Something special is happening in Barcelona. It started last month when some parents organized a bike ride to school for just five kids. Now entire neighborhoods are joining. They call it Bicibús – or Bike Bus.
Each week they publish a route so people know where to join. The immediate goal is to extend the 'line' to cover several schools with the same 'bus', and then add new lines to cover additional neighborhoods.
My friend @guillelopez_ is a participating parent and he told me that it is evolving fast. What's special, he says, is that it's not just school kids riding on the Bicibús. Parents are joining to commute to work, too.
One video I saw showed a slow moving police vehicle leading the bus.
Another photo showed officers on bikes leading the way.😍
What a simple, light-weight way to convert existing streets into bike infrastructure.
They even have jerseys!
Let's follow Barcelona's lead and try this in our cities. Get updates and inspiration from @bicibuseixample.
@natetharp Thanks for the tip on this wonderful project.
More updates from Guille. He said the cooperation with the police was essential to get started.
And after a two week trial, the police wanted the movement to end. But the Bicibús parents persisted.
For now, the police will provide escort until December. After that, who knows.
Either way, he says, a critical mass is necessary to fill lanes and fend off aggressive drivers and scooterists. Sounds familiar to many of us, I'm sure.
Seattle! You're up next!
In some places, this idea is called a Bike *Train*. An American organization called Safe Routes produced this guide starting your own train: walkbiketoschool.org/wp-content/upl…
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