An interview with Sam Balto the teacher who started Portland’s bike bus

Sam Balto is having a moment. What you don’t know Sam? Well, this Portland, Oregon-based physical education teacher has become something of an internet sensation thanks to a bike bus he established at his school Alameda Elementary. The bike bus is a major local happening every single Wednesday when more than 100 students join the two-wheeled parade on the way to class. And it could inspire others in the United States and beyond to do the same thing. So, we tracked Sam down to ask him just what happened and what others can do to start a bike bus in their neighborhoods.

Balto, a native of Chevy Chase, Maryland, has been teaching for 10 years with stints in Boston and Washington, before he arrived in bicycle-loving Portland, Oregon.

Here’s the interview

Are you surprised by such a positive and widespread reaction to your project?

I’ve always felt like something was missing in student transportation. And, people are craving more community-centered options for how their children get to school, With the pandemic, children being isolated, and communities being isolated, just the joy of the bike buses sparked something in people. We’re creating that sense of community, and seeing the children thrive. I think people love a community coming together for the children. I think it resonates with a lot of people.

How long has Sam Balto been interested in cycling advocacy?

I’ve always been interested in active transportation back to when I was in Boston 10 years ago, and just creating opportunities for children to get physical activity and build it into their schedule. I’ve been doing that for the past five, six years, focusing more on like walking school buses.

So what inspired by bike bus version?

Last year, in Barcelona, there was a video that was very popular about starting a bike bus there. And there’s a woman, Megan Ramey, who lives in Hood River, who does a bike bus every day in her community, and I took inspiration from that and organized a bike bus for Earth Day to do it, but also to try to motivate other people and sort of bringing more awareness to the bike.

Take us through how it went.

It was April 22 of the last academic calendar year, we did a bike bus and had 75 students and parents participate. We decided to keep it going for the rest of the school year. We did it every Wednesday, and the last one, we had 120 students. In that short amount of time, we’d almost doubled the number of students participating. And I think it goes to show that the important thing is consistency. Doing it regularly allows students and families to plan accordingly. But also, you can get the equipment and the gear, because it’s justified. After all, you’re doing it regularly. One of the best compliments I got was from a parent who told me that her daughter and all her daughter’s friends were asking for bikes for their birthdays.

Was it difficult to plan?

Planning a bike bus is pretty simple, you know, it’s just a matter of finding another family and another group of people to live with creating a route map, setting a designated meeting time, and then sharing it with the community.

Have you noticed that since the bike bus started more people are biking around the neighborhood?

On non-bike bus days, the number of students who the amount of students has gone up just by looking and noticing, and parents commenting.

How does it work? Take me through a typical Sam Balto day.

Starting a bike bus is pretty simple. It’s just a matter of finding another family and another group of people to ride with, creating a route map, setting a designated time, and then sharing it with the community. I found parents who were already biking with their kids to school and asked them if they were interested in volunteering. We have one person in the front, one person in the back and one person sort of in case something happens, so I can support those students. We just show up a little bit before the meeting time to go over some expectations: straight-line biking, looking out for people driving, don’t go in front of the person leading. Really, considering how many children we have riding, it’s been incredibly safe, I would say.

Does everybody gathers in one place, and then bike to school, or there is a route and people join along the way?

Some people who live close to the starting point meet there, and then other people just wait on the side of the road, and as we go by, they hop in and join.

What do you see as the benefit for the kids beyond, obviously, exercise?

There are social and emotional benefits. I think something we don’t talk about enough is the trauma that a lot of children go through, and a lot of us have experienced with the pandemic. One of the ways that we heal from trauma is by connecting with our body and connecting with the community. The bike bus creates a great opportunity for children to connect with themselves, but also connect with their peers and connect with the general public, which helps us come out of the tough time with a pandemic. And in terms of school, they’ve already had an opportunity to socialize, to get the energy out, so they’re just more prepared to start the day and learn.

What advice do you have for those looking to start a bike bus in their areas?

Find other members of your community to help with creating a route that feels comfortable to bike on and walk on, and then share it with your community being inclusive, and then just being consistent.

Did you have any challenges in establishing the bike bus?

Not really, no. I always share articles and videos that have it being done elsewhere. I’m probably going to put out a tweet today that says everybody shares the Washington Post article, share the NBC news clip. As a parent, just send those things to your administrators and school board, to the city council, to the neighborhood association and be like this is cool. Try this out, you know, they do this here, why can’t we do it here? And they’re going to have to say, oh, it isn’t safe, well, why is it not safe? If it’s not safe that should be a big red flag to our city and state leaders to ask why we have infrastructure that does not allow children to walk or bike to school safely. That should be a cause for alarm.

Thanks, Sam Balto!

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