All over Portland this week, bike bus leaders showed up to help families and students get to school on two wheels. It’s a local revolution that has packed school bike racks, inspired thousands to hop on bicycles, influenced city politics, and shows no sign of slowing down. Behind all the excitement are volunteers who wake up early to meet families in the street and lead the weekly rides to school.
Overlook neighborhood resident Nic Cota doesn’t even have a child at Beach Elementary School (not yet at least, his son is one), but that hasn’t stopped him from leading the school’s “bike train” every Friday morning (this one’s called a bike train in keeping with its original name from when it first started in 2010). With the front box of his cargo bike full to the brim with swag (funded by a Metro grant), he rides to a meet-up spot at North Rosa Parks Way and Concord every Friday at 7:30 am.
“We all good with Daft Punk? That’s what the people voted for,” Nic calls out to the kids and parents who’ve shown up. I stuck a mic on Nic when I arrived and didn’t tell him to say anything. What I captured (listen in the video below) is mostly him offering words of encouragement, thanking people for showing up, and giving away free stuff. Ask any Safe Routes to School advocate and they’ll likely tell you the same thing: never underestimate the power of free goodies.
“Does anybody want a pennant? I still have plenty of spoke reflectors. Who needs a granola bar?! I’ve got spoke cards,” Nic calls out as folks gather around. “If you ever need a light, let me know.” As Nic rummaged through his bin, he pulled out an extra bike lock, bike maps, and other odds and ends. “It’s whatever I can do to motivate,” he said.
This is happening on street corners citywide as bike bus fever grips Portland.
Folks like Nic make it easier for people to give cycling to school a try. Between installing spoke reflectors and pennants on bikes, he made sure to meet new arrivals since making people feel welcome is key.
When it was time to roll, bells rang out and the size of the group swelled as families hopped on from side streets. N Concord is a neighborhood greenway, which means most drivers expect to see cyclists and these large morning groups have become so common they’ve been normalized and accepted by all but the meanest drivers. Following sharrows like breadcrumbs south on Concord, and benefitting from diverters and safer crossings that encourage car users to stop and yield at cross streets — the Beach Bike Train chugged its way to a large row of bike racks outside the school.
As parents fussed with locks and school supplies and kids dashed off to class (after grabbing one last free raspberry granola bar of course), Nic was peppered with greetings and questions. One mom approached and said she was new to biking. She asked Nic for bike shop recommendations.
“This is our first bike ride,” the woman said. “Thanks for coming,” Nic replied. “We do this every week.”
And just like that, another Portlander was welcomed into the cycling ranks.
— Tag along with Nic and the Beach Bike Train in the video below.
