| This is a bike bus: a convoy of parents and children who ride to school, picking up kids along the way. While the concept has existed for years, a "bicibus" in Barcelona popularized the idea where it spread like wildfire through videos on social media in 2021. Thousands of parents (and kids) eager to step away from their vehicles have jumped on board. For the first time in decades, a small but critical mass of children are riding their bikes safely to school again. The bike bus offers children a different route, says Sam Balto, a physical education teacher in Portland, Oregon. He argues that America's preconceptions of children — glued to their devices and reluctant to venture outdoors — are all wrong. "You give kids an opportunity to be outside and be with their friends, no matter what the weather is, they want to do that," says Balto, who co-founded Bike Bus World, an advocacy group to help spread the practice. "We just have to create opportunities." Transportation researchers estimate more than 470 bike buses are active around the world along routes anywhere from three blocks to three miles, including several in San Francisco. I joined one to see how they roll. Read the full column. And write me at climatecoach@washpost.com about your own experiences. I read all your emails. Snapshot | 
No comments:
Post a Comment