How to get more kids to ride bikes?

First of all, let me assure you that I don't know the answer to this question.

It came up in a panel discussion of bicycle dealers at Frostbike, a trade show and conference held in Minneapolis by one of our favorite suppliers, Quality Bicycle Products.

The topic of the panel was Building Long Term Value in Your Business. After a lengthy conversation about profits, ROI, gross margins and inventory turns, one shop owner pointed out that our long-term success as bicycle dealers depends on people who are children today riding bikes in the future. He bemoaned the fact that he saw fewer and fewer kids riding bikes in his community.

Some dealers saw a possible solution in the Safe Routes To School Program. The man who raised the question replied that his shop was in a rural community, with far-flung homes, some as far as 25 miles from the local school. Not to be a nay-sayer, but I would add that any program is highly dependent on follow-through of its participants. It's one thing to generate widespread interest and participation in a one-day event, and quite another to get a regular commitment. Unless people in the community sincerely believe that bicycles are a genuine transportation option for their children, they are not likely to buy into the program for the long-term.

So, how do we get more young people to ride bikes?

• The hardest step is infrastructure. More people would feel more comfortable about riding bikes, and letting their children ride bikes, if more safe places to ride, especially interlinked OFF-STREET PATHS were available.
• Organized rides and programs. Don't get me wrong: I fully support creating opportunities for people to ride, and generating community interest around the idea of cycling. The more kids see others around them using bikes to get around, the more it becomes a socially acceptable activity. I just don't think such programs can be a stand-alone solution.
• Family culture of biking and walking. When children experience alternative transportation first hand, from an early age, I believe they will always see it as a viable option. Cycling parents, who shuttle their kids around by bike in various attachments provide their kids with ongoing education not only about the rules of the road, but also about finesse, adaptability, autonomy and alternatives.
• Trusting young people to make their own decisions. Think of your own family. Were they cyclists? Maybe. But many, like mine and my husband's, were not. How do we become cyclists? As young adults, we look around and begin to assess our options. We are capable of making decisions that are different from those prevalent in the families and communities in which we grew up. That's how change happens.

So, while I don't have a definitive answer, I do have hope.

Comments

[Tara]

That's a funny picture. I like your helmet. Why are you squinting your eye?

[Justyna]

Hmmm... I think you commented on the wrong post.