Press Releases
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 7, 2024
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov
NYC DOT Encourages New Yorkers to Participate in Bike to School Day on Wednesday
DOT encourages bicycle ridership throughout Bike Month with Bike to School Day on May 8
Brooklyn 'Bike Bus' to School heading to PS 372K in Gowanus, Brooklyn
NEW YORK — New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez is encouraging students across the city to participate in Wednesday’s Bike to School Day. Bike to School Day 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 to school—especially in a ‘bike bus’ —is a great way for children to get their daily exercise, build friendships with classmates, and enjoy a fun, fast way to get around. These bike buses help students cultivate cycling skills and promote eco-friendly living from a young age,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We are grateful to all the students, schools, and organizers of the bike buses and we look forward to delivering more great street redesigns that will make it easier for children to ride to school.”
Schools across the city will also be participating in '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.
Bike to School Bike Buses include the following groups:
Brooklyn
- Brownsville Bike Bus
- PS 110K Bike to School
- Bergen Bike Bus
- PS 372K Bike, Walk or Roll to School
- Arts and Letters 305 United – Bed Stuy
Queens
- Jackson Heights Bike Bus
Manhattan
- Manhattan Country School Bike Bus
Bronx
- Soundview Bike Bus
Bike to School Day will also mark the relaunch of NYC DOT’s Get Kids Biking in-school initiative, which provides New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) and charter schools with bicycles, allowing seventh-grade students to integrate biking into their physical education program. Approximately 9,000 students have participated in the bike safety program since the program’s inception in fall, 2017. Following the program’s pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NYC DOT will be relaunching the program this spring by rolling out new bike storage trailers to assist school participation as well as improved coordination with school partners. NYC DOT anticipates that relaunching the program will immediately serve approximately 2,000 students in spring 2024 which could grow to 3,000 students in fall 2024.
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.
“We care very deeply about our students’ health and wellbeing,” said Schools Chancellor David C. Banks. “Partnering with programs like Get Kids Biking and their Bike to School Day initiative doesn’t just ensure that healthy habits are extending beyond the four walls of the classroom, it’s also a lot of fun.”
“Bike New York is proud to partner with DOT and NYCPS to help expand kids' access to bike education,” said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York. “Our mission is to transform people's lives through cycling, and there is no better place to start than in school. Instructors and staff who work with this program report improvement in confidence and self-esteem in the kids that learned how to safely and confidently bike in our urban landscape. The six-week investment in these skills will last a lifetime. I applaud DOT and NYCPS for their ongoing commitment to bringing the joy of cycling to our city's youth.”