Newsletter #4: Bike Bus
Welcome to the Kalen for 44th Ward campaign newsletter. It’s a newsletter that’s focused on how we can make a Lakeview for All, together.
Before we dive in: This campaign is powered by neighbors — not corporations — and we need your help to run this grassroots effort. Donate to support this grassroots campaign!
We also need volunteers to knock on doors and collect signatures to get me on the ballot. Sign up to canvass throughout the week and every weekend!
An Important Announcement: It’s Time to Party
Thanks to everyone who has helped my campaign so far! We have one month left to get me on the ballot, so I’m throwing a petition party Tuesday, 9/29 at 6:30 pm to kick off the final stretch of petition season.
This campaign is funded and powered by neighbors — not corporate PACs or special interests. Your contribution makes a real difference. We rely on grassroots support to create campaign materials, host community events, and reach voters across the 44th Ward.
Join our grassroots movement to build a better Lakeview together.
Policy Corner: Bike Bus
Last Friday, I joined Nettelhorst School’s bike bus and its team of parent volunteer marshalls, who roll to school every Friday throughout the school year.
Good for you, Kalen, but what’s a bike bus?
I’m so glad you asked! A bike bus is a group bicycle ride that follows a set route and schedule. Typically, school kids join the “bus” as it passes by or near where they live, growing the number of cyclists as the bike bus goes along. The combination of safety-in-numbers alongside the organized volunteer structure creates a much more fun way to get to and from school than the yellow school buses that most of us likely grew up with. It’s also much safer than if a child were to cycle to school on their own, and much cheaper for the school than a school bus is.
If I’m being honest, I really wish getting to school by bike bus had been an option for me growing up.
Bike buses are more than a way to get to and from school though: they’re a social activity that builds community, a physical activity that supports well-being, and an exercise in empowerment. Participating in a bike bus — forcing cars to stop and make way for a legion of screaming kiddos wearing Bluey backpacks as they roll through an intersection — empowers everyone participating to perceive streets as more than just spaces for cars and as places where we should be able to actually enjoy the simple act of moving around safely. In other words, it opens up a world of possibilities.
Unfortunately, the present reality is that streets in the 44th ward aren’t the safest for kids or adults to cycle on, which makes the role of bike buses all the more critical.
About the Nettelhorst Bike Bus and Bike Buses in Chicago
The Nettelhorst Bike Bus isn’t the only bike bus in the 44th ward, but it is the oldest, having run for 5 years and counting. It also predates the virality of bike buses, which are also having a moment in no small part thanks to Sam Balto, an Oregon P.E. teacher whose TikTok videos have helped to catapult the trend into the mainstream here in the US.
At present, there are 12 other schools with bike buses in Chicago. That number is growing fast and informally, but the reality is that effective bike buses rely on adult marshalls in order to function effectively. Those marshals “cork” intersections as the bike bus rolls through them, essentially blocking the lane to cars so that the kids can cycle through safely. Marshals also help coordinate the movement of the group as a whole. In short, bike buses need marshals to work successfully, but in places where volunteerism is a luxury, bike buses can be difficult to get started.
What would I do for bike buses if elected?
The key to success for bike buses are coordination, reliability, participation, and safety. As Alderperson, I’d help all the schools that serve the 44th ward set up bike bus routes of their own by leveraging my office’s planning capacity. I’d also help staff those bike buses via volunteer outreach and recruitment. On the legislative front, I’d push the Chciago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to develop a citywide bike bus plan and bike bus routes for each school, so that every kid can enjoy the benefits of a bike bus no matter what neighborhood they live in.
Most importantly, I’d make the streets that the bike buses travel along safer by deploying safe streets infrastructure more broadly, from neighborhood greenways and bump-outs to protected bike lanes along the busiest corridors. Kids have a right to safely move through our neighborhood just as much as anyone else, and I want to build a ward with streets safe enough for kids to keep biking on even after they outgrow the bike bus.
I don’t have kids myself, but if I ever did, I’m fairly certain that I'd want them to be able to get to school safely. That feels like a no-brainer. More than that, I want everyone to be able to get to where they need to go safely. An alderperson has a responsibility to realize that vision. I know I’m not the only person who wants a safer, more walkable, more bike-friendly future for everyone, and it’s about time that this ward has a leader whose actions matched their belief.
This Week in Running for Office
What have I been up to?
Monday, September 14
South East Lake View Neighbors - I joined my neighbors to learn more about upcoming developments, issues, and events at the South East Lake View Neighbors association meeting.
Thursday, September 17
DSA Electoral Working Group Social - I joined DSA members to discuss their endorsements for upcoming elections.
Friday, September 18
Nettelhorst Bike Bus - I rode with the weekly Nettelhorst Bike Bus to help get kids safely to school on their bikes! Check them out every Friday morning.
Saturday to Sunday, September 19 to 20
Kalen for 44th Ward Canvasses - I joined volunteers to knock on doors and canvass at the Lakeview Arts Fest to spread the word about my campaign and collect signatures to get me on the ballot.
Lakeview Block Parties - I talked to neighbors at local block parties to talk about the issues they care about. Time and time again affordability and safe streets for pedestrians came up.
What’s coming up next?
Tuesday, September 22
Bike Grid Now Jamapalooza - I’ll join Bike Grid Now for their fall equinox celebration and Chicagohenge. It’s one of their biggest rides of the year!
Wednesday, September 23
Diversey Community Coalition ComEd Meeting - I’ll join the Diversey Community Coalition to learn more about the current status of the ComEd substation and their advocacy to build transit-oriented development.
Thursday, September 24
DSA Lakeview Social - I’ll join DSA members in Lakeview to connect and build community!
Get Involved!
Palin’ with Kalen
One of my favorite parts about this campaign is canvassing. I love talking to neighbors, learning what issues they care about, and empowering them with the tools to make change in their neighborhood. But I also love walking every nook and cranny of Lakeview and finding hidden gems along the way.
This weekend, I discovered a small pocket park behind the Mariano’s on Waterloo Court! I’ll certainly be coming back here again.
