Walking, bicycling and taking public transit are accessible, affordable and eco-friendly forms of transportation, with the added benefit of exercise and fresh air. Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll program supports our local youth by teaching them to be safe pedestrians and bicyclists as well as how to get where they want and need to go using the bus. These lifelong skills foster independence and resiliency.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, from 2017-2021 there were 93 crashes in Thurston County that involved pedestrians or bicyclists ages 5-18. In addition to teaching youth to be safe pedestrians and bicyclists, Walk N Roll also encourages drivers to slow down and make our roads safer. Walk N Roll asks drivers to become Safe Streets Ambassadors by pledging to drive responsibly. Walk N Roll also partnered with Target Zero, Child Care Action Council’s Safe Kids Thurston County Program and the Olympia Police Department, with funding from State Farm to design, print, and distribute free yard signs with traffic safety messages. Signs are displayed at homes around the County reminding drivers to slow down and drive safely.
Teaching Bicycling Safety Through Miniature Streetscapes
Utilizing grant funding from State Farm, Intercity Transit and the Child Care Action Council’s Safe Kids Thurston County program partnered with North Thurston Public Schools and the Olympia School District, to install two permanent traffic gardens in Thurston County. “Traffic Gardens are miniature streetscapes that provide youth a realistic and fun place to learn and practice bicycle and pedestrian safety skills in an environment away from vehicles. Traffic gardens include real world traffic features such as intersections, stop signs, crosswalks, and roundabouts. These are the building blocks to learn to ride safely on our local streets and use bicycles both for fun and transportation” shares Walk N Roll Supervisor Kerri Wilson.
In spring of 2021, the first traffic garden was installed on the playground at Mountain View Elementary School. The installation of the second traffic garden, at McKenny Elementary School, was completed this summer. “Both traffic gardens provide an outdoor classroom for the schools’ physical education classes” says Kerri. In addition to benefitting the school’s curriculum, the public is also invited to enjoy the space outside of school hours.
Walk N Roll’s Bike Shop Refurbishes Donated Bicycles for Youth
Walk N Roll’s bike shop is an educational space where volunteers learn bike mechanic skills refurbishing donated bikes. “The refurbished bikes are given to youth who participate in Walk N Roll’s bicycle education programs” Kerri shares. Over six weeks in July and August, Walk N Roll ran Earn-A-Bike classes for children ages 11 to 15. During the classes students learned essential bicycling skills through hands on activities and group rides on city streets. Volunteer mechanics rebuilt and repaired 51 donated bikes that were given to youth who completed the classes!
The bike shop is preparing to move from its rented location in downtown Olympia to a permanent space in Intercity Transit’s brand-new headquarters off Martin Way near Pattison Street. “We are looking forward to inviting our volunteers and participants to this new space to participate in more learning opportunities and programs” states Kerri.
October is Walk to School Month
As their name suggests, Walk N Roll focuses on increasing the number of youth using active transportation in our community. They encourage children and their families to find ways to build exercise into their daily lives, such as by walking to and from school. “We encourage youth to walk both for physical activity and transportation. It also provides youth with a supportive environment to learn and practice pedestrian and bicycle safety skills” shares Kerri. With a request from Walk N Roll, the cities of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater have proclaimed October 2022 Walk to School Month. Walk N Roll promotes this with their Youth Walk Challenge in which students who walk 10 days during the month can submit their form in exchange for a prize.
Transit Field Trips Resume
This school year, Walk N Roll is bringing back their Rolling Classroom field trips, which were a fun and integral part of their programming prior to COVID-19. Schools and youth organizations can request a field trip for students to experience riding the bus firsthand and learn about public transportation. “Students get to meet a bus operator and learn how to ride the bus,” Kerri says. After getting to know more about the bus, they go for a short ride to see what the bus is like in action. It’s a great opportunity for youth of all ages to learn more about public transportation and experience our local bus system for themselves. Interested schools or educational programs can find the Rolling Classroom request form on Intercity Transit’s website.
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