Find an Active Way to Get to School Oct. 12

10/3/2022
October 3, 2022 - Walk to School Day highlights importance of safety for students across North Texas
 
PRESS RELEASE
Brian Wilson

ARLINGTON, Texas) – Students of all ages across North Texas are encouraged to participate in this year’s observance of Walk to School Day, scheduled for Oct. 12. More than 125 events are planned at campuses throughout Texas, with over 50 schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area taking part.

The event brings together students, their parents, schools and public officials to celebrate walking, promote healthy behaviors and mobilize support for pedestrian safety improvements. Participation in this annual event can encourage students to become more active in a fun way, as it allows them to gather with their friends in the neighborhood for a different way to get to school. Instead of riding the bus or in the car, they can walk, bicycle or even ride a scooter.

Active commutes to school are more than just fun for students. Walking and rolling to school can include the following benefits:
 
  • Encourage students to establish healthy habits
  • Improve academic performance
  • Reduce traffic congestion near schools
  • Improve air quality
  • Teach students about the importance of traffic safety
  • Build stronger school-community relationships
 
For schools interested in holding an event, it does not take long to organize one. The Walk to School Day website offers tips on how to plan an event in seven days. 

As part of a NCTCOG promotion of Walk to School Day this year, 20 schools registered their event with NCTCOG and will receive free promotional materials to support their Walk to School Day events. Each promotional kit includes a Walk to School Day banner and/or other safety and encouragement items for students. The schools will also be able to enter their students’ names into a raffle to win a new bicycle. NCTCOG anticipates offering free promotional events again for the 2023 Walk to School Day.

While walking to school is highlighted one day a year, NCTCOG encourages students to continue opting for active ways to get to school after Oct. 12. The right infrastructure will help create more opportunities for students across the region, regardless of where they live.

NCTCOG invests in Safe Routes to School projects such as improved sidewalks and crosswalks. In 2020, NCTCOG awarded nearly $7 million for six Safe Routes to School projects across North Texas through the 2020 Transportation Alternatives Call for Projects. Later this year, the Regional Transportation Council will consider another series of funding requests as part of the 2022 call for projects.

About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication and make joint decisions.

NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered in the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. Currently, For more information on the NCTCOG Transportation Department, visit www.nctcog.org/trans.

About the Regional Transportation Council:
The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 44 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. More information can be found at www.nctcog.org.

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