By Ruth Link-Gelles
Over the last couple of years, with kids in local elementary schools, parents Michael Weigand, Andrew Francis, and Greg Kennedy wanted a safe alternative to sitting in the carpool lane and three local bike buses were born. The routes to Burgess-Peterson Academy, Parkside Elementary, and Toomer Elementary have changed a bit since they started, but the idea has remained the same: provide kids and parents with safe, active transportation to school.
Bike buses like these are gaining popularity around the world and have been shown to build community, improve mental health, foster independence, and improve academic performance. And of course, bike buses cut climate changing greenhouse gas emissions and reduce traffic congestion while teaching children safe biking habits and rules of the road. Anyone using non-car, human powered transportation is welcome, including bikes, scooters, and e-bikes.
During the 2023-2024 school year, all three schools held multiple bike buses, some running monthly and some weekly. Data collected at the schools showed increases in biking not just on the days bike buses were held, but throughout the school year. Routes were extended and new bike facilities, such as parking racks and access ramps, were added to meet increased demand.
In May 2024, the schools held their last bike bus rides of the year, marking National Bike and Roll to School Day. Students celebrated a school year of healthy habits as they rolled safely to school. Support came from organizations and elected officials including the Atlanta and Georgia Departments of Transportation, Georgia Bikes, Propel ATL, Georgia Commute Schools, Bike Law Georgia, and Georgia State Representative Saira Draper, and Atlanta City Council Members Liliana Bakhtiari and Jason Winston.
For the 2024-2025 school year, the Jackson Cluster bike buses will expand to include Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School’s (ANCS) Elementary Campus in Grant Park, as well as Benteen Elementary, with the first bike buses scheduled to start in August.
If your family is interested in participating or learning more about organizing a bike bus at your school, visit www.atlantabikebus.com for more information.
