The annual national Walk and Bike To School Day is happening Wednesday, October 10 as school communities all across the country encourage their students and staff to skip the vehicle (car or bus) and use their own foot (and pedal) power to get them to their destination.  Along with many other state agencies, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is encouraging local participants.

The idea of the program is to encourage physical activity, practice pedestrian and bicycle safety, reduce traffic congestion, and strengthen the connections between families, schools, and communities.  Organizers recognize that the actions taken in one day is merely "celebratory", but their hope is that the event gets people thinking about what it would be like if their community walked and biked to school year-round.

Participants are encouraged to register; the national walkbiketoschool.org website includes pages where both schools and individuals can register their intentions for the day.  A quick look finds that many schools in Duluth have already registered that they are taking part; there are no local Wisconsin schools registered at this time.

In addition to registering online, participants are encouraged to share their actions on social media using the #mnwalks as a qualifier.  Use of the hashtag enters your photo into a contest, which can be submitted on the MnSRTS Facebook page. Other additional information can be found by clicking here.

 

 

More From KOOL 101.7