Walk/Bike/Roll to School Day is a national event that encourages kids to walk, ride their bikes, or roll on their scooters/skateboards/inline skates to school! We're encouraging EVERYONE at Mayflower to ride, walk, or roll to school on Wednesday, May 8!
First of all -- it's FUN!!! (Do we need more reasons??)
Second -- walking, bicycling and rolling are also healthy, active transportation choices that make us feel good. Studies show that kids who walk, ride or roll to school concentrate more effectively and perform better on tests and other schoolwork!
Finally -- we can all make a difference in working to combat climate change. What better way to help take care of our neighborhoods and our planet than to walk, ride, or roll to school?
Bike and scooter/skateboard parking will be available on campus in the area just north of the cafeteria. You can lock up your "ride" here (it's pretty safe, anyway!)
Bicyclists and scooter-riders will need to wear helmets, follow all traffic laws, and have a bike or scooter that’s in good working condition.
For people walking or riding scooters (on the sidewalk): we will have two "walking buses," where you will be able to join up with other walkers and scooter-riders at designated spots and times along the way! That way, we’ll all be able to arrive at school together! One walking bus will come from the northeast, starting at Canyon and Hillcrest, while the other will come from the west, starting at McKinley and Foothill.
Click on the map at right to see the routes of the walking buses! (The little walking-person icons on the map are the "stops" and give you a sense of the timing of when we'll be at various locations!) You can also click the link here.
That walking bus from the northeast, by the way, is a regular Monday and Friday event! Feel free to join us at the times indicated on the map!
For people riding bikes: we will have one "bike bus," where you will be able to join up with other riders at designated spots and times along the way! That bike bus starts from the southeast (at Ivy and Olive) to help get those kids who live farther away from Mayflower to school!
We also have two recommended routes for kids biking to school from the west or the northeast. (Please use lots of caution on Hillcrest -- this is a street that needs a protected bike lane in the future!)
Click on the map at the right to see the route of the bike bus, and the recommended bike routes to school from the west and east! (You can also access the map via this link).
Here's the website for the national Walk/Bike/Roll to School day -- you can learn more about the event, and see the different schools around California and the nation that are participating!
Monrovia USD and the City of Monrovia have created a slideshow -- MUSD Safe Passageways -- that indicates recommended walking routes to school for all of the District's schools.
Thinking about trying an e-bike? (They are great!!) Check out this wonderful program -- Go SGV Bike Share -- that allows any resident of the San Gabriel Valley to rent an e-bike (with mid-drive pedal assist!) for $69/month (or less, if you are a student, or over 62!) There is also a cargo bike option!
Here's a great article by Canadian author Taras Grescoe that makes a case for creating car-free zones around schools!
Here are a few videos that show how awesome walking buses and bike buses can be!
First, here's a video from Tacoma, Washington, about their walking bus program. (They walk EVERY DAY!
Next, here’s what a bike bus to a school in Portland, Oregon looks like! (And follow @CoachBalto on the app formerly known as Twitter -- he's the one leading the bus here)!
Finally, here's a video about a bike bus in Glasgow, Scotland!
Have other questions? Want to volunteer/start a walking/bike bus? Please contact Rob Lewis (rwittlewis@gmail.com or 608-628-6147) for more details!