Philadelphia Students Walked and Biked to School. Next Month Honors Ruby Bridges

PHILADELPHIA — Hundreds of Philadelphia students walked, biked and rolled to school on Oct. 7 as part of Walktober, the national Walk and Roll to School celebration, with city officials joining a bike bus to the George W. Nebinger School in Bella Vista.

The day began at Weccacoe Playground, where students, caregivers and school staff received a safety lesson from the Safe Routes Philly team before a 10-minute ride through the neighborhood to the school, according to the city’s Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems.

On arrival, Principal Ayanna Townsend presented the 2026 Greg Wright Safe Routes Leadership Award to longtime parent volunteers Jason Sandman and Silvia Licciulli, who helped make Nebinger’s bike bus possible.

Students at the Amadee Bregy School in Girard Estates and the Bache-Martin School in Fairmount also took part in the day’s events.

The city says research shows programs like Walktober can increase walking and biking to school, especially alongside traffic-calming measures like speed cushions, and that students who walk and bike to school show better attendance, grades and classroom behavior.

Safe Routes Philly offers free pedestrian and bicycle safety lessons to schools across Philadelphia, including classroom presentations for second and third graders.

Next month, Safe Routes Philly will celebrate Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day for the second year. The event honors Bridges, the first Black student to attend a formerly all-white elementary school, with students across Philadelphia and the country walking to school together.

Throughout Walktober and the school year, the program asks drivers to watch for students walking, biking and rolling to school.