Safe Routes to School

Last Friday morning, on Nov 14th, students, families, School, and Town staff SHOWED UP at Hargraves Community Center at 7 am, in the cold, to celebrate the legacy of Ruby Bridges and to celebrate belonging.

Shenekia Weeks Parrish and Town of Chapel Hill Councilmember Paris Miller-Foushee kicked us off – and then we all walked together to Northside Elementary.

We served over 4 gallons of hot chocolate and handed out more than 150 Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day pennants, purchased from the Ruby Bridges Foundation, to the students who attended the walk.

This year, Northside Elementary held an incredible Northside Community History Night the night before the walk – the first of many!

Gratitude to Ruby Bridges - we honor your legacy!

We are excited to partner with Northside Elementary School once again this year for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Friday, Nov 14th!

In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges etched her name in history when she integrated all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Since then, Ruby has become a national icon for her courageous action.

Every November 14th, we celebrate Ruby’s courageous and historic act by encouraging students to walk to school and engaging in a day of dialogue about activism, anti-racism, and antibullying.

National Walk & Roll to School Day is Wednesday, Oct. 8th

Join children and adults around the world on Wednesday, October 8th, to celebrate the benefits of walking and rolling to school.

Check with your school to see if there are any planned events.

Planning an event for Walk and Roll to School Day? This website can help!

Something like a Walking School Bus can help keep the walking habit going year-round!

Whether or not there is an organized event, it is a great day to try walking, biking, or rolling to school.

Come learn about current and upcoming Town of Chapel Hill Transportation and Mobility projects.

When: Thursday, September 11 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.

Where: Chapel Hill Public Library, Room A

We’ll share information about these current and upcoming projects:

• N. Estes Dr. resurfacing & bike lanes (Caswell Rd. to E. Franklin St.)
• Pinehurst Dr. resurfacing & bike lanes (Burning Tree Dr. to Ephesus Church Rd.)
• Ephesus Church Rd. sidewalks
• Fordham sidepath
• Vision Zero
• Safe Routes to School
• Everywhere to Everywhere Greenways Feasibility Study

THANK YOU to everyone who made our Second Annual Roll & Stroll a success! We couldn’t have kicked off the new school year and launched our Wheels of Wellness program without the help of community members, Town staff, school leaders, and our community partners.

Saturday, Aug. 23

10 a.m. - 12 p.m.Scroggs Elementary

Free & Open to All

Come celebrate Back to School and Wheels of Wellness at Scroggs Elementary School!

Games, activities, and swagBike/stroller/scooter decorating

Free SnoBalls

Parade starts at 11:00 am

Town Council adopted the Safe Routes to School Action Plan at the June 11th meeting. We’re starting to implement the plan and look forward to seeing you in the community soon. Watch this space for more information!

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.