On the eve of National Ride2School Day, we're encouraging everyone to get involved in one of Australia's largest celebrations of active transport... not just the kids.
National Ride2School Day is one of the biggest days on Bicycle Network's annual event calendar, designed to combat the growing percentage of Australia children who are not getting enough daily exercise.
But it's more than just a day. We work all year round to encourage, empower and enable as many young people as possible to break sedentary trends and live a more active and healthier lifestyle.
We do this by working with schools and councils to implement safe ActivePaths, awarding grants for schools to put toward active transport investments and running bike education workshops – but you can help too!
In order to normalise healthy habits, we need as many people as possible to set the tone, which is why we’re encouraging everyone to leave the car at home tomorrow and get active on your way to school, work, uni or to the local shops.
Kids are impressionable, and if we want to show the next generation that getting your daily exercise is not only important but also easily obtainable, we need to lead by example.
Because that's what we had...
In the 1970s, eight out of ten students rode or walked to school. In the past 40 years this number has dwindled, until today just two out of ten students actively travel to school.
It’s time to reverse this unhealthy trend, and tomorrow is the perfect day to start.
Primary school-aged kids should be getting 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Despite what many parents may think, 4 out of 5 kids are not reaching this recommended limit. Riding, walking, scooting or skating to school is one of the easiest ways kids can get the exercise they need for healthy development.
Tomorrow's celebrations are designed to showcase a simple solution to a serious problem – planting the seed for healthier habits in the future.
That is what National Ride2School Day is all about.