Parents, Schools and Children Invited to Participate

Chicago, IL (September, 22, 2005) Following the back-to-school flurry, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and Mayor Daley's Safe Routes Ambassadors, a program of the Chicago Department of Transportation, are encouraging parents and schools to look ahead to International Walk and Bike to School Day Oct. 5, 2005. With only 13 percent of American school children currently walking or biking to school, Walk and Bike to School Day offers parents and schools resources to encourage and increase the number of children who walk or bike to school.

By moving children out of the back seat of the car and onto their feet, Walk and Bike to School Day promotes much-needed physical activity and a safer walking and bicycling environment with less traffic and better air quality. Here in Chicagoland, parents and schools can get involved by downloading a tool kit at www.chicagowalks.org or by visiting www.iwalktoschool.org. Schools in Chicago can contact Beth Gutelius of Mayor Daley's Safe Routes Ambassadors at (312) 744-3019, while schools in the suburbs can contact Melody Geraci of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation at (312) 427-3325, ext. 240.

More than 50 schools around Chicagoland are already planning Walk and Bike to School Day events. With help from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and Mayor Daley's Safe Routes Ambassadors, schools and parents are preparing for the celebration by organizing adult-led Walking School Buses and Bike Trains; pedestrian and bicycling safety education programs; outreach efforts to parents and teachers; and pep rallies.

"Our school had more than 300 students participate last year and it was very easy to put together," said Theresa Hennigan, case manager and certified school nurse for the Chicago International Charter School West Belden Campus. "This year we're hoping to get more parents involved with a resource fair after the students have walked or biked to school."

Partners supporting Walk and Bike to School Day throughout Chicagoland include the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC), SAFE KIDS Chicago, the American Heart Association, the Mayor's Fitness Council, Chicago Park District, Bally's Total Fitness, the Chicago Fire Department, and the Chicago Department of Transportation.

Walk and Bike to School Day is an international observation that has occurred the first Wednesday of October since 2000. Before it went international, Chicago was one of the first cities in the U.S. to participate in Walk and Bike to School Day when Mayor Daley walked with students in 1997. In 2004, approximately 3 million walkers from 36 countries walked to school together-all hoping to create communities that are safe places to walk.

For more information about The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation visit www.biketraffic.org.