APS Superintendent Celebrates Biking to Work

[mstone]

oh wow, they even get decent racks. our school has wheelbenders.

[ronwalf]

My kid’s school has nothing! I’m locking up to a light post when I drop him off.

[CPTJohnC]

@rcannon100 63419 wrote:

This tweet from the APS Superintendent
It’s true. I go by that bike rack regularly and it is well used! (Now if we could only get the parent car drivers to drive a little better)

Cynical me wonders how much of this bike traffic is students, and how much of it is employees at the school? Either way, the full bike racks are a net positive, but I don’t run across many cycling HS students in my travels. Cycling food service, janitorial and other support staff though? That, I’d guess, is pretty common.

[rcannon100]

Both. I have a kid a YTown and W&L. The stream of cyclists is constant. The diff is that teachers frequently keep their bikes in their classrooms.

[consularrider]

@rcannon100 63479 wrote:

Both. I have a kid a YTown and W&L. The stream of cyclists is constant. The diff is that teachers frequently keep their bikes in their classrooms.

Speaking of, where’s Jason B?

[dasgeh]

@CPTJohnC 63478 wrote:

Cynical me wonders how much of this bike traffic is students, and how much of it is employees at the school? Either way, the full bike racks are a net positive, but I don’t run across many cycling HS students in my travels. Cycling food service, janitorial and other support staff though? That, I’d guess, is pretty common.

Clearly we need more racks.

Wouldn’t the ideal be to have everyone who can (students, teachers, admins, staff, visitors) bike?

Which reminds me, there’s been discussion, with supporting research, on how teenagers make bad decisions over in another relevant group I’m a part of. Somehow, this seems to be leading to the conclusion that students shouldn’t be expected to bike alone.

I would like to respond with research about how biking is better for teens, how proper bike education for teens is effective, etc. Anyone have that on hand that they could direct me to? TIA

[mstone]

@dasgeh 63491 wrote:

Which reminds me, there’s been discussion, with supporting research, on how teenagers make bad decisions over in another relevant group I’m a part of. Somehow, this seems to be leading to the conclusion that students shouldn’t be expected to bike alone. [/quote]

Better to have them running over cyclists in their sports cars than being outside.

[rcannon100]

Only the obvious -> It’s exercise.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@CPTJohnC 63478 wrote:

Cynical me wonders how much of this bike traffic is students, and how much of it is employees at the school? Either way, the full bike racks are a net positive, but I don’t run across many cycling HS students in my travels. Cycling food service, janitorial and other support staff though? That, I’d guess, is pretty common.

I see a lot of kids riding to Swanson MS, although they’re almost always riding the sidewalk and not in the bike lane, but whatevs, that’s probably safer for younger kids. I also pass a decent number of older kids on the Custis that seem to be headed to W&L or St. Ann’s.

[Tim Kelley]

@CPTJohnC 63478 wrote:

I don’t run across many cycling HS students in my travels.

http://wlbikeclub.tumblr.com/

[JorgeGortex]

A number of the kids on our W-L (you will note the “-” It is not a “&”) Crew ride to school. Some even ride from home to school to practice in DC to home after practice in the spring. As with anyone, it involves a number of factors as to whether it works for a given student and their family or not. I applaud them all. My instinct is that there are a lot more cycling students than you’d expect, and that the majority are boys. Just my observation.

JG

[CPTJohnC]

@rcannon100 63479 wrote:

Both. I have a kid a YTown and W&L. The stream of cyclists is constant. The diff is that teachers frequently keep their bikes in their classrooms.

@Tim Kelley 63501 wrote:

http://wlbikeclub.tumblr.com/

@TwoWheelsDC 63500 wrote:

I see a lot of kids riding to Swanson MS, although they’re almost always riding the sidewalk and not in the bike lane, but whatevs, that’s probably safer for younger kids. I also pass a decent number of older kids on the Custis that seem to be headed to W&L or St. Ann’s.

@JorgeGortex 63978 wrote:

A number of the kids on our W-L (you will note the “-” It is not a “&”) Crew ride to school. Some even ride from home to school to practice in DC to home after practice in the spring. As with anyone, it involves a number of factors as to whether it works for a given student and their family or not. I applaud them all. My instinct is that there are a lot more cycling students than you’d expect, and that the majority are boys. Just my observation.

I am very pleased to know I am wrong. It occurred to me after I posted that I don’t exactly pass through that area during the right hours very often, which may well explain why I don’t see the older kids (and why I do see a number of parents cycling to school with younger kids).

Now I’m curious to know if any of the students actually cycle to school at my local high schools. Definitely not as cycling friendly out in FX County.

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