bike train at Beach School.
-Watch it below-
Like a cycling tsunami washing over North Portland in several waves, students (and parents) from Beach School showed, once again, just how inspiring and effective the local bike train movement has become.
And — on a week where we read with disbelief about a group of seniors suspended for biking to school (thankfully, the school principal has apologized), Congress played politics (yet again) with Safe Routes to School funding, and yet another school banned biking completely — news of Beach’s bike train couldn’t come at a better time.
Beach parent Bryn Dearborn reminds us that this is the third annual massive bike train the school has organized (smaller, yet still impressive ones, happen every week). He said well over 100 people showed up and both the school’s principal and vice president participated.
Check out the action in the video below (sent in by Bryn):
Believe it or not, there remain many schools across America where it’s prohibited for students to bike. The reason? Surrounding roads are deemed too “unsafe” by school leaders.
What’s amazing about Beach’s story, is that 10 years ago, biking was prohibited their too. It wasn’t until people in the community got organized, the City put a neighborhood greenway outside its door, and a new principal who “got it” stepped in, that things turned around.
Now, Beach is a national example for kids biking to school and the positive impact that can come from a strong collaboration between a city, its citizens, and a school.