As we pedal into October, it’s the perfect time to celebrate Walk, Bike & Roll to School Month, a nationwide initiative encouraging students to choose active and eco-friendly ways of getting to school. One influential movement leader in this space is Sam Balto, a Portland-based PE teacher who popularized the bike bus movement on social media and founded Bike Bus World.
Sam’s mission is to create a safe and structured way for kids to ride their bikes to and from school, with a designated route, leaders, and participants joining along the way. What started as a small group in Portland quickly grew, capturing the imaginations of parents, students, and educators nationwide to embrace biking as a fun, healthy, and community-building way to start the school day. For communities eager to get involved, the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association (GMTMA) offers essential support in getting your bike bus rolling. The bike bus operates much like a traditional school bus—except there is no bus. Children gather at points along the route and pedal to school together. With adult supervision, bike buses create a safe, social, and fun way for students to get to school, encouraging physical activity and a sense of independence while reducing traffic congestion and emissions near school zones.
Why a Bike Bus is Great for Your Community:
A bike bus isn’t just about transportation; it’s about transformation. Here’s how a bike bus can benefit your community:
- Healthier Kids: Riding a bike to school helps students get their daily dose of physical activity, which can improve mental focus, overall health, and emotional well-being.
- Stronger Communities: Bike buses foster social connections among families and students, building a stronger sense of community.
- Safer Streets: When more children bike to school, we reduce the number of cars in school zones, making streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists alike.
Environmental Benefits:
A key environmental benefit of starting a bike bus is to reduce the number of cars in the car line, ultimately reducing idling vehicles. GMTMA educates schools and communities on the negative impact of idling, which releases unnecessary pollutants into the air and contributes to poor air quality. We reduce carbon emissions and minimize traffic congestion around schools by encouraging more families to leave their cars at home and opt for biking, walking, or rolling. Fewer cars idling in school zones can directly improve air quality around schools, benefiting the environment and the entire community’s health. GMTMA provides materials and workshops to help educate parents and students on the harmful effects of idling and the importance of adopting cleaner, greener transportation habits.
How GMTMA Can Help You Start a Bike Bus?
GMTMA is here to help start a bike bus in your neighborhood. GMTMA offers resources, tools, and support to make active transportation safer and more accessible. Here’s how GMTMA can assist you in getting started:
- Mapping Safe Routes: GMTMA can help you plan the safest and most accessible routes to school, considering traffic patterns, crossing points, and road conditions to ensure that kids can ride safely.
- Safety Education: GMTMA offers bike safety programs and resources for students, parents, and community members. These include tips on helmet fitting, road safety rules, and the importance of visibility.
- Organizational Support: GMTMA can help coordinate with schools and local governments and get parents involved in the logistics of starting and sustaining a bike bus.
- Walking School Bus App: The Walking School Bus App, provided by GMTMA, can also be used for bike buses. This app allows families to organize their routes, set up meeting points, track participants, and communicate in real-time. With its user-friendly design, parents can monitor their child’s progress and ensure everyone’s safety.
- Promotional Tools: GMTMA provides promotional materials to help spread the word and get more families excited about participating in your bike bus. This ensures everyone in your community knows when and how to join in.
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or community leader, you can join the movement to encourage children to be active and choose a healthy lifestyle instead of relying on cars. With Sam Balto’s inspiring bike bus movement and GMTMA’s resources, your community can embrace a healthier, safer, and more active future.
So, grab your helmets, pump up those tires, and let’s get rolling toward a brighter tomorrow—together!