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Mom and son face off with the law for biking to school
Saratoga Springs school district prohibits kids from biking to school, but a mom and her son defied the law. A state trooper was there to greet them.
Tue, Oct 06 2009 at 6:45 PM
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Photo: Kaneda/Flickr
In stark contrast to Copenhagen (where more than half the residents travel by bike), one school district in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., created a policy that prohibits biking and walking to school.
Though Janette Marino and her son, Adam, were warned prior to the first day of school, they rode in defiance anyway only to be greeted by an unhappy group of school administrators and a state trooper.
The school cited dangerous road conditions on Route 9, which leads to the school, as a primary reason for the policy, even though the road in question is currently designated as an official "bike route."
Janette made it clear that her son feels "pretty strongly" about biking to school. She explains, "I think it’s my parental right to transport my child to school in the way I deem is appropriate. I think the district is usurping its authority by telling me that I can’t."
The policy is currently under review, but the whole situation points clearly to the immense lack of foresight we have here in the U.S. regarding urban and suburban planning. It's a sad day in America when a kid can't bike to school.
Read more at The Saratogian.
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why is the picture of a kid on the sidewalk, isn't that illegal. And yes if her precious joey gets hit she will probably sue the school.
Egocentric morons may assume: that the municipality they live in mirrors theirs; the picture is in fact a picture of the mother and son, not a stock photo or of bystandards; and take the entire article out of context and focus on a non-related issue. You might read the book, "1984" if you stand by that lame argument.
How is this going to help our kids stay in shape or become adults if we can not trust them to bike to school. I understand when you say that there safety concerns but honestly i have more concerns about my child getting shot at school then riding to school. This will only lead to a less active child more prone to being obese.
Seem the solution would rather be to do what it takes to make the road conditions safe, thereby decreasing the probability of future accidents - duh!
To me it seems like people are focusing on the wrong thing here. Instead of asking "What can the school do to make this one person happy while keeping all of the students safe?" we should ask "What can the city do to make it's roads safer?"
it seems the road is very dangerous according to the locals, so the mother is foolish to have her son bike it. People so willing to break the rules to make a point are generally the type to frivolously sue to make a point. It's a lose-lose for the district. They ban biking, and they get fools like this woman. They allow it, they get sued by women like her.
The article also says that the road in question is a official bike route. It can't be that bad.
Please change the name from "Saratago" to Saratoga. This should have been proof-read!
The schools policy was enacted after a parent sued the school district cause their child got hurt on their bike on the way to or from school?
Why encourage our young ones to exercise when they can just sit in a car and eat a doughnut. Maybe they can stop by Starbucks and get a tall white mocha with extra sugar.
next they're going to outlaw dancing
and the cabaret laws???
get rid of all of your lawyers for a start, they just feed off other peoples misery. They are ruining our world.. Wake up!
Under what authority does the school have over public roads?
Actually, the green or environmental issue is secondary here. It is far more outrageous that a parent isn't allowed to decide how to get their child to school. Talk about Big Brother.
So right!
Thanks so much for posting this Karl. I can't believe that in this day and age, when we are trying to encourage kids to get exercise and reduce greenhouse gases by driving less, that the school district would create this policy and be so hardnosed about enforcing it. How ridiculous! Yet, if this story did not receive media attention, it probably would have been swept under the rug.
It's amazing how mindless beaureaucrats agree to "review" a failed policy when it comes under scrutiny. Good for her and her son. Urban and suburban planning in the past half century have replaced accessibility and humanity with "efficient" and "safe" motorized transportation. Have they really "reviewed" which mode of transport is the most efficient and safe?
And I admire her for standing up for exercise and the outdoors! I really hope she wins this case.
This is sad, I admire her for standing up for mother nature!