Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) students and staff are getting out their bikes, scooters, skateboards and walking shoes in preparation for Bike It! Walk It! Week next Monday through Friday, Oct. 7-10.
Bike It! Walk It! encourages school students and staff to leave the car at home and utilize other modes of transportation, including carpooling and riding the bus.
Approximately 30 percent of District students at 15 different schools participate in the event, avoiding approximately 12,000 car trips. The movement, started by Santa Monica High students in 2007, is now a popular District-wide event.
This year’s motto is “Bike It! Walk It! Every Week!” Students, staff and parents are encouraged to walk, bike, scoot, skate or take the bus at least one “car-free” day per week. Roosevelt Elementary will begin the week with a Bike It Walk It Day on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Schools celebrating Bike it! Walk it! Day on Wednesday, Oct. 8 include Lincoln Middle School, Olympic High School, Franklin Elementary, Santa Monica High School and Point Dume Marine Science School.
The remaining SMMUSD schools will participate on Friday, Oct. 10, including Will Rogers Learning Community, Edison Language Academy, Grant Elementary, John Muir Elementary/Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH), McKinley Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Juan Cabrillo Elementary, John Adams Middle School, and Malibu High School.
Bike It! Walk It! and Safe Routes to School programs involve a partnership between the City of Santa Monica, the District, and the Parent Teacher Association to reduce traffic congestion near schools and promote health, safety, environmental, and community benefits.
Lincoln Middle School, John Adams Middle School, Roosevelt Elementary and Will Rogers Learning Community, participated in a Safe Routes pilot program to develop pedestrian and bicycle safety curricula and resources in 2012-13 which a new grant will make available to other schools.
For more information, visit www.bikeitwalkit.org.
