Duluth schools use Bike and Roll to School Day to promote safety

Overflowing bike racks at Duluth schools underscored a simple fact last week: more students are choosing to bike and roll to class, but the commute only works when drivers, kids and parents stay alert to the hazards around school streets and construction zones.

Andie Heil, Duluth Public Schools’ safe routes coordinator, said the annual Bike and Roll to School Day is meant to do more than celebrate active transportation. It also ties into student wellness and the environment, while reminding families that the morning trip can be safer when children walk, bike, drive or rollerblade with clear expectations. At Laura MacArthur Elementary, the turnout was especially strong, with 25 bikers in last year’s event compared with an average of four.

The danger points are becoming easier to spot. MnDOT said Superior Street is being used at times as a detour for the London Road and Hwy 61 construction project, and the City of Duluth says the London Road resurfacing work runs from 21st Avenue East to 26th Avenue East. That corridor is being reconfigured from four lanes to three lanes with multi-use lanes, a change that can make the route more manageable in the long run but more confusing in the middle of construction. During the school commute, the busiest moments are the arrival and dismissal windows, when extra traffic, turning vehicles and students on foot or bike all converge.

That is why school safety staff are pushing the basics. Bryan Kallevig, a physical education teacher, said he teaches helmet use and road safety in PE classes, giving students a chance to practice the habits they need before they are on the street. For drivers, the biggest risks are speeding through construction detours, failing to yield at crossings and treating school streets like through-routes. For students, the biggest mistakes are skipping helmets, crossing away from marked routes and riding without paying close attention to traffic.

The district is also treating the issue as a long-term planning problem, not a one-day event. Duluth Public Schools says its Safe Routes to School program uses six E’s: Evaluation, Education, Encouragement, Equity, Engagement and Engineering. Current plans are listed for Duluth from 2006, Congdon from 2018, Laura MacArthur from 2017 and Piedmont from 2017, showing the work has been building for years. MnDOT awarded the district a $274,211 planning grant in May 2025 to cover all 13 traditional school buildings through December 2026, with surveys, walk-bike audits and equity analysis built into the process.

That broader effort matters because active transportation is already part of how many Duluth students get to class. Bike and Roll to School Day has become a reminder that safer crossings, better routes and slower driving around schools can shape the daily trip long after the event is over.