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Should Schools Incorporate Bike Riding Into Their Curriculum?
I fondly remember learning to ride my bike in the parking lot of a local bank back in my small town in West Virginia. Every weekend morning, my grandfather would jog alongside me, steadying my seat as I circled the empty lot. As I gained confidence, we ventured onto the scenic paths by the Potomac River, creating some of my most cherished childhood memories.
Today, however, I find myself in New York City, where I live in an apartment too compact for a bike, and the nearest green space is far from ideal for riding. While many brave souls navigate the city streets on two wheels, I lack the courage to join them. My five-year-old son has yet to learn how to ride, and I’m unsure how to help him.
Then I came across an inspiring initiative: public schools in Washington, D.C., are teaching second graders to ride bikes as part of their physical education curriculum. What a fantastic idea!
As reported by Laura Simmons for CityLab, Miriam Kenyon, the director of health and physical education at D.C. public schools, has launched a program where 475 BMX bikes are sent to various schools in groups of 25 for several weeks. This initiative provides intensive cycling lessons to second graders—something many children in the city have not had the chance to learn.
The bike program is part of an initiative known as “Cornerstones,” aimed at offering specialized curricula to bridge the achievement gap between wealthier and less affluent students. It seeks to ensure that every public school child in D.C. has access to bike education, regardless of their personal circumstances. As Simmons points out, “Urban biking has a well-documented equity problem.” With the expansion of bike-sharing programs and infrastructure in D.C., there’s a risk that low-income residents could miss out on the city’s biking renaissance. Universal bike education could play a crucial role in combating this issue.
A significant contributor to the childhood obesity epidemic is the lack of physical activity. During my childhood, walking or biking to school was the norm. Yet, Lauren Martinez, director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School, noted that the primary reason parents cite for not allowing their children to bike or walk to school is distance, closely followed by safety concerns. Unfortunately, there are not enough dedicated bike lanes for kids to travel safely. However, as more people choose to walk or bike, overall safety for pedestrians and cyclists tends to improve, according to SafeRoutesPartnership.org.
Officials often hesitate to allocate more space for bike lanes, believing that there aren’t enough cyclists to justify the expense. By encouraging a new generation of children to become comfortable with biking, we can gradually shift the balance between car lanes and bike paths. Washington’s bike-sharing program has already shown a small but positive impact on reducing traffic congestion.
I wish my children could learn to ride in the same way I did, but my current circumstances make that challenging. If their physical education classes included cycling, I would be overjoyed. It would equip them with a valuable lifelong skill for affordable, healthy, and eco-friendly transportation. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind hopping on a bike myself again; we could enjoy riding along the river together.
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In summary, teaching children to ride bikes in schools can address important issues like childhood obesity, transportation equity, and community safety. By fostering a new generation of confident cyclists, we can create a healthier environment for everyone.