All aboard: Bike bus pilot to expand to more Charlottetown schools this fall

Charlottetown's "bike bus" pilot project is switching into a higher gear, a city official says. 

West Kent Elementary School and Lucy Maud Montgomery Public School have been participating in Charlottetown's supervised group bike ride program for the last three weeks, now that the weather is heating up. 

"Bike buses have been going on around the world for about 10 years and we thought it's time to bring them to Charlottetown," said Anna Keenan, the city's sustainable transportation officer. 

"It's just a way for kids to get to school riding bikes like they want to, but rather than being alone, they're in a group that's safe and that is accompanied by adult volunteers." 

While the first week was a little chaotic, Keenan said the processions got into a steadier routine by the second and third weeks this spring. 

"We've learned what we need to learn to make the program available to more schools in the fall," she said. 

The city eventually plans to expand the bike bus pilot project to include all schools in Charlottetown, Keenan said. But that will require more volunteers. 

'Very empowering'

The pilot project has been delivering benefits already, Keenan said. 

"I think it's very empowering for all of the kids to be participating," she said, noting that lots of children want to bike to school, but some parents don't feel comfortable letting them do so alone given the traffic. 

"Anybody who starts their day with a bike ride is going to be in a good mood that day, whether you're a kid or you're an adult," Keenan said. 

Students taking part in the bike bus are following a safe route to their schools, since the groups travel on pre-determined routes that are carefully planned by the city. 

The fleet travels on quiet streets and crosses major roads only once, at a spot with a crossing guard, Keenan said. 

There were no difficulties finding parent volunteers to participate, she said, adding that there are lots of keen cyclists in Charlottetown who are eager to join and ride with their kids. 

One parent drives the bus — so to speak — at the front of the line of cyclists, while another sweeps behind to ensure the group sticks together, Keenan said. 

Student experience

The children participating in the bike bus program are in grades 1 through 6, Keenan said. Some of the older students are already strong cyclists, while younger students may be just learning. 

It was really fun biking in a big group.— Gemma Burnside Campbell, 6-year-old bike bus participant

"I've visited the schools in the last couple of weeks and you can really see a growth in the kids who've just started cycling," Keenan said.

"The skills that they've developed in just a couple of weeks [are] phenomenal."

Gemma Burnside Campbell rides her bike with training wheels, but she said she hopes to get them taken off soon. 

"It was really fun biking in a big group," the six-year-old said. "It's kind of fun for the crowd to get bigger and bigger, but I don't really like stopping because I like to go fast."

Going forward, there could potentially be two different bike buses at each school, Keenan said, possibly separating out grades 1 through 3 for one bus and grades 4 through 6 for another. 

"We're aiming for a slow and safe ride where people are together, and that has to be the goal for now," she said.