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Newsletter
PBOT's Safe Routes to School April 2026 newsletter.
Published
Updated
Dear parents, caregivers, educators, and community,
Getting to school by walking, biking, or rolling helps reduce air pollution, improve student health, and make our streets safer. This Earth Month, we're inviting your school community to be part of that impact — one trip at a time.
Whether you're already walking and rolling or just getting started, Safe Routes to School is here to support you this spring.
- Order incentives for Dolores Huerta Walk+Roll to School Day by Thursday, April 2
- Start planning for National Bike+Roll to School Day on Wednesday, May 6
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and tag us in your stories — we love celebrating your school community with Portland!
With gratitude,
Safe Routes to School Team | Brittany, Janis, Jeri, and Meaghan
El Camino De Dolores is Friday, April 10
El Camino de Dolores Walk+Roll to School Day is an opportunity for students and their families to celebrate Dolores Huerta's dedication to social justice by walking to school. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the farmworkers' movement, her fight for equality, and how these struggles connect to current efforts for positive change while additionally encouraging students to walk or bike to school.
El Camino de Dolores Walk to School Day will be held on or around April 10th, honoring her birthday. Schools are also welcome to host this event on a different day in April at their convenience.
Order incentives by Thursday, April 2
Oregon Safe Routes to School provides promotion and activity resources to help make the most of El Camino de Dolores, including free incentives, posters, social media, Lotería, and bingo.
Please order incentives by Thursday, April 2 to have them in time for the event. Incentives include reflective and non-reflective stickers, reflective shoelaces, pencils, shoe wings, hang stamps, bookmarks, and English and Spanish comics, activity books, sheets, and coloring books.
Portland Public Schools and Centennial School District
Please email your school district's Safe Routes to School Coordinator to let them know your school is participating in El Camino de Dolores:
- Maddy Cirineo, Portland Public Schools Safe Routes to School Coordinator
- Ian Rees, Centennial School District Safe Routes to School Coordinator
Learn more about El Camino De Dolores
Survey: Help us improve this newsletter
We want to make sure the Safe Routes to School newsletter is clear, helpful, and relevant to you. Please take a brief, anonymous survey (about two minutes) to share what information you find most valuable and what you'd like to see more of.
Russian English dual-language pedestrian safety in Lents
Community-based organizations are key partners in helping thousands of students across Portland learn how to travel safely. Slavic Community Center of NW, through funding from the Oregon Department of Transportation, is helping deliver transportation safety education for Russian-speaking youth. This month, their team led community walks for Russian English dual-language immersion classes at Kelly Elementary School in Lents. Students explores their neighborhood while learning about pedestrian safety, crossing skills, and how street design supports safe travel.
Learn more about pedestrian safety education
Sidewalks to Schools: Two new sidewalk projects underway
Two new Sidewalks to Schools projects kicked off this winter and will begin design this spring. These projects will fill missing sidewalk gaps and create safer, more complete routes for students and families walking to school.
- SE 128th Avenue (Ramona Street to Foster Road), serving Gilbert Park Elementary and Alice Ott Middle schools
- NE Fremont Street (118th to 122nd avenues), serving Parkrose Middle and High schools
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) will design continuous sidewalks along these streets, along with street trees, accessible curb ramps that meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, stormwater improvements, and upgraded street lighting where needed.
These are two of nine sidewalk and walkways projects PBOT will build through the Sidewalks to Schools program over the next several years.
What's happening now
Planning is underway for both projects, with design starting this spring. Construction is expected in 2028.
Project websites are now live, and PBOT staff are reaching out to nearby residents and neighborhood associations. Community members can sign up for updates and learn more as design progresses.
Project highlights
SE 128th Avenue Sidewalk Infill
This project will add a continuous sidewalk on the west side of the street, improving access for students traveling to and from the nearby schools. Sign up for updates on the SE 128th Avenue Sidewalk Infill project as design gets underway this spring.
NE Fremont Street Sidewalk Infill
This project will add new sidewalk where it's missing between 118th and 122nd avenues, creating a safer connection for students traveling to and from the nearby schools. Sign up for updates on the NE Fremont Street Sidewalk Infill project as design gets underway this spring.
Community-driven, climate funded
Sidewalks to Schools is a community-led effort. Parents, neighbors, and local organizations — especially in areas more impacts by missing sidewalks — worked with Oregon Walks to advocate for safer routes to school.
In December 2024, the Portland Clean Energy Benefits Fund awarded PBOT and Oregon Walks $20.6 million to bring these projects to life.
Learn more about Sidewalks to Schools
National Walk+Roll to School Day is Wednesday, May 6
Keep active this spring and join schools across Oregon to celebrate National Bike+Roll to School Day (Wednesday, May 6) and the Walk+Roll May Challenge. Walking, biking, and rolling to school is exhilarating and fun — give it a try this May! Here are some ideas:
- If you're able, leave the car at home and travel to school with friends through either a walking school bus or bike bus.
- If you live too far to walk, bike, or roll, try a park-and-walk by parking a few blocks away from the school and walking the rest of the way.
- If you take the school bus, have a walk in the school yard or do a few laps around the track at break time so you can get active too!
Incentives
Incentive ordering will open soon! The link to order will be posted on this event webpage when ordering opens.
Walk+Roll May Challenge is all month long
The first ever National Bike+Roll to School Day took place on May 9, 2012, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Month. Almost 1,000 local events in 49 states and the District of Columbia joined together to encourage students to safely bike to school.
The event builds on the popularity of Walk+Roll to School Day, which is celebrated across the country — and the world — each October. Many communities and schools have been holding spring walk and bike to school events for years. National Bike+Roll to School Day provides an opportunity for schools across the country to join together to celebrate and to build off the energy of National Bike Month.
Learn more about National Bike+Roll to School Day
Free Earth Month PBOT bike events
Earth Day Community Bike Ride
Saturday, April 11
Join the Portland by Cycle team on a leisurely 2-mile community bike ride through the Parkrose neighborhood along neighborhood greenways, Portland's quiet, slow streets that are prioritized for walking, biking, and rolling. The ride will start from and end at Parkrose Middle School (11800 NE Shaver St.). Meet on Saturday, April 11 at 12:45 p.m. The ride starts at 1 p.m. This ride is great for beginners and people who have not been on a bike in a while. Bring your own bike or receive complimentary BIKETOWN access.
Learn more about the Earth Day Community Bike Ride
Basic Bike Maintenance Workshop
Tuesday, April 14
The Basic Bike Maintenance Workshop at the North Portland Library (512 N Killingsworth St.) is your opportunity to learn about bike maintenance and get some hands-on experience doing basic repairs on Tuesday, April 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. After going over the major systems on a bike, you'll learn how to do some simple adjustments and practice flat repair. Bring your bike — but it's not required. Come with questions about issues you might have!
Learn more about the Basic Bike Maintenance Workshop
City Bike Bus - Earth Day
Tuesday, April 22
Commute to downtown with the City Bike Bus on Earth Day! We encourage you to join us on one of eight unique bike bus routes on your ride to downtown the morning of Wednesday, April 22! Each bike bus will depart from their start location at a different time and arrive at Salmon Street Springs at 8:15 a.m. Join the bike bus from the starting location that's closest to you, or anywhere along the route. Make sure to hang around for coffee, treats, music, a group photo, and more!
Learn more about the City Bike Bus - Earth Day
Hazelwood Neighborhood Bike Fair
Friday, April 24
The Hazelwood Neighborhood Bike Fair at Menlo Park Elementary School (12900 NE Glisan St.) is an all-ages event on Friday, April 24 from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. Activities include biking lessons for kids and adults, bike safety skills station, free quick-fix bike repair, and free helmet distribution. Participants are encouraged to bring their own bikes, but there will also be a limited number of bikes available for children and adults to borrow.
Learn more about the Hazelwood Neighborhood Bike Fair
Portland Sunday Parkways 2026 Season
The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is thrilled to announce the return of Portland Sunday Parkways Presented by Kaiser Permanente for the 19th consecutive year! This program promotes healthy active living through a series of four free events opening the city's largest public space — its streets — for walking, biking, rolling, and playing. These community events are accessible for all ages and are multimodal, meaning anyone is welcome to walk, bike, or roll along the routes!
Mark your calendars
- May 17: Southwest Portland
- June 28: East Portland
- Aug. 2: North Portland — brand-new route!
- Sept. 13: Downtown Portland
These four events will provide Portlanders with an opportunity for robust physical movement, community connection, and plenty of shared smiles along the miles of car-free open streets!
Volunteer with Portland Sunday Parkways
Consider signing up to be one of the hundreds of people who help make these events safe, accessible, and fun. There are opportunities to sign up as an individual or as a group. Shifts take place in the morning or afternoon, providing ample time to explore the route and enjoy the event festivities.
Learn more about the 2026 Portland Sunday Parkways season
Volunteer with PBOT: Become a Transportation Ambassador!
Are you interested in learning about transportation justice and helping all people experience safety and joy while traveling? Do you care about creating vibrant communities where all members can thrive? Are you a high school or college student looking towards a transportation, city planning, or community engagement career? Do you like having fun and connecting with new and interesting people? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then the Portland Bureau of Transportation wants you as a Transportation Ambassador! To join, complete the short application by Friday, April 17. Questions? Email ambassadors@portlandoregon.gov.
Help keep Portlanders connected, active, and safe
Transportation Ambassadors are volunteers who share information about transportation resources at public events to keep Portlanders connected, active, and safe. They also get together socially to discuss how they can improve the program — and to just have fun!
Transportation Ambassadors support a variety of community and transportation focused programs such as BIKETOWN, Safe Routes to School, Sunday Parkways, Portland By Cycle, neighborhood greenways, and SmartTrips. In 2025, Ambassadors volunteered for close to 300 hours of their time. Ambassadors also gather a few times a year for social events, like walks, interesting tours, or to get dinner.
Learn more about becoming a Transportation Ambassador
Did you know? Helmets are required for e-scooters
People using electric scooters (e-scooters) are required to wear a bicycle helmet. Your helmet should be sized, fitted and fastened. While helmets and other protective gear can't guarantee complete safety, they reduce the risk of injury.
E-scooter rules
- Helmets are required: People using e-scooters are required to wear a bicycle helmet.
- 16 age limit: You must be at least 16 years old to operate a motorized electric scooter on public roads, bike lanes, or paths. While some recent 2026 legislation lowered the age for certain e-bikes, 16 remains the minimum age for e-scooters. You must be at least 18 to ride Portland's shared e-scooters from Lime or BIKETOWN.
- No sidewalk riding: Using an e-scooter on the sidewalk and in crosswalks is prohibited. People using e-scooters are allowed on Portland city streets, multi-use paths and in bike lanes.
- Yield to pedestrians: People using an e-scooter are required to yield to pedestrians.
- One person per e-scooter: Please do not have more than one person on an e-scooter.
- Lock it up: Shared e-scooters must be locked up at the end of rides to a bike rack, street sign, or pole in order to keep the sidewalk paths clear for all pedestrians.
- No riding in Portland parks: E-scooters are prohibited in parks, except on park roads, or in designated vehicle parking areas, or by permit.
Need a helmet?
BIKETOWN for All members get free helmets! BIKETOWN for All offers affordable, accessible, and fun bike-share transportation for everyone, regardless of income. Pick up your free helmet at the Portland Building (1120 SW Fifth Ave.). Call 311 ahead of time to arrange a pick-up.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is planning a big helmet giveaway this summer. Stay tuned for more!
Learn more about Portland's e-scooter program
Earth in Motion — Earth Day 2026
How we move shapes our planet. Explore cleaner, more proactive ways to move through and live in Portland — from biking and TriMet to clean energy and the food we eat — at the City of Portland's Earth Day 2026. Join us at Parkrose Middle School (11800 NE Shaver St.) on Saturday, April 11 from noon to 3 p.m. to build a more sustainable future.
Learn more about the Earth in Motion — Earth Day 2026 event
Metro lunchtime webinar series for Safe Routes to School champions
As part of the Metro's work supporting walking school buses and bike buses, they are offering a monthly lunchtime webinar series to support leaders, planners, and educators working to make it safer and more joyful for students to walk and bike to school.
The series will be held on the first Wednesday of the month at noon:
The series will focus on practical, real-world topics including quick build infrastructure, group ride safety and de-escalation, activation and incentive based programming, and honest reflections from walking school bus and bike bus leaders at different stages of their journey.
Learn from experienced practitioners from across the country
Each session will feature experienced practitioners from across the country sharing lessons learned, tools, and examples that can be adapted locally. The goal is to build shared knowledge, strengthen leader confidence, and support communities that are actively trying to make student transportation safer and more human.
Learn more and register for Metro's lunchtime webinar series
Grants, scholarships, and opportunities
Project Yellow Light scholarship competition
Due Wednesday, April 1
People know distracted driving is dangerous, but they do it anyway. As a Project Yellow Light applicant you have one clear mission: create a billboard, video, or radio public service announcement to encourage your friends to avoid distracted driving, specifically using your phone while driving. Scholarships range from $2,000 to $8,000.
Learn more about the Project Yellow Light scholarship competition
Skate Like a Girl Youth Employment Skateboarding
Due Thursday, April 16
Calling all young leaders! Are you interested in gaining professional skills through skateboarding? Making new friends? Going on an unforgettable skate trip? If the answer is yes, then you need to join YES! The Youth Employment Skateboarding (YES) application is now open for Skate Like a Girl's 2026 cohort. Teens ages 13-18 are encouraged to join the YES teen leadership program to make new skate besties, work with skate industry leaders, and serve their community.
Learn more about Youth Employment Skateboarding
Personal safety community resources
We want to help create a transportation system that allows all people to feel safe getting where they need to go. We put together free, accessible personal safety resources for community members, including how to report anon-urgent traffic safety concern, report bias and hate, participate in a self-defense workshop, and more.
Learn more about personal safety community resources
Job and volunteer postings
The City of Portland posts new job opportunities every Monday.
Public Realm and Street Activation Support
Apply by Wednesday, April 8
The Public Realms and Street Activation (PRSA) program, part of the Portland Bureau of Transportation, is hiring for the role of Public Realm and Activation Support (Community Service Aide II). The team is looking for a dynamic candidate that is eager to help build capacity to do this important work. This role primarily assists with seasonal community events. These events include block parties, play streets, and other projects in the PRSA program. In this role, the candidate will have the opportunity to learn new skills and build community.
Learn more about the Public Realm and Street Activation Support position
Program Director and Development Lead
Apply as soon as possible
Bike Clark County is launching a community-centered e-bike lending library to provide free, long-term access to electric bikes for low-income residents and overburdened communities. The Program Director will play a central role in managing operations, supporting participants, coordinating outreach and education, and ensuring compliance with grant requirements. This role includes approximately 10% dedicated to development and fundraising activities to support long-term program sustainability.
Learn more about the Program Director and Development Lead position
What we're reading
- How to bike with kids in cities (Bikeabout)
- SB 1601 (The Reed College Quest)
- A school district tried to help train Waymos to stop for school buses. It didn't work (Wired)
- Teaching our youth about distracted driving through the Vision Zero program (KXNET)
- 5 ways to cut back on gas (Yale Climate Connections)
- Tacoma gets grant to plant trees around where kids walk to school (Northwest Public Broadcasting)
- The basics of climate change in 90 seconds (Yale Climate Connections)
- Vision Zero in 2025 shows progress: Lessons to learn (Vision Zero Network)
Parts of this document were edited with the support of ChatGPT. City staff reviewed and fact-checked all content.