NMDOT News:
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Transportation supports National Bike to School Day Wednesday, May 17.
The annual event encourages children to enjoy exercise while commuting to school and builds a sense of community and school spirit.
“Bike to School Day is a great way to celebrate the end of the school year and kickoff summer,” Transportation Sec. Ricky Serna said. “The events promote a broader message of bicycle safety and encourage kids to get outside and explore.”
The first-ever National Bike to School Day took place May 9, 2012, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Month.
More than 60 percent of past Walk and Bike to School Day organizers said their events led to policy or environmental changes in their communities.
For children to adopt bicycle safety skills, they need supervised practice time and repeated reinforcement of the key messages.
The Five E’s of Safe Routes to School include: Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, and Evaluation.
- Education – teach pedestrian and bicycle safety
- Encouragement – promote active transportation through events, such as walk and bike to school days
- Engineering – enhance roads and trails to be more conducive for walking and biking
- Enforcement – improve safety through partnership with law enforcement
- Evaluation – assess, plan and implement bicycle participation and safety programs
Student bicycle education: