Michael Driscoll School · Brookline

The Driscoll
Bike Bus

A group of kids and parents biking to school together. We go at the speed of the slowest kid, with adults riding at the front and the back.

Round badge: a red cartoon dragon in a yellow helmet riding a red bike, with the words Driscoll Bike Bus, Brookline, MA.
Wednesday, November 18 OUR SECOND RIDE · THE FIRST WAS OCT 7

The bike bus

0.74 miles, no hills steeper than 3%
  • 7:15Griggs Park, northeast cornerCome any time between 7:15 and 7:30. Make your own way there, however is easiest.
  • 7:30We leaveAlong Griggs Terrace and Griggs Road. We stop at Washington Street and wait for everyone to catch up.
  • 7:38Washington SquareEveryone bunches up again here, then we ride across Beacon Street together on one light.
  • 7:45Arrive at the Driscoll bike racksThat's 15 minutes before the bell.
BEACON STREET BEACON ST WASHINGTON ST GRIGGS RD MARION ST SUMMIT AVE COREY HILL PARK BEACON STREET BEACON ST WASHINGTON ST GRIGGS RD MARION ST SUMMIT AVE COREY HILL PARK 7:15 Griggs Park, NE corner 7:38 Washington Sq 7:45 DRISCOLL 7:15 Griggs Park, NE corner 7:38 Washington Sq 7:45 DRISCOLL
Ride · 7:30–7:45 Beacon Street is the wide band across the map. We cross it at Washington Square, as one group, on one light.

What to bring and how we ride

  • A helmet. Everyone wears one, adults too. We can't take anyone without a helmet.
  • A bike or a scooter. Cargo bikes, tag-alongs, balance bikes and bike seats all work.
  • Gloves and earmuffs once it turns cold. It's colder at 7:15 than it looks out of the window.
  • You need to be able to ride or scoot at walking speed or faster. Plenty of kids on the first ride were new at it and were fine.
  • Stay between the leader at the front and the sweep at the back.
  • A few adults ride ahead as corkers and hold the side streets while the group goes past.
  • If you're finding it hard, say so and we'll slow down.

Sign up (one form per family)

The form tells us how many adults and donuts to bring, and it puts you on the email list and the WhatsApp group. At the end there's a short release to read and sign. You can read a summary of it further down this page.

Open the sign-up form →

Andrew Gordon
andrewpgordon@gmail.com
781.879.3883
Nicole McClelland
nicole.mcclelland@gmail.com
336.314.2202

Questions we've been asked

My kid isn't a confident rider yet.
Lots of kids in the group are new at this. You could ride right next to them, put a younger child on a bike seat or tag-along, or practice a few afternoons first. You're also welcome to come and watch this time and ride with us in the spring.
Do we ride on Beacon Street?
We cross it once, at Washington Square, and we don't ride along it at any point. The whole group goes over together on one light, with the crossing guards holding the traffic. On the first ride two Brookline Police bike units came along as well. It worked, and that's how we'll do it again. Nobody rides on from the far side until everyone is across.
We don't live near Griggs Park.
You don't need to. Everyone meets at the northeast corner of Griggs Park between 7:15 and 7:30, however you get there, and plenty of families ride, walk or drive down to it. That's the only meeting place, so we're not watching for stragglers anywhere else along the way.
Can I drop my child off and not come?
No. Every child has to ride with their own parent or guardian, or with another adult that parent has arranged ahead of time. We're volunteers riding with our own kids, and we aren't supervising anyone else's child.
What if it rains?
We cancel if it's raining, icy, or colder than about 25°F. We'll send a message by 6:15 AM, so please check before you leave.
How often does this happen?
Not every week. October 7 was the first one and November 18 is the second. We've got a few more pencilled in for the spring, and we'll settle the dates once we see how November goes.
What about riding home?
For now it's mornings only. Bikes stay at the racks, and kids ride home the way they normally would.

Photos

There's one album for each ride, shared with the families who ride with us and nobody else. Here's the album from October 7. If Andrew has already added you and you're signed in to Google, it opens. If he hasn't, you'll get a Google error page instead, so email Andrew and he'll add you. Sign up for a ride and he'll add you for the next one without you having to ask again.

We also use pictures from the ride in other places: this website, the school newsletter, the WhatsApp group, and local news if they ask. We never put children's names with them.

This is the same wording as the sign-up form, which is where you'll be asked to confirm you've read it. Anyone who can see the album can save a copy of what's in it, so please don't pass the album on, and treat other people's kids the way you'd want yours treated.

Staying in touch

Two places, and the sign-up form puts you on both. Ride reminders go to driscoll-bike-bus@googlegroups.com, and so does the message we send by 6:15 in the morning if we're cancelling. If you're already on it you can change your settings or come off at the group page, which shows a permission error to anyone who isn't a member.

The chat is the Driscoll Bike Bus group inside the Driscoll Parent Community on WhatsApp. We send the invite after you sign up rather than putting the join link on this page, because anyone who came across it here could let themselves in and see every parent's phone number.

Jobs we'd like help with

Sweep1 neededRides at the back with the pump and patch kit, behind the last child, so nobody is left on their own.
Corkersa few neededRide ahead and hold the side streets so cars don't pull out while the group goes past. No experience needed. This one has to be an adult riding without a child of their own, because every child stays with their own grown-up.
Photos1 or 2Takes pictures at the start and at school, and asks first if a family would rather not be in them.
Donuts1 neededBrings a box to the racks for everyone who made it. This is the job with the best return on effort.

Please read this before you ride

This is not a school program. The Driscoll Bike Bus is an informal ride organized by parents. It is not a program of the Michael Driscoll School, the Public Schools of Brookline, the Driscoll PTO, or the Town of Brookline, and it is not sponsored, supervised, endorsed, or insured by any of them.

The organizers are parent volunteers. We are not cycling instructors, coaches, guides, or childcare providers. We hold no qualification for any of this, and we are not supervising anyone else's child.

Every child rides in the care of their own parent or guardian, or of another adult that parent has arranged with directly and in advance. That adult stays with the child for the whole ride and is solely responsible for them. Children cannot be dropped off.

Riding on public streets carries real risk of serious injury. Risks include falls, motor vehicles, opening car doors, road surfaces, weather, mechanical failure, and the actions of other people. The organizers can't foresee or control many of these. The route crosses Beacon Street, a major arterial.

Whether to ride is your decision. You know your child and you can see the weather. Judge for yourself, every time, whether they are ready and whether the day is safe for your family. Please don't let the fact that a group is going take the place of your own judgment. If you have any doubt, stay home or walk instead. Nobody will think twice about it.

Helmets are required for every rider, adult and child, no exceptions.

The sign-up form asks you to confirm you have read this, that you are taking part voluntarily and at your own risk, that you remain responsible for supervising your own child, and that you release the organizers and other participating families from claims arising from participation, to the fullest extent Massachusetts law allows. It also asks you to confirm you have read the part about photos, further up this page.