Bike to School:A Plan to Increase Bicycle Commuting

by Madison High School Students

Jane Seika Lee

Outline

1. Why student car driving is a problem

2. Potential benefits of bicycle commuting

3. Preliminary data on bike commuting by Madison 9th graders

4. A proposal to increase bike commuting by Madison high school students

Why is Teen Driving Bad?

1. Pollution asthma & other diseases

2. Greenhouse gases global warming

3. Lack of exercise obesity

4. Car crashes disability & death

Car Pollution• Chemicals in auto exhaust (a partial list):

carbon monoxide , nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, PM10 suspended particles, benzene, formaldehyde, polycyclic hydrocarbons…

• Exposure can lead to asthma, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, neuropsychiatric disorders, immune suppression, and cancer

Global Warming

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary global warming gas

• Motor vehicles are responsible for 25% of all US CO2 emissions

• About 20 pounds of CO2 are produced from each gallon of gas

• Average fuel efficiency has decreased since the 1980s because of the popularity of SUVs and other large and heavy vehicles

Obesity

• 78% of Americans do not get enough exercise• Over 60% of Americans are overweight• Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 2 decades• Diabetes in young adults has increased by 76%• Obesity also increases the risk of heart attack,

stroke, and some cancers (breast & colon cancer)

Motor Vehicle Injuries

• More than 41,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) each year in the US

• MVCs kill more children and young adults than any other cause

• MVCs lead to over 4 million ER visits per year, and the annual economic burden is over $150 billion

• The rates of crashes and MVC fatalities are far higher for teenagers than for children and adults

Other Negative Effects of Driving

• Owning & maintaining a car is expensive– Monthly payments– Insurance– Gas– Maintenance & repairs

• Our oil addiction drives government policy– Domestic: Oil drilling in Alaskan wilderness– Foreign: Iraq war?

OK, teen driving is a problem, but what’s the solution?

Goal

To increase bicycle commuting among high school students

in Madison, Wisconsin

Plan• Target school: James Madison Memorial H.S.,

in the West Side of Madison

• Step 1: Determine the percentage of current bike commuters, and perceived barriers to commuting

• Step 2: Design & implement a program to increase bicycle commuting

• Step 3: Assess the success or failure of the program; expand to other schools

Preliminary Data

• Survey administered to 9th grade students in one home room at James Madison Memorial High School

• 3 questions about bicycle commuting

• Response rate: 100%

Preliminary Survey Results (1)

Q: Why don’t you ride your bike to school?

1. Live too far away: 64%

2. Bike broken: 18%

3. Dislike bike riding: 18%

4. No bike: 0%

Preliminary Survey Results (2)

Q: How far away do you live from school?

A. Less than 1 mile: 20%

B. About 1 mile: 27%

C. About 2 miles: 13%

D. 3 miles or more: 40%

Preliminary Survey Results (3)

Q: How do you usually get to school?

1. Driven by car: 87%

2. Bus: 18%

3. Walk: 0%

4. Bike: 0%

Conclusions from Survey

• Almost all students own a bike

• Most students (almost 90%) get to school by car

• The majority of students live a short distance (2 mi or less) from school

• Therefore, it should be possible to increase the number of students who commute to school by bicycle

Step 1: Gather More Data

• A brief survey will be administered to 2 home rooms in each of the 4 grades

• The sample size will be 8 home rooms, or approximately 60-80 students

• The survey will be a self-administered questionnaire that will only take a couple minutes to complete

• Questions will include home distance from school, currentmethod of transportation to school, interest in bike commuting, and perceived barriers to bike commuting

Step 2: Implement a Program

• Based on the results of the survey, we will design and implement a program to encourage bike commuting by Memorial high school students

Elements of the Program

1. Educate

2. Enable

3. Encourage

4. Enjoy!

Educate:Biking is good for you, and good for the planet!

• Invite a speaker to give a school assembly talk on global warming and what students can do to make a difference One possibility is Dr. Jonathan Patz, a physician and environmental

studies professor at UW Madison who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore

• Make a website listing the many benefits of bike commuting Less pollution Less greenhouse gas emissions Good health through exercise Fun

The Commuter Calculator

• The program website will feature a calculator

• Students can enter their home address in Google Maps and calculate their distance from school

• Then the “Commuter Calculator” will tell them how much pollution & greenhouse gas emissions they can prevent per year by simply riding a bike to school instead of driving

Enable: Reduce the barriers to bike commuting

• Negotiate discounts at local bike shops for essential biking gear like locks and helmets

• Ensure that school bike racks are in a visible place to discourage theft, and covered to keep the rain off

• Distribute free bike route maps showing safe bike paths and low-traffic roads

• Free clinics on bike maintenance & repair and safety

Encourage

• Incentive system: – Students will earn points for every day they commute by

bike to school– At the end of the semester, students can redeem points for

free or discounted products from local bike companies and bike shops

• A hallway display in the school as well as a website will keep track of the results of the program– Total number of days & miles commuted– Amount of pollution & greenhouse gases prevented

Enjoy!

• Invite all students to join the Memorial HS Bike Club

• Easy bike rides on the weekend for cyclists of all levels of experience and fitness

• Partner with the Regent Cycling Team to train for bicycle racing

Step 3: Assess the Success

• After the first year of the program we will measure the rate of bicycle commuting at Memorial High School and compare it to baseline

• If the program is successful we will expand it to other Madison schools

Hey Einstein, wear a helmet!

ConclusionCommuting to school by bike instead of by car is one of the most simple yet powerful things that we high school students can do to promote the health of ourselves, the community, and the planet

By understanding current barriers to bike commuting, designing a program to overcome those barriers,

and systematically assessing the program’s successes & failures, we can make a real difference

Potential Partners

• Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin

• Wisconsin Department of Transportation– Safe Routes to School Program

• Madison Bike Shops– Cronometro, Trek Store, Revolution, Williamson, Budget, etc.

• Wisconsin Bike Companies– Planet Bike, Trek, Pacific Cycle (Schwinn), Saris, etc.

• Wheels For Winners “earn-a-bike program”

• University of Wisconsin Madison– Department of Environmental Studies– Department of Population Health Sciences

“Be the change you wish to see in the world”

Mahatma Gandhi