Bike Month: NYC DOT Encourages New Yorkers to Participate in National Bike and Roll to School Day on Wednesday

Press Releases

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov

Bike Month: NYC DOT Encourages New Yorkers to Participate in National Bike and Roll to School Day on Wednesday

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez encourages students across the city to participate in Wednesday's Bike and Roll to School Day on May 7. The national event aims to inspire young people to embrace cycling as a means to enhance their well-being while also promoting cycling as an environmentally friendly and convenient mode of transportation.

"Biking is a fun and healthy way for children to get to school-and a great way to start a day of learning," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "We've been thrilled to see so many bike buses launch across the city and their advocacy inspires us every day to continue building safe street infrastructure for New Yorkers of all ages."

Schools across the city have organized 'bike buses,' volunteer-run efforts helping to navigate students in larger organized group rides through city streets to school. Run by local parents, teachers, and volunteers, bike buses create safe and predictable routes for students and their caregivers to bike to school with regularity. New Yorkers can visit bikebus.nyc for more information on events and resources.

New York City Bike Buses include the following groups:

Brooklyn

• PS 110K Bike to School
• Bergen Bike Bus
• PS 372K Bike, Walk or Roll to School

Manhattan

• Manhattan Country School Bike Bus

NYC DOT's Get Kids Biking in-school initiative has expanded to 18 schools this spring providing New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) and charter schools with bicycles, allowing seventh-grade students to integrate biking into their physical education program. Approximately 13,000 students have participated in the bike safety program since the program's inception in fall, 2017. NYC DOT has rolled out new bike storage trailers to assist school participation as well as improved coordination with school partners. NYC DOT estimates the program will serve roughly 5,000 students over the next year.

The Get Kids Biking initiative is a collaborative effort involving the NYC DOT, NYCPS, and the non-profit entity Bike New York (BNY). The program serves about 30 schools a year. Each student receives six 45-minute sessions of bike safety education over a one-month period through bike instructors, provided by Bike New York, who work alongside trained school physical education staff to deliver the curriculum.

NYC DOT manages six fleets of 40 bikes and their storage trailers, and helmets for each participant. Bike New York delivers curriculum, teacher training, and on-site assistance during the program's launch and continues to maintain the bicycles. NYCPS offers support to both schools and the program overall.

"The Bergen Bike Bus, now in its third school year, consistently assists children and families to their various school destinations every Wednesday, across a nearly 5-mile stretch of Brooklyn, with participants hopping on and off to get to school," said Hilda Cohen, of the Bergen Bike Bus. "The bike bus, thanks to our amazing volunteers, our inspired and invested parents, and the wonderful kids that love to ride their bikes is a visible and tangible way of building and strengthening our community, creating resilient and independent children, instilling and reinforcing habits of sustainability and environmental justice, and ensuring mutual safety and care. It is the highlight of our week and is hands down THE best way to get to school."

"The Manhattan Country School Bike Bus is a parent-led effort that brings the school's social justice values to the streets. Once a month, students, caregivers, and staff ride together to school-building community, boosting safety, and helping kids take ownership of their fair share of public space," said MCS Bike Bus parent organizers Carole Maisonneuve and Michelle Montgomery. "To make it accessible to all, and to align with school's values, the MCS Cycling Group additionally provides free CitiBike day passes to Bike Bus participants, learn-to-ride workshops with Bike New York, and runs a Bike rehoming program, all at no cost to participants."

"Bike and Roll to School Day is a powerful reminder of what's possible when communities come together to support safe, healthy, and joyful ways for kids to get to school," said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York. "We're proud to partner with NYC DOT and NYC Public Schools through initiatives like Get Kids Biking, which equips thousands of students each year with the skills and confidence to ride safely. Bike and Roll to School builds on those efforts by promoting bike buses -an inspiring example of how parents, teachers, and neighbors can build a biking culture that starts with our youngest riders and creates safer, stronger streets for everyone."