Culver City Walk & Rollers will be distributing free bike helmets and providing free bike repair at their third annual Walk & Roll Festival on Sunday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Culver City Middle School.

The free, family-friendly event has a variety of activities throughout the day for all ages to teach kids essential bicycle and pedestrian safety and healthy, active living lessons in a fun, engaging atmosphere.

The Festival is part of the City of Culver City’s city-wide Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Education and Encouragement Program, designed to encourage more children to walk and bike to school more often and more safely.

The Program is in coordination with the Culver City Unified School District with the goal of reducing single car traffic around school sites, while providing kids an opportunity to be more active and practice safe walking and biking skills in the process.

“This is a great opportunity to provide not only more encouragement for kids to walk and bike to school but also a higher level of safety education", explains Culver City Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Jim Shanman.

"With all our schools actively participating in walk-bike to school programs, the skills lessons aim to build confidence for kids and parents alike.”

The Walk & Roll Festival aims to reach children of all ages and features a series of bicycle and pedestrian skills stations that children progress through, receiving instruction in starting and stopping, avoiding hazards, turning and signaling, yielding and other bike handling skills.

Participants also receive guidance on how to properly fit their helmets and check their bikes before each ride. The event is appropriate for all levels and extra bicycles and scooters will be made available, so even kids without bikes are able to participate as well.

All participants will also receive a Bike Safety Certificate and goody bag including a SRTS safety vest upon completion of the course.

In addition to the bicycle skills activities the Festival will include free bike repair by the Recyclist Bike Shop, an opportunity to step aboard a Culver City Bus and learn about tap cards, schedules and bike access, and a crafts area where kids can make their own bike-related crafts.

Other activities will include skateboard/scooter ramps by Keen Ramps, a family fitness class by Baby Bootcamp and a free spine evaluation by In8Love Chiropractic.

For more information on Culver City Walk & Rollers, please visit http://www.ccWalkAndRoll.org

For more information on Safe Routes to School, please visit http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/