No school on Bike to School Day, let’s rally with ‘Red for Ed’ instead

National Bike to School Day is Wednesday, May 8th. Here in Oregon that falls on the May 8th Day of Action, a teacher walkout that has led to a decision to close Portland Public Schools.

Our Family Biking column is sponsored by Clever Cycles.

➤ Read past entries here.

I was initially dismayed there’d be no party and parade at school; but I’m going to channel that energy into a much longer parade to a much bigger party that will be even better.

So on would-be Bike to School Day, join Kidical Mass PDX for Ride, Rally, and #RedforEd. Here are the details:

Wednesday, May 8, 2019
9:45 a.m. – Bike Train leaves Clinton City Park (5576 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97206)
10:15 a.m. – Bike Train leaves plaza at south end of Eastbank Esplanade (SE Caruthers St & Eastbank Esplanade, Portland, OR 97202)
11:00 a.m. – Fund our Future, Fund our Schools Rally in Tom McCall Waterfront Park
12:00 p.m. – March for Our Students
Wear red!

Parades can be hard to walk with bikes so some families may choose to lock up at the park. The parade route hasn’t been released yet so we don’t know if it will be a loop and return to the park (keep an eye on the rally/parade Facebook event for march info).

➤ Bike Parking
The Oregon Education Association has secured extra bike racks for the rally and parade! The racks will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. near the Hawthorne Bridge, right by the rally. A volunteer will maintain a physical presence near the racks, but this will not be a bike valet service so bring your bike lock.

Not coming from the Southeast? You should still bike to the event! Use the bike train Facebook event discussion area to gather a bike train from your quadrant. This featured bike train is my attempt at collecting company as we bike to the event from home, and I’d love to add additional rides to the Kidical Mass PDX website and Facebook event page if additional bike train conductors materialize.

Hope to see you out there! For background on the state of Oregon schools, learn more at May8ForStudents.org.

Thanks for reading.

Remember, we’re always looking for people to profile. Get in touch if it sounds like fun to you. I’d especially like to feature families of color so please get in touch or ask friends of color who bike with their kids if they’re interested in sharing their stories. And as always, feel free ask questions in the comments below or email me your story ideas and insights at madidotcom [at] gmail [dot] com.

— Madi Carlson, @familyride on Instagram and Twitter

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