{"id":764091,"date":"2026-04-30T17:26:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/764091\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:26:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:26:47","slug":"logan-square-families-unite-to-form-bike-bus-allowing-kids-to-cycle-to-school-safely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/764091\/","title":{"rendered":"Logan Square Families Unite To Form ‘Bike Bus,’ Allowing Kids To Cycle To School Safely"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOGAN SQUARE \u2014 James, Theo and their friends meet up every Friday at Palmer Square Park for a group bike ride to school.<\/p>\n

The kids are part of the SJB Bike Bus,<\/a> a parent-led bike caravan that rolls out from Palmer Square Park every Friday morning in spring and heads to St. John Berchmans School, 2511 W. Logan Blvd.<\/p>\n

The bike bus, which is about to celebrate its first year<\/a>, has grown steadily since beginning last May, welcoming children and parents who want a car-free option to commute to school. Matt McCabe, one of the bike bus dads, said the group is tapping into Logan Square\u2019s bikeability.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 15 people came the first day, and we weren\u2019t sure if anybody was gonna come,\u201d McCabe said after last week\u2019s ride. \u201cTo have 50-75 a year later feels great, but it wouldn\u2019t happen without people coming. Everybody who rides makes the bike bus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Students and families ride bicycles in a bike bus through Logan Square to St. John Berchmans School on a Friday morning, April 24, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

On a recent Friday, the bike bus had close to 60 participants, half of them children. Another ride earlier this month ended with close to 75 participants<\/a>, so McCabe hopes to make it to 100 in the five rides left before school ends. With more cyclists joining in, the group has asked the city to install more bike racks near the school, he said.<\/p>\n

The caravan has grabbed the attention of passersby \u2014 including drivers and dogs who stop to watch the bike bus travel along Logan Square\u2019s signature boulevards.<\/p>\n

With parents leading the way, acting as safety marshals and encouraging shy children to look ahead and avoid potholes, the bike bus is full of smiles, music, chants, waves and community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in such a good mood after that,\u201d said Ashley Kumar, whose two children participate in the bike bus. \u201cI like it for the Fridays, because everyone sticks together, whereas when you\u2019re doing it on normal days, you have to be more cautious with all the cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Matt McCabe explains the ground rules for the bike bus before riding through Logan Square to St. John Berchmans School on a Friday morning, April 24, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bike bus is really fun. I like that a bunch of my friends are here and we can talk,\u201d said James, 10, a fifth-grader at St. John Berchmans School. \u201cIt\u2019s great there\u2019s a different way to get to school than with a car.\u201d<\/p>\n

James, who is McCabe\u2019s son, has been riding his bike for five years and has been with the bike bus since its inception. He said the initiative has made him feel safer cycling on the city streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully, it encourages the streets to become safer \u2014 if the streets aren\u2019t safe enough for kids to bike on them, they\u2019re not safe enough yet,\u201d McCabe said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Students and families ride bicycles in a bike bus through Logan Square to St. John Berchmans School on a Friday morning, April 24, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

While James and his father said the bike bus route feels safe \u2014 especially with the added bike lane visibility from the Logan Square traffic reconfiguration<\/a> \u2014 they still have to use the sidewalk when turning onto Logan Boulevard from Kedzie Boulevard because there is no eastbound bike lane.<\/p>\n

Protected bike lanes were never part of plans for the improved traffic circle, but McCabe hopes there can at least be an added bike lane path for that southern corner of the square.<\/p>\n

McCabe and his wife bike with their three kids to and from school every day, but Friday is the only organized group ride effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cPart of this is, and we\u2019ve seen more of it, is showing people that it\u2019s possible,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the \u201960s, \u201970s, a majority of kids walked and biked to school, and now it\u2019s about 10 percent<\/a>. And I think when you do this in a big group, it feels safe. \u2026 But then you realize we can do this on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Students and families ride bicycles in a bike bus through Logan Square to St. John Berchmans School on a Friday morning, April 24, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n

The SJB Bike Bus is part of a growing movement of bike buses in Chicago and worldwide. A Nettelhorst School bike bus in Lakeview has been going steady since 2023, riding even in the winter<\/a>. Chicago Family Biking<\/a>, a coalition of parents, organizers and educators, has counted eight active bike buses in the city.<\/p>\n

There are over 100 bike buses in the United States, according to a map<\/a> by Bike Bus World<\/a>, a Portland-based organization that launched the initiative and helps chapters get started.<\/p>\n

If you see the SJB Bike Bus cruising down Kedzie and Logan boulevards on a Friday, don\u2019t forget to wave, make way and then join in, McCabe said. The bus departs promptly at 7:40 a.m. from Palmer Square Park by the hand statue.<\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t