Princeton Public School students are being encouraged to skip the car line at least one day a week, as part of a new campaign launched by Parent-Teacher Organizations and local allies. ‘Walk & Wheel Wednesdays’ aims to “to encourage students to walk or ride their bike, scooter, etc. or ride the bus to school every Wednesday this Spring.” It will be celebrated for the first time on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

The new initiative is a partnership between Princeton Public Schools, the ​Princeton Police Department, Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association (GMTMA), and Sustainable Princeton.

The goals of the program are to “help build awareness of safe routes while encouraging community connections with families. By taking mass action, students will raise their visibility among drivers and create safer streets for themselves and other walkers and bikers.”

It is also hoped that a greater proporotion of students using sustainable transportation will reduced the amount of emissions and idling around school buildings.

Although about 48% of children in the USA biked or walked to school in 1969, that proportion has now dropped to just 11%. A study from Rutgers University based on the New Jersey Child Health Survey showed that kids who walk or bike to school regularly are more likely to make a habit of it in later years.

Increased police patrols and enforcement of traffic laws will be seen on Wednesdays, when “Walk & Wheel” activities are happening.

Related resources:

• Information about Walk & Wheel Wednesdays (via Princeton Parent Teacher Organization Council)
• Recommended walk/bike-to-school routes in Princeton (via GMTMA)