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Parents press Glens Falls council for ‘bike bus’ support and faster school-area safety fixes
Summary
Parents and volunteers urged the council to back a volunteer ‘bike bus’ program and accelerate safety measures around the middle and high schools, citing a July 2024 traffic study and a need to reduce car trips and chronic absenteeism.
Parents and volunteers told the Glens Falls Common Council on April 8 they are organizing a “bike bus” — a planned route of adults and children bicycling together to school — and asked city staff and the Board of Public Safety to clarify what support or approvals, if any, are required.
Mary Beth Chambers, a parent active with middle-school volunteers, said the group wants to improve student health, increase attendance and reduce car traffic by helping children bike safely to school. “We’re trying to assist kids in getting to school safely on their bikes,” Chambers said.
Russell Barnhart, a volunteer who researched legal backing for bicycle riders, cited state traffic law and local survey results. “The Consolidated Laws of New York State ... state traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles,” Barnhart said, adding that community surveys showed strong local interest in improved walkability and bike lanes.
Parents said a bike-bus webpage was taken down after what they described as pushback from city staff, and they asked why staff would discourage a volunteer safety program. City staff representatives said there is no policy blocking such volunteer rides but asked for planning details so staff can treat recurring organized routes as de facto events that the city can support, coordinate with crossing guards and raise to the Board of Public Safety for recommendations.
Council and staff identified the practical steps they want from organizers: proposed route(s), schedule(s), number of participants, whether the school is formally sponsoring the activity, and whether crossing-guard or police support is needed. City staff said they would forward details to the Board of Public Safety and suggested organizers attend that board’s meeting — the Board of Public Safety meets the next day.
Speakers also urged the city to implement elements of a July 2024 traffic study the Glens Falls School District requested, including improved signage, raised crossings and rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs). Organizers and parents asked the council to name a point person for active-transportation coordination. City staff and the mayor identified the community development director and Christine Degler (city planner) as contacts and noted grant applications and traffic-calming devices are in progress.
No formal council vote was taken on the bike-bus proposal; city staff requested event details from organizers and directed the Board of Public Safety to review recommended safety measures. Organizers said they will present planned routes and times to the city so the municipality can determine whether support or permit-like coordination is warranted.
