Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Back-to-School Season Brings Bike-to-School Bans

As schools across the country open their doors for another year, Robert Ping of the Safe Routes to School National Partnership says students are increasingly facing "bans" against walking and biking to campus. Network member BikePortland.org reports:

229710.jpgIn Portland, fears of liability turned Safe Routes to School to "Safer Routes." Photo: BikePortland.org

"It’s pervasive throughout the country and we’re hearing about it moreand more,” [Ping] said. The problem, according to Ping, is that many schoolprincipals and administrators feel that biking and walking to school issimply unsafe. They are concerned about being held liable for anythingthat happens during the trip to and/or from school.

In addition to studying the current scope of the problem, the SafeRoutes National Partnership is putting together a team of legal expertswho will craft a legal statement directed at school principals,outlining why improving biking and walking options will not increasetheir liability exposure. They hope the legal statement will also helpallay the fears that lead to bike ban policies in the first place.

Though, as Ping points out, principals can't actually stop students from walking and biking, they can use their influence to discourage it. Administrators can also deny students a decent place to store their bikes during the school day. But if the issue is safety and liability, what about those high school parking lots?

Ping said one safe routes advocate he heard from countered a bike banin their community by asking the principal whether or not he feltliable for kids who drive to school. “That’s a great way to push backon this idea.”

In a somewhat related post featured on the Network today, Car Free With Kids sings the praises of raising a toddler on transit. Also: The Overhead Wire notes light rail progress in Houston, while Streetsblog LA finds controversy over one Metro rail line; Gateway Streets maps "desire paths" in St. Louis's Forest Park; and NY Examiner analyzes another case of motorist-on-cyclist violence, this time in Staten Island.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Delivery App Companies Oppose A City Council E-Bike Safety Bill … Again

Delivery workers want protection from being fired from their app jobs without a reason. True to form, the app companies don't want them to have it.

September 15, 2025

Parks Dept. to Canal Street: ‘No Trees for You!’

The Parks Department wants to plant more trees — it does! — but so many things are conspiring against the agency on Manhattan's worst street.

September 15, 2025

What New York Can Learn from European Buses

Or better said, why the DOT and MTA should sweat the small stuff.

September 15, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Cars Are Weapons Edition

A driver faces murder charges for allegedly intentionally striking a 16-year-old on Roosevelt Avenue. Plus more news.

September 15, 2025

SEE IT: Mets Pitcher Sean Manaea Is Just Another Guy On The Subway

As the beloved Amazin's open a crucial homestead, we took a subway ride to Citi Field with a man on whose arm depends everything. The ride, at least, was no big deal for this veteran commuter.

September 12, 2025

DOT Canal Street Plan Adds Pedestrian Space, Bike Route, But Next Mayor Must Think Bigger

The changes are a good start, but Canal Street deserves a radical transformation.

September 12, 2025
See all posts