THE BIKE BUS
Daniel Ortiz is a city planner, but he has never forgotten the long car rides of his childhood. His family lived six kilometers from his school, and every morning his parents drove him there. Daniel wanted to ride his bicycle instead, but the roads near his home were full of fast cars and trucks. "My mother said it was far too dangerous," he remembers. "So I sat in the back seat every day and dreamed about cycling."(lines 1–5)
Today, Daniel runs a project called the "bike bus" in his city. Each morning, children ride to school together along a fixed route, with one adult at the front and another at the back. New riders join at "stops" along the way, like passengers on a real bus. "Most parents love the idea, but some refuse to let their children take part," says Daniel. "They are afraid that their children will be too tired to learn after the ride. I explain that our routes are short and flat. Other parents worry about rainy days, because their children arrive at school wet. So we ask all riders to keep a raincoat in their school bags. Riders can also leave a dry pair of shoes in their classroom."(lines 6–13)
Daniel often points out that in some countries, cycling to school is completely normal. "Take the Netherlands or Denmark. Lots of eight- and nine-year-olds there cycle to school on their own," he says. "Still, their parents follow two simple rules. First, on busy main roads, a young child must ride with an adult. Second, after dark, young children must not ride without an adult."(lines 14–18)
The project has grown quickly. There are now fourteen bike-bus routes in the city, and teachers say that riders often come to class calmer than other pupils. Daniel's next goal is to close the streets around every school to cars for half an hour each morning. "When there are no cars near the school gate, even very young children can ride safely," he says. "Some drivers will be angry at first, but I'm sure it will be worth it."(lines 19–23)