Transportation Management Associations (TMA) got into the spirit by working with schools and municipalities from throughout their service areas to plan events that celebrate Walk and Bike to School Month by encouraging students and parents to leave the car at home and walk or bicycle to school, to a park, or anywhere for some fun and exercise! Read the updates below from each TMA about some of the events that happened this May in their service area.

Avenues in Motion

In Celebration of Bike Month, 17 schools in the Avenues in Motion service area held Bike, Walk and Roll to School Days. Avenues in Motion attended three of these events, providing safety and environmental activities to students, as well as additional safety materials and giveaways such as reflectors and pencils to students who participated.

Riker Hill in Livingston organized a successful Walking School Bus every day for a whole week during May and Wildwood Elementary School in Mountain Lakes organized a bike train, led by the police, with over 100 kids riding to school. Avenues in Motion presented a Walking Safety Recess to Durban Ave Elementary School to 200 kindergarten and 1st graders so they could get active and learn safety skills.

85 2nd grade students at Riker Hill Elementary School in Livingston learned about pedestrian, driveway and bicycle safety through Avenues in Motion’s ‘Ready to Walk and Roll’ educational program. 150 students from 8 different districts across the Avenues in Motion Service area submitted designs for the May Bookmark Contest.

This year students were asked to depict a positive message about everything that makes it safe to ride their bikes to school and around their neighborhoods. Over 200 elementary students participated in Bike Rodeos held at 3 different schools in the Avenues in Motion service area during the month of May. Dozens of principals, teachers, school counselors, parents, volunteers, and police worked together to help produce these events, pump up hundreds of tires, hand out stickers and ice pops, and keep the kids safely riding and walking.

 

Cross County Connection

We are thrilled to report the success of Gloucester Township’s Dog Walker Watch & Bike Rodeo, which took place yesterday. The event was filled with fun and learning for all attendees. Cross County Connection was on hand to provide invaluable bike safety information and offer professional bike helmet fittings. Participants left with a greater understanding of bike safety practices and the assurance that their helmets were properly fitted, enabling them to ride their bikes confidently and safely. The community came together to support this fantastic initiative, making it a memorable and impactful day for everyone involved. Thank you to all who participated and contributed to the event’s success! Cross County Connection, along with Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey , Safe Kids New Jersey, Somerdale Police Department, deputy attorney general John Nicodemo, and AAA, celebrated with the students of Somerdale Park School! Gloucester Township’s Dog Walker Watch & Bike Rodeo a Success! The Northfield Bike Rodeo a great success; attendees received valuable bike safety information and professional helmet fittings, ensuring they could ride confidently and safely.

 

 

 

 

EZ Ride

In May 2024, 2,531 students participated in 62 Walk, Bike, and Roll to School events within EZ Ride‘s service areas. EZ Ride led and provided seven Pedestrian & Bike Safety Presentations, five Bike Safety Presentations, two Pedestrian-BikeScooter Safety Presentation, four Learn to Ride classes, five Bike Safe Skill classes, two Bike to School Day events, and one School Travel Tally with 275 students for a total of 1,851 participants.

The other events that occurred in our service area included 31 Bike to School Day events, five Walk to School Day events for a total of 680 students, a Bike Building event at Merck, a TOD Tour in Manalapan/Old Bridge, Community Safety Events in Leonia and South Orange, the Sustainable Jersey Summit and a Demo Project Presentation at the NJBWC Summit.

 

 

 

goHunterdon
Hunterdon County Walk & Bike to School Week was held during April and May 2024. The annual event, which is now in its 10th year, is the official launch of the spring walking season and the reactivation of several walking school buses across the county.
Hunterdon County walking district schools participated in the friendly “Golden Sneaker Award” competition to determine which school has the largest percentage of students walking/rolling to school during April.
The competition allows schools to conduct annual digital student travel tallies.

Spring Walk Assessments

goHunterdon will facilitate student led walk assessments in spring 2024. Walk Assessments have been scheduled at Barley Sheaf School, High Bridge Middle School, and Reading Fleming Intermediate School.  
The Walk Assessments will be facilitated over two consecutive days. Day one is a classroom presentation where students are educated about walkability. Students learn about the characteristics that make a neighborhood or street walkable, such as sidewalks, crosswalks, traffic signals, street lighting, and intersections.
On the second day, students will apply their knowledge by conducting fieldwork to assess their walking school bus route. They will use a walkability assessment checklist based on the “NHTSA Walkability Checklist” to evaluate the walkability of their route, document the strengths, and identify areas where there are opportunities to improve conditions. Each school is deciding how the results of the assessments will be shared.
New this year, goHunterdon created a digital that students could access through an IPad. goHunterdon staff found the middle school students more engaged due to the new format. Information from the Walk Assessments will be incorporated into the School Travel Plans.

Traffic Garden Opening Ceremony’s
goHunterdon successfully assisted Hampton Public School, High Bridge Elementary, and Milford Public School secure a $2,000 PSEG/SJ4 Schools grant. Each grant was used to install school traffic gardens to promote road safety education.
goHunterdon has contributed to the project by working on each school’s initial design and temporary markings. A professional line striping company finalized and installed the design at High Bridge Elementary School and Milford Public School in March 2024.

 

 

Greater Mercer TMA

Greater Mercer TMA supported events at Princeton’s Littlebrook Elementary School and Hopewell Elementary School in support of Governor Murphy’s May 2024 Walk and Bike to School Month Declaration. The schools embraced the initiative, promoting physical activity, safety, and environmental awareness among students, staff, and families. The Walk, Bike & Roll to School events helped foster a sense of community spirit and reinforced the importance of incorporating physical activity into daily routines. We extend our appreciation to the Princeton and Hopewell police, the Trenton Bike Exchange, and all of the students, families, teachers, and volunteers who contributed to the success of these events.

Our spring Bike Rodeo events, held at Littlebrook Elementary School, Point Pleasant Borough’s Ocean Road, and Nellie Bennett Elementary Schools, were not just fun-filled activities but also invaluable learning opportunities. All third-grade students actively participated in bike safety activities, including helmet fittings, hand signaling practice, and a bike skills course. These bike rodeos, which were a hit with the students, equipped them with the skills and knowledge of bike safety rules, which they could immediately put into practice. The rodeos also served as a platform for the students to engage with their local police officers, further enhancing their sense of safety and community.

 

Hudson TMA

The Hudson TMA Stride & Ride event, held on Saturday, June 15th, 2024, was an enjoyable success. Participants experienced an obstacle course, competitive bike races, and comprehensive bicycle skills and training sessions. The event also featured “Learn to Ride” activities, making it perfect for all ages and skill levels. Attendees benefited from free bike inspections and generous free giveaways. It was mandatory for all participants to bring their own bikes, ensuring everyone was well-prepared for the day. The community came together for a fun-filled day promoting cycling and outdoor activities.

 

 

 

 

 

RideWise

RideWise has been actively involved in Bike Month with different schools in Somerset County Participating. Bridgewater Raritan hosted a mobile bicycle workshop for their inclusive drivers ed. classroom where students learned basic bike maintenance, New Jersey

Bike laws and how to properly fit a helmet. The Manville School District hosted multiple pedestrian safety and education events through May, as well as the HOPES Education center with the Franklin School District. Additionally, the JFK Bike Train rolled through Raritan for one last final ride of the 2023-2024 school year. In total, more than 150 students participated in Bike Month activities for the month of May.

 

The Bike Train had its first ride in September 2016, after Joe and Colleen learned about the SRTS program from a relative in another state, and decided to try out biking to school with their own children.

 

Keep Middlesex Moving

Throughout the month of May, students across Middlesex County have been busy celebrating Bike to School month through various educational programs and bike to school events!

Students at NuView Academy, a school in the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey district, participated in a comprehensive ten week bike education program. This program was delivered by Keep Middlesex Moving during students’ physical education class. This curriculum covered all aspects of safe bike riding, including learning to balance and pedal, bike handling skills, rules of the road, and the benefits of active transportation. We were joined one day by Noelle Santos of the Brain Injury Alliance of NJ for a special presentation on helmet safety and brain injury prevention. This unique program culminated with a Bike Day Celebration on May 17, where students were joined by school administration and participated in a fun day of bike games. The fifty students at NuView Academy earned certificates and enjoyed some cake too!

Middlesex County students also joined KMM at various bike rodeos throughout the county in the communities of Metuchen, Highland Park and Sayreville. The school staff at John Marshall School in Edison put on another widely successful “All-Wheeled Sports” bike rodeo. In Dunellen, students from John Faber Elementary School biked and rolled to school on May 20 with school staff, parents, police officers, and mayor Jason Cilento and other members from the Dunellen Borough City Council. In the southern end of the county, Cranbury’s Mayors Wellness Campaign, Green Team and Cranbury School coordinated a Walk to School Day for Cranbury School students. Congratulations to all who participated in Bike & Roll to School Day 2024!