‘It’s a real community builder’: More schools are taking part in Bike to School Day

Bike to School Day, May 7, finds parents aren’t just volunteering, they’re driving “bike buses.”

Every first Wednesday in May, thousands of American schools celebrate Bike to School Day as part of the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Month. Encouraged by parents, schools, PTAs/PTCs, clubs and bike shops, BTS events roll across America. Over 50 schools in Cook, DuPage, Kane and Will counties were registered on Walk and Bike to School’s website as of late April. Even more aren’t registered.

Though not nationally recognized until 2012, Palatine parent Gail Artrip organized Pleasant Hill Elementary’s first BTS event in 2003. Since then, thanks to her Bike Palatine Club involvement, PTA support, and enthusiastic sponsorship by Mikes Bike Shop, most District 15 schools roll that day.

As a rider incentive, beginning in 2016, PTA funds, matched by the shop and club, provided bike-related raffles, with parent volunteers passing out stickers and raffle tickets to morning pedalers.

Community builder

For the past four years, Pleasant Hill PTA board member Ashley Gebhardt has organized BTS, noting her own family’s participation since 2018. She coordinates the volunteers, distributes flyers, and arranges promotional morning announcements.

“It’s great seeing families come out with their kids, moms and dads, sometimes younger brothers and sisters, too,” Gebhardt said, estimating 100 riders as a typical turnout. “For the school, it’s a real community builder.”

Her 11-year-old son, Wally, agreed.

“It's fun to ride your bike before school and meet up with your friends.”

Last May, Palatine bike shop owner Wayne Mikes reported 11 schools and about 1,200 students biking. He expects closer to 1,800 this year, with 17 district schools participating, plus two in Arlington Heights.

Elmhurst resident Kim McCarthy has organized BTS activities the last two years at both her sons’ schools, Conrad Fischer Elementary and Sandburg Middle School. She handled similar coordination tasks as Gebhardt, including pre-event promotion activities and Sandburg’s bike-related raffle.

A three-year member of the Elmhurst Walk and Rollers Working Group, McCarthy has encouraged other local schools, public and private, to join. She hopes broader response will boost Elmhurst’s Bike Friendly Community application to the League of American Bicyclists.

‘Bike buses’ to school

With her Bike Glen Ellyn experience, parent Emily Henkels is a leader of Park View Elementary’s first BTS Day. She and other BGE parents started leading monthly slow-roller youth rides last fall, inspired by close friend Valerie Kramer’s casual rides in Riverside.

“Routes and starting points change monthly, so participants all across Glen Ellyn can be involved,” Henkels said. Already in 2025, 24 bikers pedaled in March, 34 in April.

She hopes the May 7 event will familiarize Park View families with “bike buses” as fun school travel. Bike buses are organized groups of students and parents on set school routes to maximize safety and fun. She expects to launch Park View’s bus “in September, maybe even August, with two bus routes confirmed and hoping for two more.”

Henkels’ vision, however, is getting kids outside. Viewing her millennial peers as overprotective parents, she sees a “real benefit of face-to-face interactions, playing with other kids outside. Keeping kids inside on computers and social media isn’t healthy for mental, physical and emotional development.”

Park View PTC President Anna Mayo had heard about “bike buses” elsewhere and enlisted Henkels.

“I found some very passionate bikers in the area willing to share their experiences and knowledge to help get bike buses started,” Mayo said. “Emily is a wealth of information and inspiration for this project.”

Monthly, weekly service

In Woodridge, parent Blair Robinson has led a Meadowview Elementary bike bus since May 2024. The bus tries to run monthly August-October and March-May, attracting 30 to 50 youth riders and six to 10 adults. Meadowview’s parent Facebook group and Principal Dr. Kelly Neylon’s weekly parent newsletters provide information.

Al Leishman, Villa Park’s Environmental Concerns Commissioner, reported its Bicycle, Pedestrian and Transit Subcommittee partnered with North Elementary School PTA to host walking and biking buses last May and October. While walkers have outnumbered bikers so far, the subcommittee plans to expand both buses to other District 45 schools.

In Oak Park, Michael Ericksen has been “driving” the Holmes Elementary bus since October 2023. Personal biking experience with unsafe motorists prompted him to initiate the weekly Wednesday morning bus service. It now rolls from the village’s library from the start of school until Thanksgiving, then restarts in mid-April.

With bus attendance ranging from 10 kids and five adults to just a handful, he advises future bus drivers, “It doesn't take a lot, even just one person, to start making small changes to make your community a better place.”

For bike bus resources, check Chicago Family Biking's Bike to School, including recent virtual training slides on starting one. For information, contact Rebecca Resman at chicagofamilybiking@gmail.com. She has led family-friendly bike rides since 2013 and bike buses since 2022.

Elk Grove bike safety

Helping parents keep riders safe is Elk Grove Township’s recently launched Bike Safety Program. Local youth learn biking skills in class, then practice them outdoors at the township office building, 600 Landmeier Road in Elk Grove Village.

Youth Services Program Coordinator Jenn Hahn instructs students from Districts 57 and 59, plus private schools, within the township. Like the township’s other educational offerings, indoor classes are geared toward K-5 students and cover helmet fitting, hand signals, street sign recognition, and bike handling skills.

Its Challenge and Bicycle Safety Courses, with miniature buildings, a working traffic light and paved intersecting paths, enable youth to practice safety skills on their own bikes or on several township loaners.

Register for Bike Safety Class sessions on May 15, June 18 and July 15. Open Rides on the safety course don’t require registration. Families are welcome June 18 and July 15.

• Join the ride. Contact Ralph Banasiak at alongfortheridemail@gmail.com.