East Aurora Bike Bus helps get the wheels turning before school
EAST AURORA, NY (WIVB) — Three dads in East Aurora have decided to roll with an idea in Western New York that originated out on the other side of the country.
“Some students last week called it a ‘dance party on wheels’,” said Mike Robinson, co-founder of East Aurora Bike Bus. “We’ve got music, we have a big group that rides together. We’ve seen kids that may not meet each other from different grades, having fun riding together.”
They started a bike bus, where students and their parents all meet up at the parking lot of Village Play on Tuesday mornings ahead of the classroom bell, and kick off the day with a ride throughout the village.
“It really helps with mental health, it helps with focus, being able to exercise before school is really good for students,” Robinson said.
“It’s a great way to start my own work day, it’s a great way to spend a little time with them, and they really love it too, and it’s a good way to start the school day for them,” said Tim Noon, also a co-founder, who rides with his two daughters, Linnaea and Clara.
They usually meet on Tuesdays around 8:15 a.m., however, this week, in honor of National Walk, Bike or Roll to School Day, they decided to push it back to celebrate. The holiday itself is to bring awareness of transportation to school safety, which is something they focus on every week.
“We tell the kids to obviously always wear a helmet, and we encourage kids to obey all the traffic signs. If we’re riding on the street, we’re riding on the right side of the road, and also make yourself visible,” Robinson said.
“Especially in a town like this, in a community like this, were eventually we want kids to ride by themselves, to ride to school, ride to the ice cream shop, to just get out and be able to ride in the community, and teaching them early on how to practice safe riding habits, is really beneficial as they get older and get more independent.”
They say every week, the group continues to grow in size, and they hope more areas throughout Western New York, will join in on the idea and start the day off with some exercise.
“Western New York has so many wonderful little villages, Hamburg, Orchard Park, Williamsville, there’s some many places that could have a bike bus,” Robinson said. “It’s super easy to start, it didn’t cost any money it just took a little bit of time.”
They plan to keep the wheels rolling, through the end of the school year, have a few bike rides throughout the summer, and then kick start the Bike Bus again during the fall.
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Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here.
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