BiciBus: Bicycle association for children and young people

Following an idea from Spain, bicycle associations in Germany are now to help pupils get to school in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Cycling in a group of at least 16 people is the key. More about the BiciBus vision here.

The name BiciBus comes half from Spanish (bici means bicycle) and half from German. According to road traffic regulations, a bus also refers to a defined closed group of 16 or more cyclists. Accordingly, the BiciBus is a group of bicycles. Based on a model from Barcelona, the German organization of the same name has set itself the task of encouraging commuters, children and young people to cycle on selected routes at agreed times.

In this way, BiciBus Germany wants to make a contribution to the traffic turnaround, starting with the very youngest. According to BiciBus, cycling at an early age is the basis for adults taking up cycling as a matter of course. Instead of driving to school, which not only pollutes the environment but also poses a risk of accidents, BiciBus wants to promote cycling to school and kindergarten.

This is already a matter of course in Madrid and Barcelona, where the BiciBus runs several days a week with dozens of children and young people on different routes. In Germany, such initiatives are still largely lacking. BiciBus also believes that it is too late to start teaching children to ride a bike in the 4th grade. The association encourages children to start cycling at an early age.

According to observations at Frankfurt elementary school, BiciBus reports that only around 60 percent of pupils can ride a bike. Many schools ban children who do not yet have a bicycle license from cycling. BiciBus wants to encourage children to cycle much earlier and ride to school in convoys as a matter of course. The organization also emphasizes that children on bikes have a special need for protection. The joint BiciBus rides are intended to offer greater safety and help children to practise spatial awareness, distance and speed estimation.

The amendment to the road traffic regulations with the newly defined distance rules supports this vision. In the past, cyclists had to ride on the extreme right and only a “sufficient” distance was required when overtaking. Now, cyclists must keep a safe distance of one meter from the edge of the road and from parked vehicles. And motor vehicles must keep at least 1.5 meters away from cyclists when overtaking in urban areas.

The BiciBus, which always consists of at least 16 people, is to be regarded as a single vehicle according to German traffic regulations. Riding side by side is encouraged here, which means that the BiciBus may occupy an entire lane of the road. Vehicles must use at least the next lane to overtake. The children and young people in the convoy can and should be accompanied by adults who secure the BiciBus convoy.

Ideally, the younger participants should ride in the right-hand row and the adults in the left-hand row. It is also possible to secure the front and rear. This makes riding safer than on the sidewalk, where parked vehicles and exits pose a danger. As it is a closed formation with children and adults, the BiciBus is also suitable for children under the age of eight, who are otherwise not allowed to ride on the road. And according to BiciBus, the statutory insurance cover also includes the journey to school or nursery.

BiciBuses are currently available not only in Spain, but also in Vienna and Hamburg. Frankfurt am Main is set to become the next major German city where the two-wheeled, environmentally friendly BiciBus will be on the road at least once a week – as a safe alternative to the parent cab, but also as a rolling demonstration train.

Speaking of bicycles: Stuttgart is planning an innovative high-speed cycle path at lofty heights.