(JUNEAU, Alaska) – On Wednesday, Oct. 4, students at schools across Alaska will celebrate International Walk to School Day. Students from schools in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Petersburg and Valdez are signed up to participate in this one-day event that is part of an international effort to celebrate the benefits of safely walking and bicycling to school.

Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Safe Routes to School coordinator Marcheta Moulton said, “Walk to School Day is great way to celebrate and practice safe pedestrian skills. We remind walkers to have reflective clothing and we remind motorists to watch for pedestrians, especially around school zones.”

In the United States, International Walk to School Day is expected to include more than 5,000 events across all 50 states. Walkers from the U.S. will join children and adults in 40 countries around the world.

Walk to School Day events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 237 airports, 9 ferries serving 35 communities along 3,500 marine miles, over 5,600 miles of highway and 839 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”

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