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Youth cycling group gets kids back on bikes to promote more bike-friendly Traverse City

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff
Published September 14, 2016 at 1:32 PM EDT
Ty Schmidt told us safety is a huge part of the Norte! experience. "We really take it serious. They signal, they stop at every stop sign, and their confidence builds, their independence builds," he said. "As they get older, these will be lifelong skills."
Courtest of Norte!
Ty Schmidt told us safety is a huge part of the Norte! experience. "We really take it serious. They signal, they stop at every stop sign, and their confidence builds, their independence builds," he said. "As they get older, these will be lifelong skills."

It used to be that getting to school meant hopping on your bike.

But when Ty Schmidt moved to Traverse City ten years ago, something stuck him: crowded bike racks outside schools had been replaced with long lines of cars at drop-off and pick-up.

That led Schmidt and his wife Johanna to launch an effort to get kids to ride their bikes - safely - to and from school. 

From that grew an all-out effort to build a more bike-friendly Traverse City by inspiring its kids through bicycles. 

The group is called Norte!

Schmidt spoke with us today about why it's important to get kids to ride their bikes and how getting more folks on bikes has changed the city. 

Listen to the interview today on Stateside today at 3 and 10pm.

(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)

 
Tags
Community Traverse Citybicycling
Stateside Staff
Stateside is produced daily by a dedicated group of producers and production assistants. Listen daily, on-air, at 3 and 8 p.m., or subscribe to the daily podcast wherever you like to listen.
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