Safe Routes to School

At the heart, MPS Safe Routes to School (SRTS) strives to give all students the experience of safely, easily, (joyfully even), walking, biking, and rolling, during the school day or in the commute to and from school.

We live in one of the most walkable and bikeable cities in the entire country, and our students deserve full access. Safe Routes to School in MPS is a collaborative effort, and so we work with many local and state partners to seek resources and remove barriers so that all students experience the joys and reap the many and lifelong benefits of active transportation.

Our work is guided by our MPS Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan which expresses a belief that kids deserve to move freely in the public realm, that they should be able to travel easily and safely wherever they want to go, that joy matters, that communities matter, that there’s something each of us can do, and that when we band together we can make real, impactful change. Thousands of MPS students, families, staff, partners, and community members contributed to this update, and their collective knowledge is reflected throughout it.

Student biking at Let's Roll Minneapolis

People biking at Let's Roll Minneapolis event

Choose Your Walking or Biking Route to School

The best routes are lower-volume streets that have supporting infrastructure like stop signs or lights at intersections, sidewalks for walking and rolling, or bike lanes for biking.

Maps

The City of Minneapolis Walking Routes for Youth may be helpful for planning your route (scroll down to find all the versions of the map). Test the route on a non-school day. You’ll discover how long your trip takes and identify any potential hazards along the way. The City is updating this map for the 2024-2025 school year.

Safety concerns

Do you have a safety/public works concern with an intersection on your route? Contact the City of Minneapolis using their non-emergency 311. Say the school name and be very specific about the issue, such as poor sight lines, lack of gaps in traffic, not enough time to cross at the signal, or speed of vehicles. Many streets are eligible for consideration from the City of Minneapolis for traffic calming measures such as speed humps, traffic circles and curb extensions.

Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Days

Registration is open for Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day on October 9! Register your school now and Minnesota Safe Routes to School will send you posters, zipper pulls, stickers, and more!

Seasonal Walk, Bike, and Roll Days

Minneapolis Public Schools celebrates walking, biking, and rolling to school on special days in October, February and May. Subscribe to our newsletter, The Whole Carrot, so you won’t miss the sign-up announcement. This year's dates are Oct. 9, Feb. 5, and May 7.

Walk to school events are so fun in Minneapolis Public Schools. These events allow kids, families, and staff to celebrate the joy of active commuting while building community and school pride. Remember, events can be as simple as announcing "It's Walk and Roll to School Day" and giving "I Walked" and "I Biked" stickers to children when they arrive. Our team can help you plan your event, and we have ideas to include the whole school.

Helpful resources

Minnesota Safe Routes to School is an effort to improve walking and bicycling conditions for youth and to encourage more active lifestyles. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is working with partners across the state to help schools and communities develop Safe Routes to School plans and programs.

Walk Bike & Roll to School, from the National Center for Safe Routes to School, facilitates communities in becoming places for safe walking, biking and rolling for everyone, starting with children and the trip to school.

Safety Tips

Walking, biking, and rolling gives brain benefits that make it easier to concentrate at school. It also gives a happiness boost from exercise and being outdoors. Active commuting to school rather than driving is one way to reduce traffic congestion at school and can also save almost 100 pounds of CO2 emissions per person per year.

Tips for a safe and fun walk or bike to school

Take extra care when you approach intersections, driveways or other busy parts of the roadway.
Look left, right and left again before crossing the street. Continue looking in each direction as you cross.
Find a friend or two to walk, bike, or roll with you. It’s more fun with friends!
Dress for the weather. Consider wearing bright or reflective clothing that will help you to be seen.
Be alert. Avoid using your phone or two headphones when walking, biking, and rolling.
Talk to a trusted staff or adult if you feel unsafe on your route to school.

Additional bike safety tips

Always wear a helmet.
Bicyclists must obey the same laws that cars do. That includes stopping for pedestrians, stopping for stop signs, signaling turns and traveling with the flow of traffic.
Every school has a bike rack.
Get help from an adult in the office if you forgot your lock - do not leave your bike unlocked.
A u-lock is best. Try to lock your bike in a visible, camera-protected area when possible to help deter theft.
Watch this short bike safety video in English or in Spanish.

Walking Buses and Bike Trains

Walking buses and bike trains are, quite simply, groups of children and adults walking or biking together to or from school. There is no yellow bus. The practice has all the benefits of exercise and being outdoors - and the added benefits of building community and making friends. Another benefit - morning becomes a lot easier because children are eager to get out the door in the morning because they don’t want to miss the walking bus going by.

More resources

The National Safe Routes to School partnership has a toolkit for how to start a walking school bus at your school.

Watch a webinar about how to start a walking bus from MPS Lake Nokomis bike bus founders and parents.

Bike Education

Bike education changes lives! Minneapolis has been called the best biking city in the nation, and we believe our students deserve full and easy access to all our city offers.

Bike program for grades 4-5

MPS' universal bike education initiative's goal is to teach all students in grades 4 and 5 how to safely ride a bike on the streets and trails of Minneapolis. Available to all schools in MPS with students in grades 4-5 is bike safety training for staff, equipment including bicycles and adaptive bicycles, technical assistance, and hands on help so that children can learn how to ride a bike and then learn how to ride it safely on the streets and trails of Minneapolis. Students gain “the keys to the city” as they discover a trail right alongside the Mississippi, a route that offers views of the sparkling skyline, or a “secret” gravel path in the woods.

Through bike education in MPS young people feel powerful, joyful, and connected to their communities, and then gain skills that will last them a lifetime. More than two-thirds of elementary schools participate in this program, which is now expanding into secondary schools. Collectively we have traveled more than 100,000 miles on the streets and trails of Minneapolis.

Volunteer to help with bike education in MPS

Let’s Roll MPS - Annual Event

Let’s Roll MPS - Oct. 10!

The Let’s Roll MPS is an inclusive, slow-paced group bicycle ride that celebrates bicycle efforts in Minneapolis Public Schools, the beauty of our city, and the joy in our connections to each other.

All are invited: Volunteer to help, bring a group of students, or simply show up with your bike and helmet and join the ride.

3-5 pm, Thursday, October 10 (Light rain or shine).

The ride starts and ends on the playground of Sullivan Steam Magnet and Anishinabe Academy, the event co-hosts. (3100 East 28th Street.)

About the Let’s Roll MPS

Let's Roll MPS is a free, slow-paced group bicycle ride that celebrates bicycle efforts in our school district, the beauty of Minneapolis, and the joy in our connections to each other. Student bike groups from many MPS schools are the stars of the show in this event that takes place in mid-October on the Southside and in May on the Northside.

Our mission in MPS Culinary & Wellness Services is to nurture ALL children through access to quality food and active living. The Let’s Roll embodies our commitment to active living bringing together important aspects of good health and happiness - healthy eating, regular physical activity, and community connections. We bike together and celebrate with a True Food meal at the end!

Who is invited?

Everyone is invited – staff, students, families, and community! Bring your own bicycle and helmet. Volunteers are essential to making sure these events are fun and safe for everyone, so please consider volunteering to help us at one or both of these events. Bike along roles do not take any special skills and there are also non-biking volunteer roles. Please see link at the top of the page to volunteer.

Know Before You Roll

Bring your own bicycle. Wear a helmet, pump your tires, check your brakes, and remember bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as car drivers. All participants will sign a waiver. Students must be accompanied by a caregiver/guardian or by staff who has signed permission slips for the group.

Thank you to the Life Time Foundation's grantmaking program (“Get Kids Moving!”) for support of these events.

MPS Safe Routes to School Work Group

The MPS Safe Routes to School work group meets monthly to guide SRTS efforts in MPS, collaborate around projects, problem solve issues, and help create a Minneapolis where students can confidently, safely, and easily walk, bike and roll wherever they want to go. The group is convened by MPS Culinary & Wellness Services and includes representatives from departments within MPS - Transportation, EMSS, Family Engagement, Community Education - and external partners from Hennepin County planning, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and the the City of Minneapolis departments of Public Works Planning, Public Works Traffic and Parking, and Health.

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