Wyatt (5) and Finley (6) cross at the intersection of Mount Lucas Road and Terhune Road. They wheeled themselves to school alongside their mother, Ashley Bischoff, as part of a weekly mass action to raise walkers and bikers’ visibility among drivers. (Photo: Carolyn Jones.)

This story was produced in collaboration with TAPinto Princeton as part of the NJ Ecology-Civics

Reporting Project and CivicStory.  

A new initiative hopes to get more kids walking and biking to school, boosting independence, sustainability, and road safety.

Princeton, NJ —Wyatt, 5, grabs his Spiderman backpack, clicks on his helmet, and jumps aboard his yellow scooter. He sails down the driveway alongside his sister Finley, 6. Behind them, Ashley Bischoff breaks into a jog. It’s almost one mile to Community Park Elementary and unless Bischoff runs, she’ll lose sight of her kids as they wheel around the curve.

Bischoff is out here today because her kids want to take themselves to school. They could catch the bus, but because they are the first stop on the route, her pre-kindergartener and first grader would spend an hour driving through town collecting other kids. Yet on their pink and yellow scooters, school is only ten minutes away.

Bischoff wants to raise her kids to see walking or cycling as their preferred mode of transport. So she’s cut them a deal. On Wednesdays, they can wheel themselves to school. But there’s a caveat. Given Princeton’s busy roads, lack of bike lanes, and speeding drivers, Finley and Wyatt must remember everything she’s taught them about being safe. 

Luckily, there’s a new school-wide initiative, Walk & Wheel Wednesdays, to help with that. Launched on March 5 by the Princeton Parent-Teacher Organization Council (PTOC), which represents all six public schools and serves as a liaison with the school district, this campaign encourages students to walk, roll, or bus to school each Wednesday. Where possible, neighborhood captains lead groups of walkers or bikers along the safest routes. Meanwhile, the Princeton Police Department posts extra crossing guards.

This morning, there is no guard or flashing beacon at the Mansgrove Street crosswalk, which bridges one of Princeton’s busiest roads. But Finley knows what to do. With her mother by her side, she double-checks both traffic lanes before moving cautiously across Route 206 on foot. Then, with scooter tassels flickering, she swoops down the next hill. She and her brother whoop with delight.

Pervasive safety concerns

For the Bischoff kids, the Wednesday commute is pure fun. But for many parents, having their children out on the streets is a source of anxiety.  

The PTOC serves as a conduit for their fears, and the executive board hears frequently from parents about car crashes or near-misses. Since 2016, there have been six pedestrian fatalities in Princeton, and almost every month, at least one pedestrian is hit by a car on a crosswalk.

Safety is not the only concern. Finding ways to move through town sustainability is a key tenet of Princeton’s master plan. The autonomy that comes from a walkable community is also a shared value.

“Kids in this town want to be independent,” said Nicole Pezold Hancock, a vice-president of the PTOC. “Princeton is small enough that many of them can be. But parents have to balance their desire for freedom with the safety risks every time their child walks out the door.”

Last November, concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety converged. The Riverside PTO raised concerns about the lack of crossing guards on two major roads framing their neighborhood. The Johnson Park PTO described persistent safety issues with a new traffic roundabout, which itself has been installed following an adult pedestrian fatality. Parents of middle and high schoolers noted that busy roads in their neighborhoods seemed too risky for even their older kids to get themselves to school. 

Because the same message was bubbling up from different neighborhoods, the PTOC decided it was time for action. They sought templates for a successful road safety campaign, and found two in their own backyard. 

First was the annual Walk And Bike To School Day. This convivial event, which occurs nationwide, encourages children to get themselves to school on foot or by wheel. The aim is to familiarize families with their safest routes. The Princeton version was spearheaded in 2014 by Lisa Serieyssol, a Johnson Park Elementary parent at the time. It has been celebrated every year since, and will occur this year on October 1.

The PTOC noticed how much families enjoyed those one-off days and they wondered if it could be more regular. For this they drew inspiration from Community Park Elementary parents, who several years ago started a bicibus, or bike bus, whereby families join a trail of fellow cyclists on their Friday commute to school.

“The bicibus at CP caught on like wildfire,” said Pezold Hancock, who walks her own child to school in that neighborhood.

 The PTOC realized that if their safety campaign was going to stick, it had to feel like fun.

On Wednesdays in Princeton, cars make way for school-bound students. (Photo: Carolyn Jones)

A broad coalition

Back in the Community Park neighborhood, Finley and Wyatt are now swooshing down the sidewalk of Mount Lucas Road. The road is steep and they could go faster, but Bischoff — who in the past worked on Vision Zero road safety projects — has taught them to beware of reversing cars. Accordingly, the kids pause at the entrance to each driveway. They ensure it’s clear before releasing their brakes and gliding toward the next house. Bischoff jogs behind, scanning the road. At the Terhune Road crosswalk, the children wait for their mother before crossing at a walker’s pace.

This morning, families across Princeton are dealing with different traffic challenges. For some it’s a lack of sidewalks. For others, drivers ignore crosswalks. For this reason, the PTOC built a wide coalition of organizations interested in site-specific road safety issues. All organizations are also committed to the environmental benefits of leaving one’s car at home. The PTOC partnered with the school district, the police department, Sustainable Princeton, and traffic safety experts, the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Authority (GMTMA). The planning and roll-out was ultimately powered by the volunteer energy of all six Princeton PTOs, which represents some 3,600 children. 

Framing the vision

So far, the PTOC is pleased with the early success of Walk & Wheel Wednesdays. As the weather improves and as families cement their traveling groups, they hope it becomes a tradition. Princeton may be among the first New Jersey towns to implement a regular walk-to-school program such as this, though other towns, such as South Orange, Maplewood, and Montclair have instituted regular bike buses. The PTOC hopes other towns follow, too.

The PTOC organizers also have larger ambitions.

Many Princeton parents are well-informed about road safety issues and they know that the education of road users is just one part of the safety puzzle. Also key is law enforcement to disincentivize dangerous habits, as well as traffic engineering to make it easier to be safe. 

The PTOC notes that many parents hope to see more systemic changes to Princeton’s roads. They see Walk & Wheel Wednesdays as the first step.

“We as parents can’t change infrastructure,” said Pezold Hancock “Writing a petition will only get us so far. But we can educate our kids and organize so there’s more visibility around walking and biking. Once we take care of those, it shines a bigger light on the town’s enforcement and infrastructure needs.”

The PTOC looks forward to working with decision-makers to further extend the town’s walkability. “Parents are holding up one of the safety pillars right now,” Pezold Hancock said. “Now they need the support of others.”

Councilperson David Cohen, who has recently been appointed to the Champions Institute’s Complete Streets Program, which prioritizes safer streets, is encouraged by Walk & Wheel Wednesday’s potential to bring about change. 

“The more pedestrians and cyclists are out and about, the safer they are,” Cohen said. “There really is safety in numbers because drivers will be more alert and cautious when they see a lot of foot and wheel traffic.”

Back in Community Park, Finley and Wyatt are approaching their school just as the bicibus emerges from Guyot Avenue. Upbeat music blares from a bike basket. One parent stops across Witherspoon Street until all the children in the train are across. It’s still early, but the bike racks in front of the school are filling up.  Finley dismounts her scooter and hands her helmet to her mother. When asked how she liked getting herself to school today, she doesn’t hesitate.

“It was fun!” she says, before bounding toward the front doors.