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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2013
No.: 13-2518
Contact: Jeremy Woodrow, 907-465-8994, Jeremy.Woodrow@alaska.gov

National Bike to School Day
Wednesday, May 8th 2013

(JUNEAU, Alaska) –Schools and communities across the nation will bike to school on May 8th, 2013. The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) Safe Routes to School program is inviting schools to participate in this year’s National Bike to School Day.

Bike to School Day is part of the celebration of National Bike Month. It offers the opportunity for students across the nation to join together on a single day, to promote fun and healthy physical activities. It helps kids of all ages learn to be more safe as they bike and walk around their community.

ADOT&PF would like to remind schools in Alaska that it’s not too late to sign up. So far, 51 schools in Alaska have registered to participate in 2013; an increase from the previous year of 23 schools, in 7 districts.

To register your school or for more information, please visit the Walk Bike to School Day website at www.walkbiketoschool.org. Registering shows your place among many other schools in promoting safe walking and biking.

Bicycling to school and work increases physical activity, which is encouraged by the Center for Disease Control, to halt the increasing trend of obesity in our young people and adults. If more students are walking or bicycling, this will also reduce the traffic congestion during peak hours and vehicle emissions near our schools. This can help reduce asthma and other breathing issues, children currently face.  Bicycling to work or school also reduces our dependence on gasoline and promotes cleaner air for the community. Most importantly, it’s fun!

For more information on Safe Routes to School Walking and Biking programs; visit the Alaska Safe Routes to School website at www.dot.alaska.gov/saferoutes or call
Carolyn Goodbrake, Safe Routes to School Outreach Specialist, at (907)465-2496.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 255 airports, 11 ferries serving 35 communities, 5,619 miles of highway and 720 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Get Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

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