Less Than A Month Away!

Did you know that May 8 is Bike to School Day? Kids should bike to school because it's fun, and because we have an obesity epidemic in this country!


To prepare for the event, I biked by several schools in our area in order to see whether their bike racks are ready for the big day.

Sadly, all of these racks are what we call "wheel benders". They are VERY hard on bike wheels.  On the other hand, kids are hard on bike wheels anyway -- and at least there ARE racks!

TERRASET

These first 2 photos are an elementary school here that is built into the side of the hill -- it is largely underground. The design is cool (from the 70's) but the aging infrastructure has caused some concerns. Can you see the grass on top of the building?

And yes, around back -- a small bike rack!

 SUNRISE VALLEY

These two photos are from a different elementary school in our community. It has a higher socioeconomic base, a "gifted-talented" program (don't get me started on those travesties), and no section 8 housing nearby.  

LANGSTON HUGHES MS

Surprisingly and happily, the local middle school had a number of bike outside!  Woo-hoo!

And when you get to the "new drivers" zone, you get one sad lonely bike. And yes, the police car is always there, every day. It would be cool if our "School Resource Officers" were actually bike cops! Cheaper too!

SOUTH LAKES HS

SO, I challenge you to call your local elementary school and ask the administrators and PTA, 'what are you doing for Bike to School Day?"  For little kids, even having those who rode stand up during morning announcements and be recognized goes a LONG way toward encouraging that behavior for the future!  Let's get our kids OUT of cars and buses and outside where they belong!