Your photos: How Minnesotans celebrated National Bike and Roll to School Day
Updated: May 9, 12 p.m. | Posted: May 8, 7:55 a.m.
Thousands of young Minnesota cyclists were out on roads, sidewalks and bike paths Wednesday morning for National Bike and Roll to School Day.
More than 150 schools statewide participated in the event aimed at promoting safe walking and biking, reducing traffic crashes that harm pedestrians and connecting families. MnDOT and Minnesota Safe Routes to School encouraged families to bike or walk from home or hitch a ride in a “walking school bus” along the way.
“We know students do better in school when they add physical activities to their day,” Kelly Corbin, MnDOT Safe Routes to School coordinator, said in a statement. “This event promotes safety skills that students can use throughout their lives.”
Minneapolis Public Schools hosted a free, slow-paced community ride Wednesday afternoon to continue the celebration. From 2-4 p.m., the pedalers followed a 5.5-mile path starting at the MPD Culinary Center and looping through Wirth Park, ending with a shared meal.
The morning and afternoon rides both “celebrate bicycle efforts in our school district, the beauty of Minneapolis and the joy in our connections to each other,” MPS Active Living Coordinator Jennifer Bordon said. “They embody some ideas we think are pretty important for our students: healthy eating, regular physical activity and real community connections.”
Here’s how our readers celebrated Bike and Roll to School Day:
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.