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Happy Bike to School Day!

It’s National Bike to School Day! Here are few scenes from around town. Got photos or stories to add? Let us know in the comments below or email [email protected].

Here’s an idea for families who already bike (or walk) to school: Add a doughnut detour on Bike to School Day.

As always, Alki Elementary kids were all over Bike to School Day:

Greenwood Elementary’s killing it. And you know you’re a transportation geek dad when you collect your own school bike parking data to calculate student body mode share :-)

And don’t forget Mercer Island:

But Seattle still has a lot of work to do to make streets safe for all of our students.

For the rest of my life, Bike to School Day will be an opportunity to remember Clint Loper, a father and dedicated community organizer who fueled Seattle’s most adorable transportation revolution. Loper passed away one year ago after a battle with cancer.

His 2013 thoughts on necessary next steps to keep growing the bike to school movement (in addition to Safe Routes to School, of course) are still great ideas:

  • One obvious place to start is with bike parking. Nearly every school needs more bike racks. In fact one school noted that most of its 32 riders this past Wednesday needed to lock their bikes to a makeshift cable strung around a tree in front of the school. Seattle code prescribes bike rack requirements when schools are remodeled or newly constructed, but the requirements don’t apply to existing schools at all, and the school district hasn’t stepped up to fill that need.
  • Schools also need incentive programs to get more staff riding. There is nothing as motivating for a would-be kid commuter as a teacher with her bike parked in the corner of the classroom. Many employers have commute trip reduction programs, with perks ranging from stipends to showers and lockers. This seems like a no-brainer for Seattle schools, whose staff commute patterns also influence the behaviors of our kids.
  • Most schools also have chaotic drop-off zones, hazardous arterials nearby, and other local road infrastructure that needs to be improved, so the City of Seattle has an important role to play as well.

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One response to “Happy Bike to School Day!”

  1. Kevin

    Washington Middle School has racks to spare, there are 3 bike racks by the side entrance, but the most bikes I’ve ever seen is 8. The traffic is pretty horrible around the school, but there are many neighborhood side streets to bike on. There has to be a good way to encourage more kids to pedal.

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Bike Events Calendar

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12
Sat
9:00 am Bike the 2 Line Stub @ Enatai Beach Park
Bike the 2 Line Stub @ Enatai Beach Park
Aug 12 @ 9:00 am
Bike the 2 Line Stub @ Enatai Beach Park | Bellevue | Washington | United States
Ride to check out future light rail stations in Bellevue & Redmond that may open early as part of a starter line being proposed. We’ll ride at casual (10-12 mph average on flats) pace, wait … Read more
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Friends on Bikes 2nd Saturday Ri…
Aug 12 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Friends on Bikes2nd Saturday Ride Series– – – ✨🌸 SPRING HAS SPRUNG 🌸✨And we are ready to roll into the sunshine. Starting April 9th, join us every second Saturday, late mornings for no-drop, snack-forward, and friendly … Read more
10:00 am Little Brook Neighborhood Cleanup
Little Brook Neighborhood Cleanup
Aug 12 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Monthly 2nd Saturday Neighborhood Cleanup. If you want to help with cutting vegetation, bring your own good gloves and tools.  We have yard waste bags, grabbers, yellow bags for trash,  light weight gloves and vests.And, as … Read more
Aug
13
Sun
9:00 am Mt Baker Hub Alliance 2nd Sunday…
Mt Baker Hub Alliance 2nd Sunday…
Aug 13 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Every month volunteers gather to collect garbage and help beautify our neighborhood. On average, we collect about 15 bags of garbage per clean up, which means 1,000’s of small pieces of plastic that do not … Read more
Aug
14
Mon
6:00 pm Central Seattle Greenways’ month… @ Zoom
Central Seattle Greenways’ month… @ Zoom
Aug 14 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
To receive the Zoom link and meeting agendas, visit Central Seattle Greenways’ website at http://centralseattlegreenways.com to subscribe to our Google Group or email us at centralse[email protected]
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