If you have a child in school, and they like to ride their bike, it’s time to make plans for them to do that. Lincoln’s bike bus principal, Joe Dauer, has moved away, but others have started bike buses. Don’t know what a bike bus is? This is Bike Bus World has to say : Bike Bus World “is on a mission to transform the wellbeing of children, communities, and our climate, through biking together to school. Our organization helps communities launch their own Bike Buses to school. We do this by providing organizers with the tools and guidance to create bike buses, helping them advocate for active transportation infrastructure and policy, as well as securing funding both locally and nationally…
Children feel the joy of freedom
Communities bond while pedaling
The chore of getting to school is a delight
Our daily actions are a climate solution
Wellbeing is prioritized on streets
Children have independence in their lives
The sound of traffic is quiet
The sound of laughter is vibrant
Our world heals and grows anew
This dream is happening today. It’s called Bike Bus-
a growing family-led global movement
to ride to school en masse.
Come ride with us.”
An event at Brownell Elementary in May makes me think the kids are primed and ready to go. They just need adults to lead them. “Hundreds of Buffaloes participated in Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Day lessons inside and outside the school building. Students from all grades learned how to safely navigate crosswalks, wear bicycle helmets, approach large vehicles and ride electric bikes. Representatives from Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD), Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU), Safe Kids Lincoln-Lancaster County (SKLLC), Lincoln Parks and Recreation and Black Hills Energy partnered with Brownell on the project.” It seems like we need more of this, including the part about riding electric bikes responsibly, not to be confused with e-motos.
Also, from People for Bikes– “Why the Ride to School Matters More Than You Think… At first glance, school access may seem like just another metric within the Bicycle Network Analysis, the data model that powers City Ratings. But it might be one of the most important indicators of a community’s long-term bicycling success. Why? Because a city where a child can safely ride to school is doing more than connecting students to a classroom. It’s creating opportunities for independence, physical activity, and lifelong riding habits. In many ways, it is investing in the future of bicycling itself.” And from Planning magazine “Grassroots efforts around the globe have gotten kids to school safely on two wheels. Now, North American planners are joining in.” https://www.planning.org/planning/2025/aug/bike-bus-pedals-in-new-era-of-school-transportation/
We just hosted another Warm Showers coast-to-coaster, from New York. He was telling me of beautiful bicycle infrastructure he’d used around the world. It’s an effort we have to keep focused on, even with recent reversals in federal funding of bicycle infrastructure.