Commuting - Cant commute to school?

To get to school normally my dad gives me and my siblings a ride, Now my dad is in the hospital and i dont want to take the Bus. I considered commuting to school, but i noticed there was no place to lock my bike up, and no where to keep it at all.

I approached my principal about the issue, and she told me that I couldent becuase If I did it everyone else would want to do it. (wtf?) She told me that The school is liable for me on my way to and from school, and They couldent allow me to ride.

I dont live very far from school, about 23 miles and i would enjoy a early morning ride. It dosent make sense to me, and sounds like total B.S. What do you guys think?

BTW this is my first post in these forums. :)

:eek: WTF? is the right thing for you to be saying. The principal is no more responsible for you when you are biking as he/she is when your dad is driving you. If you took the bus, I can see how that might be different.

23 miles is a long way (unless you meant 2.3 or something like that). Have you ridden that far before? Have you tested out the route?

There's gotta be some place for you to lock up your bike if you're creative. Is there a lightpost in the parking lot? If so, perfect!

You can tell your principal that she is full of $H!^. Tell her BikerTeen said so. Well, maybe that's not such a good idea. :p But seriously, if you would like one of us advocacy-types to email her, give us her address. I'd have no problem using my full name, address, credentials, and whatever else she wants when corresponding with her.

Bottom line: You're a brave kid for even considering riding to school. Most would be too afraid of "peer pressure," although I think you'll find that it brings positive interest and curiousness your way.

Ride if you want despite what your principal says. If she tries to get you in trouble (I doubt she will), send in the BikeForums troops ASAP! There may even be someone here who lives near you who could help your cause.

Good luck. Let me know if you need more advice or encouragement.

Who knows what legal reasons they have or fear. Do they let other students drive? What about walking?
At least you do have the bus as an option - and riding it does not contribute to more pollution as it goes anyway with a seat for you.
You must be well prepped for a 46mi daily ride. Thats great.
Al

:eek: WTF? is the right thing for you to be saying. The principal is no more responsible for you when you are biking as he/she is when your dad is driving you. If you took the bus, I can see how that might be different.

Unless putting rack out could be interpreted as encouraging riding a bike - that implict is that the school is encouraging and supporting bike riding.
Perhaps it one if those things where they say no, but if you do it they wont stop you.
But it has a ring of BS to it too.
Al

That's absolutely rediculous. Have one of your parents (your Mom, I'd guess) call the principal and explain that she is supportive of you riding, and that all you need is a good place to lock your bike for the day. If the Principal gives her any guff, then go above the principal's head and call the school district and ask to talk to somebody who can help. My kids are in GRADE school and they have places to park their bikes, and they use it whenever possible, especially in the summer when its nice out and riding is more enjoyable for them.

All that being said, just find a chain link fence or a light post as somebody suggested, and start riding and lock agains the post or the fence. I can't see it being that big of a deal. If they give you a bad time, talk to some local reporters. Let them know that your school is hassling you because you ride to school instead of walk or bus.

ride yer f'in bike anyway!!! http://www.motogear911.com/HTML/SportAccessoriesSecurityChainOnGuardPg.htm

put that 5016 on it at school so they can't confiscate it.

Your 14 years old and your school is 23 miles away? I thought bussing to integrate was done with but I guess not! Is it a private school or public?

Allowing a 14 year old to ride 23 miles, mostly in the dark, in rush hour traffic would not be the most responsible thing to do. Sorry, bassplayinbiker, but if you were my kid, you'd be known as bassplayinbusrider. No sense having two family members in the hospital.

If this is actually a 2.3 or a 2-3 mile commute then I would consider it depending on the route, neighborhood, traffic, maturity level, etc.

Alternative answer to your principal if she does not let your bike to school: You can pick me up in your car in the morning and take me home in the afternoon . . .

there is always a tree, fence or light post. I have even chained up to pillars holding up buildings. Get a cable from the hardware store that is long enough to go around whatever is not movable near your school. that, and da** the torpedos!

If you can't park at school, you can always unobtrusively park it a block or two away. As a bonus, it will be less susceptible to vandalism too.

PS is it really 23 miles?!?

The school district my daughter attends prohibits all bikes, scooters, skateboards, mopeds, or anything that can't be registered as a vehicle on their property. Nor are kids up to 5th grade allowed to walk to school alone. But all the schools in her district are nowhere near neighborhoods and there are no sidewalks to connect the communities to the schools. They built all the schools here in rural areas outside of town. It is done as a safety issue and probably as a liability issue. (student accident on school property etc.)

However the school can do nothing if the student here wishes to park his bike off school property I would think. I also figure since his siblings are probably taking the bus, so should this student unless the ride is 2.3 miles, not 23 miles one way. I used to ride my bike a lot to all my schools including elementary but that was in the 70s and early 80s.

If you're bold and/or just want to start trouble (I'm in no way saying you should, just throwing this out there), lock it to what ever you can near the office and then tell all your friends to ride their bikes and do the same. Make it seen and maybe school policy will change.

I think there is some kind of legal responsibilites for students leaving schools, your prinicipal might be telling you the truth. It could very well be the whole trip between home and school, or until you are with a parent.

I think there is some kind of legal responsibilites for students leaving schools, your prinicipal might be telling you the truth. It could very well be the whole trip between home and school, or until you are with a parent.

Then why do they let 16 year old kids DRIVE home with all their friends in the car? :(

Then why do they let 16 year old kids DRIVE home with all their friends in the car? :(

I don't know. I think they might still be liable, but America is a car culture, so driving is just accepted. And besides... how would a 16 year old get home from school if they couldn't drive? duh..

Then why do they let 16 year old kids DRIVE home with all their friends in the car? :( Because the 16 year old kid has auto insurance.

Wow! That is sad to hear but not extremely surprising in these days (car culture). I believe this educator needs to be educated about cycling. Perhaps if you would contact a local cycling advocacy group like the Kansas City Bicycle Club (http://www.kcbc.org/) they could contact the school on your behalf. Maybe they could assist with setting up some classes or a presentation on safe cycling. Just a thought. I am like everyone else here... 23 miles? Are you sure? That is really far to go to school. I ride 10 miles to work and it takes me 45-50min... and I ran a marathon in 2000 so I am in really good shape. I get up at 6:30am to get to work at 9:00 (prep time included). I leave at 8 am. I am in St. Louis and suspect that your area probably is somewhat similar for terrain. Hope things work out...

Peace, Love, Cycling!

kb0tnv

Allowing a 14 year old to ride 23 miles, mostly in the dark, in rush hour traffic would not be the most responsible thing to do. Sorry, bassplayinbiker, but if you were my kid, you'd be known as bassplayinbusrider. No sense having two family members in the hospital.

If this is actually a 2.3 or a 2-3 mile commute then I would consider it depending on the route, neighborhood, traffic, maturity level, etc.

I rode 2-3 miles to school in elementary school, when I was 8 years old (through 5th grade, when I was 10, and never had a problem). I think you're underestimating the abilities of a 14 year old.

I rode 2-3 miles to school in elementary school, when I was 8 years old (through 5th grade, when I was 10, and never had a problem). I think you're underestimating the abilities of a 14 year old.

ditto

Let's start an e-mail campaign. Can you give us the e-mail addresses to the school superintendant, the principal & as many other scoll officials as you can find. I say that all of us who are in favor of the school changing this stupid policy to allow kids to ride & park their bikes at school should start sending e-mails to everyone we can. So get us the e-mail address & I'll be one of the first to start e-mailing on your behalf.

Well...

When a buisness I am visiting does not have somewhere to lock up the bike, I just tootle on down the road until I can find some place to lock it up.

Why not just do the same? Find a nice place a little ways off of the campus and lock up our bike. Just walk from there.

I rode 2-3 miles to school in elementary school, when I was 8 years old (through 5th grade, when I was 10, and never had a problem). I think you're underestimating the abilities of a 14 year old.

i think the kid is talking about 23 miles here...at least his post says 23 miles and i dont see any other posts of him correcting the "mistake". what time does school start for a 14 yr old (on average)? would you guys say 8 is an accurate time? how long do you think its going to take him to ride that 23 miles? i can go about 5 miles every 30 minutes, with traffic lights and stop signs and all that stuff factored in. so a 23 mile ride would take me about 2 hours, but i will say this guy is a lot faster then me and doesnt have to stop at a traffic light at every corner and it takes him 1.5 hours. lets say it takes him a hour to get up, change, eat breakfast, etc etc etc etc. so thats a total of 2.5 hours. if he started at 8 and wanted to arriv, lets say 30 minutes early, so he could find a place to park bike, unpack stuff, and have time to dry off, put deodorant on and stuff so hes not walking to class stinky.. he would have to leave the house by 5am. o_O not to contridict my other post in the safety forum or anything, but thats just insane for a 14 year old. also, we dont even know if he knows how to ride in traffic or has even rode his bike for that length. it would give him good excerise, save gas, etc etc etc, but think about it here guys...

that's why people are saying if it actually is 23 miles that it's not a good idea. however, i find it hard to believe that someone lives 23 miles from their school.

i live about 30 miles away from my school..... but i go to college

23 miles is not far if you live in a rural area. some kids bus 90 miles. Bassplayinbiker, if you are contemplating a 23 mile each way commute, you should go do it once on the weekend, to get a feel for how much you like it and how realistic it is for you to do it. I think locking your bike up (and your misguided principal) is the least of your worries. The ride is. Go do it. Do you have a helmet and lights?

riding a bus for 90 miles is completely different then riding a bike for 23 miles.

also! i forgot to mention, for a 23 mile ride, you should learn how to change a flat too. what kind of bike do you have? if you have a department store bike, it might last for the first 3 or 4 round trips (or if you're lucky, it'll last you forever), so you'll need a good bike too cuz you dont want it breaking down on you. plus the books.. do you carry a lot of books? depending on the geometry of your bike and your carry load, if you keep it up, it might lead to back problems later on...

It is better to ask forgiveness than permission.

In addition to what everyone else has said, learn a cardinal rule: It is easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission! Ride, lock your bike to something (the principal's car comes to mind... no, not really), and when she goes off, have a signed consent letter from your mother. If that doesn't work, get after the school board. Involve the media! Shake up their little world! :D

23 miles is a long way (unless you meant 2.3 or something like that). Have you ridden that far before? Have you tested out the route?


This is no big distance for me, i have even gone to the school on weekends to see if i could. I can ride the 46 mile round trip everyday, and if i couldent i could always use the bus as a last resort.

I know a route to take quiet side streets and really avoid traffic. I will also hve a few blinkies and a head light.

My school is a public school, and its their policy to @#$% with everyone else.

also! i forgot to mention, for a 23 mile ride, you should learn how to change a flat too. what kind of bike do you have? if you have a department store bike, it might last for the first 3 or 4 round trips (or if you're lucky, it'll last you forever), so you'll need a good bike too cuz you dont want it breaking down on you. plus the books.. do you carry a lot of books? depending on the geometry of your bike and your carry load, if you keep it up, it might lead to back problems later on...[/QUOTE]


sorry for the double post but, I have a Diamond Back Centurion (a road bike), And i have fixed a flat, and carry tubes in my under seat bag.

I do half of my home work in home room, so that means i wont need my algebra text book, i never get science, and The rest is really just reading or something. Im not worried about not being able to get my home work done.

Im not really worried, i have gone much farther.



I just now heard from my brother, its only a 12.5 trip, one way. I guess I misunderstodd him. The point still stands, the administration is stupid.

I cant exactly lock my bike off school porperty, my school is in the middle of he ghetto, and I am scared my bike being messed with even when on school property.

To adress this issue before it comes up, Im not afraid of riding through the ghetto, I've done it before, and no one gave me any trouble the 100's of times i have. The Only problem with riding through the ghetto, is having every other guy ask you if they can have your bike.

Bassplayinbiker, I hope it works out for you. I rode my bike to high school and enjoyed it.

I agree with the above mentioned tactic of riding to school anyway, and parking your bike in a prominent place like on a railing right outside the principal's office. One thing I would add is, LOCK YOUR BIKE UP SECURELY! I have had two bikes (one pretty nice one) stolen in the past year, and it is really really discouraging. So make sure you lock up in a safe place.

(My question: what right does the school have to tell you how to get to school??? If you want to take the school bus, then sure they can make rules for it, but outside of that, how do they have any authority over what you do when not at school or a school-sponsored activity. Anyone can answer this?)

Bassplayinbiker,

You might want to ask your school's Phys Ed department if any of them are interested in supporting you on this issue. They are likely to encourage the administration to support your travel mode because of its health and fitness benefits for you, and they may view your cycling as a good example for others. If they don't know anything about cycling, tell them that cycling has a lower fatality risk (per hour of activity) than swimming and has injury rates lower than most school sports such as soccer and basketball. Lastly, point out that you are much less likely to hurt anyone by cycling than by arriving in an automobile.

Two more points of advice: (1) you may want to keep your tool kit as well as some spare tubes and old spare tires in your locker in case of vandalism, (2) you may want to keep some emergency cash for a taxi with you. Hide the money in an envelope or somewere that will discourage you from spending it, so you will always have it for a real emergency.

-Steve Goodridge
http://humantransport.org/bicycledriving/

Bassplayinbiker,

Check out the Kansas City Bicycle Federation, a coalition of bicycle advocates who can assist you in the challenge of enlightening the administration. And don't forget the school board, public media, we all answer to someone.

http://www.kcbikefed.org/

peace

So if high school senior drives to school and gets in an accident, the SCHOOL is liable??? I'm no lawyer, but that sounds like nonsense to me.

oh.. yea if its 12.5 miles, and you know how to fix a flat, and it seems like you know what you're doing and you're an experienced, so go for it. just park it kinda farther away.do you have a friends that lives within walking distance to the school? you could maybe just ride to your friends house, park your bike there, and you both could walk to school together. you cant get in trouble, even if they find out cuz you're going to your friends, not to school. plus then you get to spend more time with your friend and get to ride.

haha, also, maybe you should get a bunch of people together and ride to school. Critical Mass style!! :D

This is reminding me of Napoleon Dynamite. The bully goes to steal the kid's bike, and then Pedro's cousins roll up in the lowrider and shake their heads disapprovingly.

Also, they're wrong about being responsible. They're responsible for you on the bus, on school property, and maybe at the bus stop. In fact, the reason that they always gave me in school for not excusing me for being late if my battery died was that they aren't responsible if I don't ride the bus.

Definitely get a big honkin' lock and try to keep a low profile.

Remember folks, if this is 23 miles and school starts at 8am, he'll have to leave at 6am at the very latest. And it is dark for a lot of the year at 6am. It will also be rush hour. I also think he may have meant 2.3 miles as the city of Kansas City would have two dozen schools within shorter distance than that.

If it is 23 miles each way, I wouldn't allow my kid to do this.

. And don't forget the school board, public media, we all answer to someone.
peace

Actually Wanderer if this is a 23 mile commute each way, the public will back the school district on discouraging him to ride & it will make KC bicycling interest look totally out of touch with realility. He would have to ride at least an hour in the dark and in rush hour traffic & two hours each way for and back. This is not a bicycle issue, it is a safety issue. If it is 2.3 miles, then I agree the kid should be able to ride his bike to the school. But if it is 23 miles each way, I'll back the school district on this one.

Remember folks, if this is 23 miles and school starts at 8am, he'll have to leave at 6am at the very latest. And it is dark for a lot of the year at 6am. It will also be rush hour. I also think he may have meant 2.3 miles as the city of Kansas City would have two dozen schools within shorter distance than that.

If it is 23 miles each way, I wouldn't allow my kid to do this.

Remember kiddies, he corrected himself and said that it was a 23 mile round trip

Remember kiddies, he corrected himself and said that it was a 23 mile round trip


Isn't there some sort of structure outside of the school proper where you could lock your bike. That way they can't bust your balls about arriving to school on your bike. As far as they know, you are walking in.

On another note, at least in my old school days, the city was responsible for providing transport to students that lived more than 2 miles from the school. Does KC not have something like this?

Man, I can't believe that a school would actually DISCOURAGE you from riding your bike. Heinous. If they would have tried that on me I would have told them some very foul things to do to themselves.

Well, now I ride my bike to school about once a week during the time of year when it's light enough for me to travel without headlights. There are no bike racks here at all and I've never seen any student on a bike. It's a 14 mile one way trip.

Fortunately, I work here so I have an office to keep my ride in :) I did ride to high school when I was a kid and locked my bike to a tree. As long as the route is safe, what's wrong with encouraging bike commuting? It's good exercise for a generation of kids who may not get enough!

Sheldon
OCR2

Actually Wanderer if this is a 23 mile commute each way, the public will back the school district on discouraging him to ride & it will make KC bicycling interest look totally out of touch with realility. He would have to ride at least an hour in the dark and in rush hour traffic & two hours each way for and back. This is not a bicycle issue, it is a safety issue. If it is 2.3 miles, then I agree the kid should be able to ride his bike to the school. But if it is 23 miles each way, I'll back the school district on this one.

Well, as someone already said it is 23 miles ROUNDTRIP.

But the distance is irrelevant to the statement of the principal as reported by our student. No where does it appear that she addressed a specific route or distance, but rather a blanket condemnation on fuzzy legal liability issues. Whether is 2 blocks, 2 miles, or 20 miles the right to transport oneself to school should apply.

-peace

get some panniers. do NOT use a messenger bag.. ever!!!

its a 12.5 trip one way.

but even if it is a big distance, They never asked me how far i would have to go. It isint a hard ride for me at all.

Its the prinicapal of the thing that gets me. I think im gonna challenge this.

no, dont think about it. just do it.

Can you at least name the school? I read on the web where the Kansas City school district even has a day to ENCOURAGE kids to walk and bike to school and educate them about the safety of such. Something isn't adding up here.

As a student I fought a school once and won but it was a hollow victory. They changed the rule but it became effective immediately after I graduated. If your principal says no, you can still bring it up to the school board. To do so you have to get on the school boards' agenda unless if they have a forum for open questions.

I started a petition and it took on a life of its own circulating through every school in the district and eventually was signed by 85% of the students and 40% of the teachers. Some of the teachers told me who to contact and how to present the petition.

From my understanding, schools are responsible for you while you are on school property but they have no jurisdiction outside even though some principles say they do. You could ride your bike to school and then lock it up outside the school's property. I agree with a earlier poster that said do it but keep a low profile.

Bad schools can make it rough on you. Here is an example (http://www.courttv.com/trials/taped/sierra/background_ctv.html)

My mom is the principal at a school. There are folks who sue for anything. The problem isn't that the school would be legally liable, the problem is that people would sue if there was an accident. Look through the commute forums and see what you see -- that's what the principal is afraid of.

The principal might not be saying "no", the principal might be engaged in arse-covering. If your parents approve and you lock your bike up off-campus, you probably won't have a huge problem. Make sure your parents approve though, because if the principal feels cornered she will call you on it -- by calling mom & pop. If they back you she has to step back.

As for where to lock, maybe I'm insane or this is a local thing to TX and MS, but for some reason whenever I see a school there's a post office nearby, and lots of the PO's have bike-lock facilities. Try one of those.

Good luck!

/commutes to (college) campus 11 miles each way
//generally the best thing about the day

Bad schools can make it rough on you. Here is an example (http://www.courttv.com/trials/taped/sierra/background_ctv.html)

Dude, she tried to start an "anarchist club". Who says kids don't understand irony these days?