DURHAM, N.C. — Elementary students in Durham Public Schools are brushing up on their bike safety skills.

In the spring, the district received a two-year grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation of more than $386,000 for the biking courses.

What You Need To Know

  •  NCDOT awarded over $386,000 in a grant for bike safety classes

  • Bike Durham volunteers teach kids safety skills 

  • Nearly half of all public elementary schools in Durham have received bike safety training

Volunteers with the advocacy group Bike Durham, along with the school's PE instructors, teach the kids everything from how to properly wear a helmet to braking and turn signals. 

“You've got people that don't know how to ride a bike; riding a bike independently, balancing pedaling, turning,” said Leslie Atherholt, a PE instructor at Holt Elementary. “So that was so surprising to me because I didn't know how long it would take for for an older age student to learn.”

DPS is the first urban public school district to receive a grant from NCDOT that highlights safe access to school.

Thanks to the grant money, nearly half of all public elementary schools in Durham have already received bike safety training.