Alternate Wheels

by Sarah Goodwin, 8th Grade, ARTech

It is a warm spring morning. The bus pulls up to ARTech Charter School at 8:00. There are some students, however, who have already arrived. Some were driven by parents, but not all. On such a warm spring day, it is almost certain that one or two or four students arrived another day, a self-powered way: on a bike.

There are a few different ways to get to ARTech on a bike. The new bridge over the river that connects with the bike path under the highway has provided another. The way I get to ARTech on my bike from near the Old Memorial Field involves Seventh Street, the bike path under the highway, and the service road. This takes about fifteen to twenty minutes, depending on the wind.

Of course, there are problems and risks that go along with biking, especially if you have to cross the highway or another busy street. Traffic is the main concern, although there are other, smaller, obstacles involved. ARTech is located on Cannon Road, a small road that intersects with the service road. Cannon Road is notorious among ARTech students who bike for having treacherous potholes. And, on the bike path under the highway, I have become very unpopular with many Canadian geese guarding their families, who hiss at me as I go by. Let me tell you, Canadian geese can be very frightening.

Traffic, potholes, and Canadian geese aside, biking to school is a really wonderful way to travel to school.  It’s a great way to exercise, wake yourself up in the morning, and you get to beat the bus.