Audrey and Grace are two students who regularly ride to their elementary school.  Audrey moved to the Reston area last year and was looking to make new friends.  She found Grace and they have been biking to school most days.  Biking to school has strengthen their friendship bond and gives them time to talk with one another on the way to school.  They like riding to school because not many other students do it at their school, its fun, and it has a positive impact on the environment.  The girls parents have stressed the importance of wearing a helmet at all times and following the rules of the road.  Their route includes both multi use pathways and roads.  Both girls mentioned the feeling of freedom they receive from biking and even feeling like a bird as they cruise downhill.  Audrey says, "its the most calming thing ever."

Audrey and Grace have their own bike train to school and Grace mentioned that it wasn't as much fun to ride without Audrey.  Would you like to encourage more biking to school?  The Safe Routes to School office can help by teaching bike safety skills and helping parents and students organize a bike train.   

One thing that Audrey has learned while riding to school is that people drive way to fast and she always needs to be careful and cautious.  Please slow down as you drive in neighborhoods and near schools.

Want to learn more about the walking and bicycling conditions in the area around your school? Walkabout Mini-grant recipients receive a hands-on walking and bicycling infrastructure assessment and written Walkabout Report coordinated by the Local Technical Assistance Coordinator serving their region.

The Walkabout is an excellent opportunity for community stakeholders to experience pedestrian and bicycle conditions, share perspectives, and build consensus around potential solutions. The Walkabout Report will include descriptions and photos of the conditions observed during the Walkabout. Recommended infrastructure improvements may also be included in the report, if the applicant intends to apply for a specific funding opportunity.  The deadline for applying is February 6, 2020.  http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1468820/Virginia-SRTS-Program-Walkabout-Mini-grant-Application

Educational specialist Evie Ifantides is prepping for her 1,000th bike ride to work while raising funds for the FCPS Safe Routes to School program. Ifantides, who is a specialist in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), started biking to work in March 2012. She has a blog chronicling her journey, and has completed 976 rides to work, a total of 9,402 miles.  She invites people to accompany her on her daily 6.4 mile ride, or to support Safe Routes to School via a pledge through the Foundation for Fairfax County Public Schools. All funds raised encourage students to bike or walk to school, provides helmets and other equipment, training, and safety equipment. Contact Ifantides at eifantides@fcps.edu.