October 2nd is International Walk to School Day, and the Frank Rushton Walking Wednesday kids will be walking just like they do every Wednesday. But teacher and Safe Routes to School champion Rachel Hohendorf encourages all schools to join the fun: “The International Walk to School Day is a great way for schools to reach […]
Category Archives: Safe Routes to School
KC Regional Safe Routes to School Summit centers community and celebrates play
Did you know that idling cars and buses affect air quality around schools? And kids play outside half as much as their parents did? And exercise improves mental focus? And more positive activity in a neighborhood (like kids walking) decreases the likelihood of negative activity (like vandalism)? Champions of active living from around the Kansas […]
Active living in the Walking President’s hometown
Harry S. Truman loved to walk. He walked for health, he walked to deposit his Presidential paycheck, and after he returned home from DC, he walked around downtown Independence. Fifty years later, the Independence School District and the City of Independence are honoring their most famous resident by promoting active living and safe streets. After […]
Why your neighborhood needs Safe Routes to School
When we talk about Safe Routes to School, we’re talking about more than just crossing guards and drop-off queues. Developing Safe Routes to School involves a number of actions, from tiny to complex, that create a ripple affect throughout an entire community. When kids can walk, bike, or roll to school, everyone in the […]
YOU can speak up for safer streets: upcoming advocacy opportunities
Our local governments work best when residents get involved. Whether you talk to your neighbors about sidewalk conditions, attend a public meeting about Complete Streets, or write your councilperson about drivers speeding by your kids’ school, you are an advocate for necessary change in your community. Your voice matters, and it is important that you […]
Replacing the Buck O’Neil Bridge is a chance to reconnect neighborhoods
Local and state government officials are proposing three options for replacing the Buck O’Neil Bridge over the Missouri River in Downtown, along with an option to not build at all. This bridge is part of a bigger vision called Beyond the Loop that studied the transformative impact on the Downtown Loop, River Market, and Columbus […]
GO KC Sidewalk Program kicks off new phase with public meeting series
Thanks to your support, BikeWalkKC and our community partners successfully advocated for a $150 million sidewalk program that voters overwhelmingly approved in 2017. City Hall is moving forward to implement the program, and there are several opportunities for you to learn more and get involved. Public Meetings Learn about the GO KC Sidewalk Program and […]
25 miles with Lakewood Elementary
With schools around the region expanding summer school offerings, the BikeWalkKC Education Team has even more opportunities to teach young people Bicycle Lessons and Safety Training (BLAST). In a recent session at Lakewood Elementary in North KC, students received three weeks of bike safety education and riding practice. Our instructors spent the first 5 days […]
A record season for education programs
Our education team has just wrapped its busiest season ever. Over the course of the Spring, we set records for nearly every metric! We served nearly 3000 students this semester, through 140 cohorts of BLAST (Bicycle Lessons and Safety Training), Earn-A-Bike, or Bike Club at 24 schools in 9 districts across the metro. New sites […]
Partner Profile: Health Forward Foundation
One of the benefits of working with local foundations is the deeply connected relationship a nonprofit builds with the organization. Since our very early days, BikeWalkKC has been a recipient of support from the Health Forward Foundation (HFF, formerly the Healthcare Foundation of Greater Kansas City). The Health Forward Foundation advocates for healthy and equitable communities […]