Designates October of each year as "Walk to School Month."

AJR155

ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION

No. 155

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

SYNOPSIS

���� Designates October of each year as �Walk to School
Month.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A Joint
Resolution
designating October of each year
as �Walk to School Month.�

Whereas,

Walking or biking to school has a multitude of benefits for children, their
parents, and the community and should be encouraged where possible; and

Whereas,

Regular physical activity is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle that
decreases the risk of obesity and diabetes and increases the chance children
will remain physically active into adulthood; and

Whereas,

Walking or biking to school helps incorporate regular physical exercise for
children and can build healthy habits that last a lifetime; and

Whereas,

Motor vehicles emit a variety of air pollutants that result in increases of
ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter that can cause
asthma and other respiratory conditions; and

Whereas,

By walking or riding a bike to school, families reduce the number of
automobiles on the road and in turn reduce the number of air pollutants emitted
in their communities; and

Whereas,

Reducing the number of vehicles on the road also has the benefit of making it
safer for children and their families to walk to school; and

Whereas,

When children walk or bike to school, families save on gas and communities
spend less on building and maintaining roads; and

Whereas,

Improving conditions for walking and biking brings families, neighbors, school
officials, and community leaders together which helps breed a sense of
community and civic engagement; and

Whereas,

It is important for communities to provide safe walking and biking routes to
allow children to get to and from school; and

Whereas,

There are many ways that communities can ensure walking and biking to school
are safer for families including maintaining sidewalks, installing traffic
calming devices near schools, and providing pedestrian signals at
intersections; and

Whereas,

Making communities safer for families and children to walk to school also makes
the schools more accessible to others in the community such as individuals with
disabilities or seniors; and

Whereas,

Schools and families should work together to map and plan routes to school that
make it easy for all children in a community to safely walk or bike to school;
and

Whereas,

Walking and biking to school benefit not only children, but their families,
their school officials, and their neighborhood and should be encouraged in
communities throughout the State; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� The month of October of
each year shall be designated as �Walk to School Month.�

���� 2.��� The Governor is
respectfully requested to annually issue a proclamation recognizing �Walk to
School Month� and call upon public officials, private organizations and all
citizens of the State to observe this month each year with appropriate events
and activities.

���� 3.��� This joint resolution
shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution designates
October of each year as �Walk to School Month.�

���� Walking and biking to school
are beneficial for children, their families, their schools, and their
communities. Walking and biking bring physical and health benefits to children
and their families by providing regular exercise. This reduces the risk of heart
disease, diabetes, and obesity, making the whole family healthier. The more
families who walk to school, the fewer vehicles there are on the road which
reduces traffic and air pollution. The benefits also extend to the school and
community with lower road maintenance costs.

���� In order to fully realize the
benefits of more children walking to school, communities and schools must do
their part in planning safe routes for families to walk. This can mean placing
or repairing sidewalks along busy roadways, introducing traffic calming
measures near schools, or installing pedestrian signals at intersections. It is
important that parents, school officials, and community leaders work together
to ensure safe walking and biking routes to schools for families in their
community. By recognizing �Walk to School Month,� the State encourages all
schools and communities to promote the benefits of walking or biking to school.