LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Students from Ashland Elementary School started their day in a different kind of bus, taking part in National Walk and Bike to School Day.
George Bell, a fourth grade student, is pretty familiar with the route he took on his ride into school.
“I just enjoy biking,” he said, reiterating, “it's just fun to bike.”
“It is the most requested thing each morning by George,” his dad Price said. “We drive in from near the airport, get in early, unload the bike, pack it up, and he rides with the group, and it's his favorite thing each day.”
The group Price mentioned is called a "bike bus."
“It's every day and then Wednesdays are usually big days,” George said. “This is the first really big thing we've done.”
Kids and parents meet up in the morning to ride planned bike routes to school, almost like taking their bus route. While the kids and some parents ride, other parents drive cars behind them with their flashers on, acting as blockers to keep the kids safe. The group is led by one dad, Griffin VanMeter.
“A walkable and bikeable city makes a great city, so I've always tried to live that mission personally and commute,” VanMeter said. "My kids are bike riders as a result of that, and they enjoy riding to school.”
With enough repetition, bike buses can actually serve as a deterrent to traffic along the bike routes and in school zones.
“It's a great spark and we'll see what we can turn it into,” VanMeter said. “The whole point is to get more kids walking and biking, get less cars on the street and make our streets safer.”
VanMeter led one of three routes for the school wide ride to Ashland this morning. The riders had special blockers today – police officers – who paused traffic and drove behind the kids, allowing them to use the whole street.
“Oh, we had a great time,” said George’s mom Beth. “My first time on the tandem bike, so it was a test, but we made it.”
“I think it's really cool that the whole school got to do it,” George concluded.
