Safe Routes to School

The Safe Routes to School Action Plan has been adopted by Town Council at the June 11th meeting. We are already getting started on implementation and look forward to seeing you out there. Watch this space for more soon!

Safe Routes to School has a positive impact on individual students, their families, and the broader community. Walking, biking, and rolling to school can enhance mental and physical health, improve learning outcomes, and foster youth independence and self-reliance. Additionally, increased numbers of students walking and biking to school can improve the quality of life and the environment for the surrounding neighborhoods and the community. Shifting vehicle trips to walking or biking trips reduces greenhouse gas emissions, decreases school-related traffic congestion, reduces transportation costs, and can lead to greater independence for community members who cannot or choose not to drive. By focusing on schools and making it safer and more convenient for young people to get around without a car, the Town can ultimately make Chapel Hill’s transportation system safer for everyone.

The Safe Routes to School Action Plan is headed to Town Council for adoption at the June 11th meeting! We are proud of the plan and very thankful to everyone who contributed to it. After a busy Bike Month, we are currently working on collecting biking and walking counts from schools in Chapel Hill and are beginning to plan activities for the summer and for the back-to-school time period. Watch this space for more!

National Bike & Roll to School Day is May 7th, 2025.

Join children and adults around the world on Wednesday, May 7, to celebrate the benefits of bicycling and walking.

• Click this link to learn more.
• Schools can use this link to register an official event

Check with your school to see if anything is planned.

Even if there is no official event, we can celebrate the joy of biking on May 7 or any day!

Participate in an online Open House to help make walking, biking, and rolling to school safer in Chapel Hill. Submit your feedback by Sunday, March 30:

• Click on the "Ideas Tab"
• Select your school
• Click "Have Your Say" to share your ideas about preliminary recommendations for each school.
• Scroll down to leave feedback about programs and policies.
• On a desktop computer you can right click the map to open it in a new tab

We're developing a Safe Routes to School Action Plan to identify programs, policies, and infrastructure recommendations that will promote safe walking and biking to school. The project includes all 14 schools in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District. The planning process is currently focused on developing draft recommendations, informed by previous stages of understanding existing conditions and behavior, which included direct feedback from parents, teachers, and staff. The plan will include recommendations across all schools in Chapel Hill as well as school-specific recommendations.

Drop in and chat with us about our draft Safe Routes to School and draft regional Vision Zero Action Plans.

• Tuesday, March 25th, 4-7pm at Chapel Hill Public Library
• Family-friendly, snacks provided!

The Town of Chapel Hill is developing a Safe Routes to School Action Plan to identify programs, policies, and infrastructure recommendations that will promote safe walking, biking, and rolling to school. Take our survey to have your voice heard!