This weekend Iowa Safe Routes to School collaborated with the City of Marion to host our first family-specific ride. You may be wondering why a family ride? What does that have to do with safe routes to school? Bringing communities and families together to ride bikes and feel confident about riding in their community is essential to getting kids to ride bikes to school. Simply put, if the entire family is likely to ride bikes then kids are more likely to be allowed to ride bikes to school.
The ride itself was a great time. We had a lovely sunny fall day and a tailwind for half the journey. From downtown Marion, a group of fifteen families rode three miles on the Grant Wood Trail out to Waldo’s Rock Park. What is Waldo’s Rock Park? Waldo’s Rock Park is home to a massive rock that was deposited in Iowa during the time of glaciers. At the park, we took a little break, learned about the huge rock, and started back on our journey to Marion City Square Park.
Here are some numbers about the ride:
- 15 people
- 6 miles ridden
- 3 helmets were given away and fitted
- 1 big rock visited.
On our way back we rode a little slower so everyone could ride together and ride comfortably into the headwind. Afterward, we chatted about doing the ride again and how much fun we had.
We had a great time bringing families and the community together on bikes. If your neighborhood, school, or community is interesting in learning how you can collaborate with Iowa Safe Routes to School and host your own Family Ride please contact jared@iowabike.org.
