With music pumping and kids laughing and enjoying the fresh air and exercise away from screens, the total ride is four kilometres, with stops along the way to collect more children, and a return journey in the afternoon.
“These kids are developing friendships, overcoming fears, gaining confidence, feeling included, learning independence,” Robinson said.
One parent said their child was “up, dressed and trying to make himself avocado toast all before I was even awake this morning”.
“He seriously loves the bike bus days,” they said.
“He’s never like this in the mornings.”
But starting a bike bus in Australia comes with red tape, such as waivers, Blue Cards and insurance.
“Our duty of care and public liability laws differ so extensively compared to that of the USA,” Robinson said.
“It would be lovely if we could gain some support or grant from our government to help officiate this into a program where local parents can sign up as volunteers without the worry of having all fingers pointed at them should a mishap occur.
“This is something stopping further bike buses from being set up in other suburbs, given a large portion of risk falls on the volunteer.”
The roads are also different in Eatons Hill versus Portland.
In Eatons Hill, the twice-a-week bike bus sticks to footpaths and uses lollipop crossings, whereas Balto in Portland uses neighbourhood greenways, which have speed bumps, a 32km/h speed limit, signs, and traffic diverters to reduce cars on the road.
Despite the complexities of starting a bike bus, Robinson said the rest was “easy”, and the bike cage was filling up as more parents and kids started riding to school, some independently of the bike bus.
The Eatons Hill bike bus keeps to the footpath for safety, whereas Sam Balto’s bike bus in Portland in the US uses neighbourhood greenways, with slower speed limits and speed bumps that are preferred routes for cycling and walking.
“I knew we had a doable route, I had availability, the interest from kids, and most of all a great community that would be interested,” she said.
While riding en masse surrounded by alert volunteers is one way to get kids out of cars in areas where it feels unsafe to ride or walk next to fast-moving traffic, there is still an urgent need to add more footpaths and off-road and separated bike paths in our suburbs.
Because not every school has parents who are enthusiastic and have flexibility to volunteer their time to empower children to walk or ride to school together, despite unfavourable conditions.
Source Agencies
