Guess what per cent of Canadian kids ride their bikes to school

Here's a cool graphic that was available for the previous post on the Vancouver Charter on Children and Cycling, released today in Velo-City Global 2012 in Vancouver.

So the good news is that Canada's percentage of kids riding their bikes to school is double that of the United States. The bad news is that the U.S. figure is one per cent.

Since I grew up in a time when lots of children rode their bikes to school, this info made available by the European Cyclists' Federation, is pretty startling.

But we've all heard stories of bike racks being taken off school grounds because school staff don't want tohave to be responsible for potential thefts. And we've seen the anti-idling signs posted around schools, a reminder that almost every kid in the school population is getting a ride twice a day.

Comments

[Alan M]

Green Communities Canada, partnered with Share the Road, have several "school travel planning" projects completed and underway that seek to reverse this unfortunate trend. We're starting with walking to school in elementary school, then introducing biking in middle school. Over a generation, it'll result in parents with a better appreciation of active transportation to school.

There are also a few wrinkles incorporated that are initially received as, "You're going to do what?!?!?!?!" quickly followed by wholehearted acceptance, such as moving school bus dropoff/pickup zones and car dropoff/pickup zones to dispersed points in a school's immediate neighbourhood. That way, those car'ing or busing end up walking a bit too, and the school location itself is clear for those walking and biking.

School travel planning projects are springing up all over Ontario right now.

More here: http://www.saferoutestoschool.ca/school-travel-planning

[Ryan]

This doesn't have to do with children, but it does have to do with schools and bikes...

The high school across from me, they had 4 bike racks when I went there.

About five winters ago one was damaged by the snow clearing company.
The following winter they destroyed two more bike racks.
All three had to be removed they were in such poor condition.

The winter after that, the lone bike rack was damaged pretty good.
So the school now only has one bike rack which is a complete mess...Yet they did spend money on making a new parking lot for teachers, so students could have the old one :\