Student’s bike ride earns punishment


[Baltimore Spokes: Many (most) Maryland schools have similar policies.]

SARATOGA SPRINGS — While hundreds of area workers pedaled their way to work last Friday as participants in the national Bike to Work Day, one woman and her son were scolded for breaking the rules.

Janette Kaddo Marino and her son, Adam, 12, wanted to participate in the commuting event, so the two set off to Maple Avenue Middle School on bicycles May 15. The two pedaled the 7 miles from their east side home, riding along a path that extends north from North Broadway straight onto school property.

After they arrived, mother and son were approached first by school security and then school administrators, who informed Marino that students are not permitted to ride their bikes to school.

“Unbeknownst to us there is a policy,” she said, “but it wasn’t in any of the brochures given to us.”

School officials took her son’s bike and stored it in the boiler room. They told her she would have to return with a car to retrieve the bike later in the day.
... <a href="http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/05/23/news/doc4a176696ca884152592474.txt">http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/05/23/news/doc4a176696ca884152592474.txt</a>;

Amazingly, Saratoga Springs was cited only a week ago in Business Week, in an article titled &quot;Livable Saratoga,&quot; to illustrate places &quot;with a small-town feel where you can walk to work and shopping.&quot; But not, apparently, to school.

UPDATE via Sustainable Cities Collective:

The ironies to this story are many. To begin with, there is clearly a crosswalk in front of the school that appears to connect to a well used path. Whether a cross-walk on a two lane country road without a traffic light or a stop sign is an invitation to frogger is an open question. Secondly, Kaid Benfield of the Natural Resources Defense Council notes that Saratoga Springs was commended only a week ago by Business Week for being an &quot;anti-suburbia&quot; where &quot;you can walk to work and shopping&quot;.

<a href="http://fullyarticulated.typepad.com/sprawledout/2009/07/switchboard-from-nrdc-kaid-benfields-blog-biking-walking-to-school-illegal-in-saratoga-springs.html">http://fullyarticulated.typepad.com/sprawledout/2009/07/switchboard-from-nrdc-kaid-benfields-blog-biking-walking-to-school-illegal-in-saratoga-springs.html</a>;

by B' Spokes

Like most people I live a hectic life and who has the time for much exercise? Thanks to xtracycle now I do. By using my bike for daily activities I can get things done and get an hour plus work out in 15 minutes extra of my time, not a bad deal and beats taking the extra time going to the gym. In case you are still having trouble being motivated; the National Center of Disease Control says that inactivity is the #2 killer in the United States just behind smoking. ( http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/bb_nutrition/ ) Get out there and start living life! I can carry home a full shopping cart of groceries, car pool two kids or just get lost in the great outdoors camping for a week. Well I got go, another outing this weekend.
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