BPES Partners With Children’s of Alabama for “National Bike to School Day”

Bluff Park Elementary School recently held a bicycle parade in partnership with Children’s of Alabama, Safe Kids Alabama and Safe Routes to School Central Alabama as part of National Bike to School Day.

The celebration began at 7:15 a.m. with a morning arrival parade of students riding their bikes from Shades Crest Baptist Church down Park Terrace to Bluff Park Elementary. 

An afternoon dismissal parade rolled out of the school at 2:45 p.m. as students returned to Shades Crest Baptist. Bluff Park Elementary was selected as the site of the event because a large number of its students ride their bikes to school each day.

The purpose of Bike to School Day is to educate children and their families about how to ride a bike safely, encourage them to always wear a bike helmet and to promote good health by exercising. In the week prior to the event, safety experts from Children’s conducted puppet show and other demonstrations to teach safe biking habits to Bluff Park students and distributed bike helmets to those who didn’t have one. 

Last year, 28 children were treated at Children’s of Alabama for trauma injuries sustained in bike wrecks. 

Earlier in the school year, Bluff Park Elementary hosted several Walk to School Day events in partnership with Safe Routes to School of Central Alabama. 

The students created a walking school bus which was supervised by adult volunteer and followed three neighborhood routes. Several hundred students and parents participated.

Safe Routes to School of Central Alabama is a joint initiative of United Way of Central Alabama and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham. 

It strives to accomplish several objectives including increased safety, physical activity, traffic mitigation and improved air quality. Safe Routes to School partners with schools to educate and encourage students to walk, and works with cities to improve infrastructure to be more conducive for walking and biking. 

More information about Bike to School Day is available at walkbiketoschool.org.  

-Submitted by Hoover City Schools