Photo: Newburyport Livable Streets
NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A community has implemented a weekly "Ride Your Bike To School Day" on the North Shore.
The Newburyport bike buses work just like any school buses traveling from one end of the city to its elementary schools, picking up students at stops along the way. Growing in size as more participants join, the bike bus commences every Friday morning in the spring along three routes.
The bike buses consist of scores of young bicyclists and the adults who, with the help of Newburyport police, travel the city's roads safely on Friday mornings in the spring. Eric Tracy, one of the route leaders, says the activity helps bring the community together.
"It fosters independence for the kids. They have fun doing it. There are studies that show kids are more attentive and ready to learn if they've had some amount of physical activity in the morning, so it's healthier for them," he said.
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The community has mostly embraced it. Residents coming out of their houses to wave and cheer on these armadas of happy school-bound bikers, which parent leader Sylvia Rosvik says keep getting bigger.
"It's been great. We see more and more kids every week, more and more awareness, and more families showing up. The more we ride, the more people join."
Bike bus leaders are inviting the entire community to participate on Juneteenth next Friday for a ride that will include family fun at Riverwalk Brewery, a food drive, and Juneteenth events at City Hall.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Kendall Buhl (@WBZKendall) reports.