by Shannon Brescher Shea
Eager parents lined up to try out cargo and e-bikes that could provide an alternative way to get their kids around town. Loud giggles drifted over from a table covered in crafting supplies, where kids pasted stickers onto bike helmets. Community advocates pointed at maps, helping folks figure out the best routes to get where they need to go by bike.
These were just a few of the activities going on at the first ever Montgomery County Family Bike Festival on the afternoon of September 14 at Rockville Town Square.
While biking for transportation with kids has been going strong in the District and Arlington for several years, it’s taken a little while longer to spread into the Maryland suburbs of D.C., including Montgomery County. But improved infrastructure – including the county’s first protected bike lanes – has inspired an increasing number of families to give it a try.
The turning point for me as a parent and bicycle advocate was when I noticed there were other parents bringing their kids to our elementary school by bike. In fact, there was one impressive parent at the school pickup who hauled three kids in a bucket-style bike – without electric assist! As our Bike to School Day and regular bike commuters increased in participants each year, I realized there was a growing appetite among families to learn more about biking for transportation.
Thankfully, we already had a great model event going in Washington D.C. The D.C. Family Biking Festival has been going for several years. It features a variety of activities to familiarize parents with the concept and logistics of biking with kids for transportation.
This past year, I worked to introduce this concept to Montgomery County with WABA’s support and coordination. We drew inspiration from the D.C. Family Biking Festival, including test rides from local bike shops, a balance bike parade, tune-ups (thanks to Rockville Bike Hub), and a helmet and light give away (thanks to the Maryland Highway Safety Office). Similarly, we also featured community groups, including WABA, the Rockville Bicycle Advisory Committee, the City of Rockville, Action Committee for Transit, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, MD HSO, and more. In addition, we added our own original spin, with a bike and helmet decorating table and welcome from members of the Rockville City Council.
Bike and transit friendly locations are a bit more scarce in the suburbs, so we chose Rockville Town Square for its central location, proximity to the Metro, high foot traffic, and (perhaps most importantly) protected bike lanes on three sides. The relatively new bike lanes both allowed people to arrive safely on bike and carry out test rides in a real life environment.
Overall, the day went off amazingly! The weather cooperated, bringing that warm but not too hot September sunshine. The bike shops and community group tables had steady traffic, a mix of people purposely attending the festival and others wandering through. The bike shops lent out a huge variety of bikes, from front-loading Bunch Bikes to tandems made for families to ebikes perfect for child seats. Children frolicked on the green of the Town Square, whether on balance bikes or just running around.
We reached hundreds of people with the message that biking for transportation with kids is not only possible, but downright fun! Even for those who will never bike with young kids, the festival helped them understand that roads are for families on bikes just as much as it is for families in cars.
Hopefully, the inaugural Montgomery County Family Bike Festival will only be the first of many. In the meantime, we hope to see you on two wheels!
