It’s still a little chilly outside, but it’s finally spring, and for a group of elementary kids, that means getting to ride their bikes to school again.
Manchester Moves is a non-profit that advocates for trail development. The organization loans kids good quality bikes with bells and lighting as part of its Bike School Bus program.
This group of about ten kids between the ages of 3 and 14 years old start their journey in a driveway in north Manchester. They begin with a prayer asking God to safely bring them to their destination. Jason Soukup, Manchester Moves president, says when they ride, they sing hymns.
"That is our radio,” Soukup said.
The kids wear helmets and orange T-shirts to allow drivers to see them. They will ride four miles, including down Elm Street, one of the busiest streets downtown, until they arrive at their school.
Eleanor Tashro’s mother helps her adjust her helmet. Eleanor says she’s ridden her bike hundreds of times with the group.
“I get to be with my friends,” she said.
Soukup says he came up with the idea for a bike bus last spring when he visited Switzerland. He saw how easy it is for kids to mobilize safely among cars there, and wanted to give kids in Manchester a taste of how it feels.
Soukup organized the first ride with the help of other parents. The organization doesn’t charge any fee. It's all collaboration with the families.
He says the city needs better infrastructure so people can ride their bikes more safely.
“At least the city could paint the lane a bright color, yellow or red,” he said.
The city has a list of bike routes and path available here.
One of the kids, Caleb Disc-ioa, said he was “super cold” that morning, but he loves hearing the birds, and he couldn’t wait to feel the wind on his face while he rides.
“Sometimes I get to school, and I am like, wow, my legs!,” he said. “It is like an exercise but fun.”
Anthony Argiro has been waiting almost six months to ride the bike bus.
“It’s fun, and I like being in a community riding on the roads, because I never get to do that where I live because there are so many cars,” he said.
Soukup says riding a bike can bring mental and physical health benefits. He would like this program to run all year, but they must stop in the winter.
“We've ridden on some really cold days, rainy days. We would have expected the kids to complain, but they love it,” said Soukup. “It's the best part of their day.”
But not everything is easy. Sometimes, the group faces mechanical issues. One of the boy's chains fell off this morning, but the volunteers fixed that quickly. Another boy hit a patch of sand and fell, but he got up quickly. Soukup says these challenges help the kids to become resilient.
“The level of confidence they get is different than had they crawled out of the back of a minivan," said Soukup. "They just did something extremely hard, and they know it."
Manchester Moves trains parents and volunteers on how to start a bike bus in their communities.