by BikePGH Staff Contributors Thom Harr and Ted King-Smith

Let’s revive the tradition of kids walking and biking to school, benefiting their health, and fostering a sense of community

Every year in October cities across the United States celebrate Walk and Roll to School Day to encourage active transportation to the school building. However, according to Federal Highway Administration statistics, only 11% of students regularly walk or bike to school (with only 1% of that group biking) down from a high of 42% in the 1960’s. These trends are denying kids the myriad health benefits of walking and biking to school such as getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity, reducing blood pressure, improving cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular fitness, bone health, mental health, reducing the risk of diabetes and some forms of cancer – to name a few. 

It’s easy to jump to conclusions with uninformed assumptions like “Kids are lazy these days” or “It’s too dangerous,” – but it’s worth looking a bit deeper to understand why kids aren’t commuting like we once remembered. To better understand the reasons behind this shift, we must look closely at four critical factors: Policy, Education, Safety, and Access.

Policy

Policies at the local, state, and national levels play a significant role in shaping how children travel to school. Policies regulating school zones can sometimes be focused more on traffic flow rather than safety. While some measures like speed limits exist, there are often insufficient crossings or signage to alert drivers to the presence of children. On a larger scale, urban planning has for decades increasingly favored vehicle traffic over pedestrian and cyclist safety. For instance, the federal government allocated around 20 billion dollars, per year, from 1970 to 1990 towards roads and highways. During that same time, only 3 million dollars, per year, was allocated toward bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Let’s think about that again for a moment: during a twenty-year window, over 6,600 times more funding was allocated to vehicle infrastructure than was allocated to biking and walking. With this alone, it’s no surprise why 53% of students, ages K-12 arrive in private vehicles and 33% via buses, if accessible. In many districts, children who live within a certain distance of school are not eligible for bus transportation. This can lead to more parents driving their kids, especially if they feel the walking or biking routes are unsafe.

Even in areas where kids can and want to bike to school, some are unable to – not because they lack access or ability – but because some schools forbid students from doing so. For instance, Mt. Lebanon School District prohibits elementary school students from biking and other forms of active transportation to school out of concerns of “property damage” and “concerns for personal injury.” We belive this is a dated approach to these concerns. If we are worried about personal injury, why aren’t we teaching students how to be safe pedestrians and cyclists? The education and encouragement of safe forms of active transportation are more productive than blanket bans. 

Education

Whether at home or in school, safe biking education is crucial to establishing sustainable active transportation practices. The school campus can and should be a place where biking skills are taught because bike riding is a lifelong skill. Not only does biking and walking education make students safer and more physically active, it can lead to them becoming safer drivers in the future. Safe Routes to School programs can help lead the charge by promoting biking and walking safety education in schools and hosting celebratory events, but ultimately in school on-bike education is the best way to ensure that every student learns these vital skills. To ensure this, Pennsylvania state education standards should explicitly mandate bicycle education so that teachers and administrators are provided with the funding and equipment needed to be successful. In the meantime, select Pittsburgh schools have taken the lead on bike education. Schools such as Environmental Charter School and The Neighborhood Academy have robust cycling programs, and Pittsburgh Public Schools have begun to institutionalize bike education with Strider All Kids Bike programs in multiple elementary schools and Outride Riding for Focus bike programs in four middle schools as of the 2024-2025 school year. BikePGH works actively to support the implementation of bike programs in Pittsburgh schools.

Do you know of an in-school biking education program in Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments. 

Safety

In addition to education, pedestrian and bike infrastructure must be available and maintained for kids to safely utilize. Broken or obstructed sidewalks, busy intersections, faded crosswalks, and speeding traffic are just some of the factors that could turn a safe route to school into a dangerous one. If infrastructure does not allow for safe biking and walking, then more families will opt for private vehicles. In our school communities, not only are we fighting for better pedestrian and bike infrastructure, but we are also up against school bus shortages which increase congestion and further endanger students who bike or walk.  Additionally, more vehicular traffic leads to increasingly concentrated air pollution in school zones that is harmful to young lungs. Safe Routes to School programs can help local government and School Districts make changes, but the school community: parents, staff, and the students themselves can also be advocates for change.

Access

The solution to getting more kids to bike or walk to school starts with accessibility. Access can be defined as the ability of individuals to reach destinations or participate in activities, and it encompasses several components. One of the most significant barriers to biking is the lack of safe routes. Without a network of safe, bike-friendly roads, kids are less likely to choose biking as a viable option. Some schools do not have bike racks, leaving kids with nowhere to secure their bikes. Others may lack maintenance resources, like bike repair stations, which could encourage more families to consider biking. Schools and local governments need to invest in bike-friendly infrastructure and amenities to promote cycling as a safe and appealing mode of transportation.

Another barrier to biking and walking is related to socioeconomic status. Families in lower-income neighborhoods may not have the means to purchase bikes or maintain them. Furthermore, these communities might lack safe biking infrastructure altogether, making biking less accessible and desirable. Addressing these disparities is crucial to ensuring all children have equal opportunities to bike to school.

Schools can play a pivotal role in promoting biking by organizing events like “Bike to School Day” or integrating biking education into physical education programs. Additionally, community partnerships can help create safer routes and provide resources for families in need, such as bike-sharing programs or repair clinics. The Bike Bus movement is also a great way for communities to share information, resources, and in-person support for active transportation to school. (Read our how-to blog!) Lastly, BikePGH’s Operation Illumination program provides hundreds of lights and helmets as well as free safety checks to communities across Pittsburgh every year helping to break down the barriers to safe cycling for kids and adults alike.

Conclusion

Initiatives aimed at improving pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure, such as the development of safer crosswalks, expanded bike lanes, and traffic calming measures, are gaining traction. Additionally, education programs that teach kids about road safety and encourage independent travel can help alleviate some parental fears. By fostering a culture of keeping kids safe and supporting their independence, we can begin to shift the narrative surrounding walking and biking to school. The decline in walking and biking to school reflects broader societal changes influenced by safety concerns and policy decisions. As we continue to navigate these challenges, it’s crucial to advocate for safer environments and supportive policies that empower our children to travel independently. By prioritizing their safety and encouraging active transportation, we can help revive the tradition of kids walking and biking to school, benefiting their health and fostering a sense of community.

Erratum:

It was brought to our attention that we miss-quoted the Mt. Lebanon School District’s biking to school policy in the originally published version of this article. We stated that the district prohibits all students when in fact it only prohibits elementary school students from biking to school. We appreciate your feedback!