Our September calendar is absolutely PACKED with fun walking activities! So, this month, we challenge you to get out and do one of them! Click the “Challenge” link above or the side menu (left) to visit our calendar, and read on for lots of ideas!

Get your walking shoes and bike helmets out! September means the kids are back in school, and the first week of October is Walk and Bike to School Week! It's not too soon to help your children to develop a healthy habit of getting some exercise on the way to and from school -- Walk or bike with them or map out a safe route for them to follow. Then continue walking all through October -- and beyond! Starting this year, Walk and Bike to School Week has been extended through the whole month! And this year, the County is also sponsoring a Bicycle Safety Rodeo on Saturday, September 30 from 10 to 1 at Lubber Run Community Center. It’s a great way for young bicyclists to get in gear for a lifetime of safe biking.

WALKArlington will again be collecting your Walk and Bike to School stories and photos to share on our website –- so please send them along! This is a great time to encourage your children's schools and PTA’s to plan fun activities in recognition of this annual event -- and share their stories as well. Click here for details.

On the second Wednesday of every other month, Arlington's Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC) meets to discuss ideas and issues of importance to pedestrians. If you walk in Arlington, this is a great way to put your thoughts about walking into action. The next meeting is on September 13, from 7 to 9 pm, and non-members are always welcome -- so make an appearance! School board member Ed Fendley will speak about Safe Routes to School, Arlington Boulevard's design plans will be discussed, and the new Transportation Master Plan in revision will be talked about in light of pedestrians and walking. And because the meetings are held in the Courthouse Plaza, why not take Metro there?

Make your voice heard and get a walk in at the same time! Join other Arlington county residents on Thursday, September 21st from 6:30 to 8:30 pm for the Waycroft-Woodlawn Civic Association walking town meeting. All are welcome -- whether or not you live in this community.

Arlington County has done an awesome job at getting teens involved in the community. By surveying 700 students, it was found that more than half had never used the bus system, many found the system to be confusing, and even more said that a student discount was needed. The Teen Transit Board, made up of 18 high school students around the county, has been put together to work on issues like these. “It seemed like a really good opportunity to expand service to a segment of the population that can use [transit] - and learn from them,” Chris Zimmerman said. “They’re users [of the system], and they can identify a number of areas we can work on.”

On September 12, join community leaders, school officials, health and transportation professionals, law enforcement officers, parents and neighbors at the Safe Routes to School National Course sponsored by the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board. The course provides participants with the knowledge and skills to develop sound Safe Routes to School programs based on community needs and conditions, best practices and responsible use of resources. Get your friends, family, neighbors, and PTA members involved!