Comments on: Not Allowed to Ride to School? http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/ Bike Your Drive! Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:39:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Riding to School In The Netherlands | Utility Cycling http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18930 Riding to School In The Netherlands | Utility Cycling Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:30:32 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18930 [...] in some places in the US and the UK, children and parents are being told that they are not allowed to ride their bikes to school!  Let’s hope those incidents are isolated and please encourage your children to walk or bike [...] [...] in some places in the US and the UK, children and parents are being told that they are not allowed to ride their bikes to school!  Let’s hope those incidents are isolated and please encourage your children to walk or bike [...]

]]> By: Not Allowed to Ride to School « In The Spin http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18905 Not Allowed to Ride to School « In The Spin Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:09:39 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18905 [...] August 1st, 2009 by Jack “Ghost Rider” Sweeney · 11 Comments [...] [...] August 1st, 2009 by Jack “Ghost Rider” Sweeney · 11 Comments [...]

]]> By: Lyle http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18869 Lyle Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:58:07 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18869 According to the principal of my son's middle school in Pittsburgh, PA, biking to school is in fact against the rules. She seemed to think it was because there is no secure bike parking, and the district doesn't want to be liable for the inevitable bike theft. She wasn't quite sure about that, though, and promised to look into it. Time for me to follow up and see if she's got some more concrete information. This is a neighborhood school in the old "horsecar suburbs", so it is very much bikeable by middle-school kids, and has been for 30 years. The biggest safety threat is kids who live too close to qualify for bussing, but get driven to school by parents in SUVs. Put 'em on bikes! According to the principal of my son’s middle school in Pittsburgh, PA, biking to school is in fact against the rules. She seemed to think it was because there is no secure bike parking, and the district doesn’t want to be liable for the inevitable bike theft. She wasn’t quite sure about that, though, and promised to look into it. Time for me to follow up and see if she’s got some more concrete information. This is a neighborhood school in the old “horsecar suburbs”, so it is very much bikeable by middle-school kids, and has been for 30 years. The biggest safety threat is kids who live too close to qualify for bussing, but get driven to school by parents in SUVs. Put ‘em on bikes!

]]> By: Ken_Sturrock http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18847 Ken_Sturrock Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:13:33 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18847 As a member of our ped/bike committee, one of biggest problems is parents jacking up local traffic patterns around schools - it's like the invasion at Normandy. Furthermore, when the school does implement reasonable traffic patterns and queues for parents in SUVs, the kids and parents talk on cell phones and arrange pickup on a nearby street so the parent can avoid the queue - which FURTHER jacks up the traffic pattern. Schools! Bah! As a member of our ped/bike committee, one of biggest problems is parents jacking up local traffic patterns around schools – it’s like the invasion at Normandy. Furthermore, when the school does implement reasonable traffic patterns and queues for parents in SUVs, the kids and parents talk on cell phones and arrange pickup on a nearby street so the parent can avoid the queue – which FURTHER jacks up the traffic pattern.

Schools! Bah!

]]> By: Mike Myers http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18846 Mike Myers Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:05:51 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18846 Karen---the elimination of gym classes and the horror which is school lunch has more to do with obesity than the lack of juvenile bike commuting. If every town was like the one I grew up in, then I would encourage kids to ride. But I wouldn't suggest it here. And that's coming from someone who got run over from behind, the rarest type of truck/bike crash. It's going to take MASSIVE infrastucture change to make bike commuting a viable option for kids. Well, and schools which are closer to home. My longest ride to school was 5 miles each way. Kids would have to ride 20 here, the way my county is spread out. Karen—the elimination of gym classes and the horror which is school lunch has more to do with obesity than the lack of juvenile bike commuting.

If every town was like the one I grew up in, then I would encourage kids to ride. But I wouldn’t suggest it here. And that’s coming from someone who got run over from behind, the rarest type of truck/bike crash.

It’s going to take MASSIVE infrastucture change to make bike commuting a viable option for kids. Well, and schools which are closer to home. My longest ride to school was 5 miles each way. Kids would have to ride 20 here, the way my county is spread out.

]]> By: Sungsu http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18845 Sungsu Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:28:12 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18845 One way to make it safer to bike to school is to ban parents from driving their cars within a five-block radius of the school. :-) One way to make it safer to bike to school is to ban parents from driving their cars within a five-block radius of the school. :-)

]]> By: Karen http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18844 Karen Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:34:53 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18844 Yikes! Today, kids are in danger of being diagnosed with adult type diabetes and being prescribed meds for high cholesteral and high blood pressure. They are in real danger of being morbidly obese adults, if they aren't already because of poor diets and lack of exercise. Are they more or less in danger from riding their bikes to school? I am stunned at this culture of fear that we live in today. I pulled a muscle in my back several times this year merely getting dressed in the morning, yet I am still not allowed to come to work in my pajamas. Strangely, I have not yet sustained injury while bike commuting. Yikes! Today, kids are in danger of being diagnosed with adult type diabetes and being prescribed meds for high cholesteral and high blood pressure. They are in real danger of being morbidly obese adults, if they aren’t already because of poor diets and lack of exercise. Are they more or less in danger from riding their bikes to school? I am stunned at this culture of fear that we live in today. I pulled a muscle in my back several times this year merely getting dressed in the morning, yet I am still not allowed to come to work in my pajamas. Strangely, I have not yet sustained injury while bike commuting.

]]> By: ericnils http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18843 ericnils Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:56:00 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18843 I ran into this at New Hartford Junior High School in New York State during the early 90's. The school administration cited road safety as the primary reason there as well. The High School was in a different location in town and they allowed cycling and provided bike racks at that building. I ran into this at New Hartford Junior High School in New York State during the early 90′s. The school administration cited road safety as the primary reason there as well. The High School was in a different location in town and they allowed cycling and provided bike racks at that building.

]]> By: Quinn http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18840 Quinn Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:11:30 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18840 I didn't read the full article but with the administraters taking the boys bike IM sure the mother could report the administerators and get them repremanded some how, couldn't she? I didn’t read the full article but with the administraters taking the boys bike IM sure the mother could report the administerators and get them repremanded some how, couldn’t she?

]]> By: Ghost Rider http://www.bikecommuters.com/2009/08/01/not-allowed-to-ride-to-school/#comment-18839 Ghost Rider Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:05:21 +0000 http://www.bikecommuters.com/?p=2509#comment-18839 Well, I have mixed feelings about these articles, too. I mean, the school officials <em>think</em> they're doing the right thing by keeping childrens' safety in mind...and in convoluted way they are. It's still a sort of knee-jerk reaction, though, and doesn't address the underlying problems. So, it begs the question -- how do we increase overall bike safety so that kids can ride their bikes to school? SRTS is attempting to do this with their funding, but a lot of it is dependent upon the schools to apply for the money and implement the changes. Well, I have mixed feelings about these articles, too. I mean, the school officials think they’re doing the right thing by keeping childrens’ safety in mind…and in convoluted way they are. It’s still a sort of knee-jerk reaction, though, and doesn’t address the underlying problems.

So, it begs the question — how do we increase overall bike safety so that kids can ride their bikes to school? SRTS is attempting to do this with their funding, but a lot of it is dependent upon the schools to apply for the money and implement the changes.

]]>