Bike Walk Roll Week is a fantastic initiative by Green Communities Canada to spark interest in switching to a carbon neutral journey to school. Collecting data to gain insight into how students move is the key! Here’s how Bike Walk Roll Week works: See if your child’s elementary or middle school is on the participation website, which has an interactive map to track the location of every school. If you do not see a school on the list, add it. Then, take an easy 30 second survey which will be transferred to the main database, which will also generate a Walk Bike and Roll Score just for you.
There are additional resources available for every classroom, as well as guidebooks for kids to share at home. The cool thing about data collection which is so immediate and wide-spread is that the information gained from October 16th - October 20th, 2023, can be used to analyse infrastructure needs and gaps in various communities across the two provinces, British Columbia and Ontario. Classrooms can also compare and track progress and encourage more cycling knowledge and uptake through this focused, week-long campaign.
The benefits for mental and physical health to students who walk or bike are well documented. Neighbourhoods supported by safe bikeways and routes are embraced by more families. Recently, Culture Link Toronto produced a thorough study called: Engaging School Communities in Cycling Infrastructure. At its core:
“For students, cycling is not only a fun activity and a way to get exercise, but also an important travel option that builds independence and equity. Studies have shown that students who walk or bike to school experience reduced stress, increased happiness, decreased depression and anxiety, and increased attention and alertness during the school day. More students biking also means less traffic congestion and less pollution around schools. Making these benefits available to all students is a matter of justice and equity.”
“Concerns about safety on the streets, however, are a major barrier. The concerns often influence parental decisions about whether to encourage their children to bike independently. Safe, protected cycling infrastructure designed for all ages and abilities is a crucial, enabling ingredient, along with other key considerations, such as access to bicycles and cycling education.”
Culture Link has been instrumental in reaching thousands of school-age children, many who are New Canadians, with their community led Bike to School workshops and programmes.
Charlie’s Freewheels is an inspirational, cycling outreach project in Toronto which aims to empower the youth leaders of tomorrow through free bikes, gear, resources, bike maintenance workshops and group rides. Charlie’s Freewheels continues to hold weekly events throughout the autumn months.
Similarly, The City of Vancouver’s Active School Travel Program educates citizens about the healthy and fun choice of walking, biking and rolling to school as a fun transit option, and traces areas of improvement in infrastructure which would aid in this adoption. The District of North Vancouver, for example, conducted two studies with North Van Schools designed to improve walking and cycling routes to school.
The rise in popularity of Bike Bus enthusiasm reveals a very visual expansion of families, teachers and mentors who want to improve the local environment and regional traffic in tandem with the health and safety of their children. There was even a Global Bike Bus Summit this past spring in the home of the original “bicibús”, Barcelona, Spain.
Joining this movement, Zygg has added the Yuba Fastrack to its fleet of e-bikes in Vancouver and Toronto. It is super-easy to handle, has a long 90 km range, a detachable battery, 10 speeds, 4 levels of pedal assist, integrated lights and you can securely and comfortably carry two kids on the back! Can you think of a more awesome way to get around town?