The WWBPA congratulates the West Windsor Regional School District for several of its schools earning Safe Routes to School (SRTS) recognition for 2025.
The district as a whole and Maurice Hawk Elementary School were awarded Bronze status. Dutch Neck Elementary and Village School were awarded “First Steps”.
The awards resulted from a collaboration between the schools, the WWBPA and the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Agency to increase the amount of biking and walking safety education offered to students.
The WWBPA provided bike-walk safety information at Maurice Hawk school at two PTA events in 2024. The school also participated in GMTMA’s Safe Routes to School bookmark contest and has a bike rack, which helped it reach bronze.
At Dutch Neck, WWBPA provided bike-walk safety information to hundreds of students at the school’s science fairs. GMTMA gave a Safe Routes to School lesson to its 185 second graders.
Let’s do more
New Jersey’s SRTS program encourages schools and municipalities to implement programs and infrastructure that will enable more children to safely walk and bike to school for improved health. It’s part of a nationwide program supported by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, among others.
These recognitions are valid for three years, and the WWBPA would like to see more WW-P schools — all the way through the high schools — earn a SRTS designation.
The WWBPA would like to see more bicycle and walking safety education in the WW-P schools. We think it’s important, for example, for children to know that when they bike on the street, they should bike on the right side, just as drivers drive on the right. Cyclists must follow the same rules of the road that drivers do. We are pleased that a new state law will add more information about the safe-passing law to driver’s ed classes. (Please give 4 feet when passing cyclists and other vulnerable road users.)
Please contact your school’s principal and/or PTA/PTSA if you’d like to see more safety education for your children, no matter their grade level. We need you to speak up!
The WWBPA and/or GMTMA can assist at an event during or outside of school hours (such as Field Day, PTA/PTSA events or a special presentation at a school assembly). We would welcome an opportunity to help plan a bike rodeo with hands-on bike safety lessons and games, walk to school or bike to school event, or provide drivers education materials. Contact [email protected] for more information.