Montclair Bike Bus is on the Move!

Montclair’s first ‘kid-ical mass’ event demonstrates a love for bikes and safe streets
Hundreds of Montclair residents turned out Sunday March 26th for the town’s first successful Bike Bus event — a fun and safe ride that was joined by parents, kids, teachers and residents from all ages and walks of life. 
Two groups of riders, one departing from Watchung Booksellers and the other from the Montclair Public Library, took to the streets to demonstrate what it looks like when adults and kids get out of their cars and use healthier, more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. The route ended at Rabble Rise, where hungry riders feasted on delicious doughnuts and the good vibes brought upon by a gorgeous spring day. There we were joined by two of our city councilors, Peter Yacobellis and Bob Russo, who expressed their support for the Bike Bus and their commitment to fighting for safer streets. 
During the ride, we demonstrated safe cycling techniques for younger riders, including how to make yourself visible to cars and how to navigate tricky intersections and narrow lane situations. We proved how a relatively small group of adults stationed at the front and rear of the group, as well as alongside the riders acting to keep kids within the lane and stay visible to drivers, can keep a large pack of younger riders safe during the ride. 

Please check out photos and videos from our first successful event here. You can also find our “sizzle reel” on Instagram. 
 
What is a bike bus?
The Montclair Bike Bus was founded by local parents and community supporters who want to bike to school. We believe it should be joyful, fun, and safe to bike together. Our hope is that the Bike Bus route is utilized not just during school hours but for everyone who would rather bike around town than drive a car. 
We’re a large group of people on bikes—kids, parents, and anyone else who wants to join in and lend us their support—biking to and from school along a fixed route and schedule. And we love all modes of transportation that move kids en masse to school, which is why we see the Bike Bus as the perfect compliment to our town’s vital school bus system. 
Bike buses are a global movement. You may have seen viral videos of bike buses in Portland, Oregon and elsewhere. In many cities and towns around the world it is a regular and accepted mode of transportation. 
We primarily organize organic weekly rides for children and young people to ride their bikes to all of Montclair’s public schools. 
To meet this goal our strategy includes: 

• Building community support in town, and coalition support in schools 
• Creating rider tools, time tables, and routes
• Hosting events and gatherings
• Helping influence transportation infrastructure redesign 

What’s next?
The Montclair Bike Bus is in the process of preparing for our official launch on Wednesday, May 3rd, which is National Bike and Roll to School Day, after which we will have weekly rides until the end of the school year. We also hope to participate in future group rides around town, such as the Climate Ride on April 22nd. 
Where you can find us
To learn more you can visit our website (coming soon), or join our Facebook group. You can also find us on Instagram. 

For media inquiries, please contact:
Andy Hawkins 
andyjayhawkins@gmail.com
475-227-9364

Interested in advertising or do you know about an amazing family-friendly resource? Email us at JessicaKline@macaronikid.com.