Bill and Amarins Harrison, of Mount Vernon, Ky., are taking their children, Cheyenne, 6, Jasmine, 4, and Robin, 3, on a bike ride across America. Now that’s what I call “a memorable family road trip.” The Harrisons say they enjoy traveling and embraced the biking idea as a great way to see the country. Their final destination on this 7,000-mile family outing is Fairbanks, Alaska. Bill Harrison hopes his family can arrive there by the end of the year, after traveling through Texas, New Mexico, and California on a bicycle built for five.

Anthony0909I am intrigued by this story because I purchased a bike last week, not to become a cyclist but to use it as regular form of transportation and recreation. It seems like I’m seeing more and more people riding bicycles than I did a few years ago, and I’m hoping that my town adopts a practice that has been prevalent in several Latin American cities: opening up major city thoroughfares to pedestrians and cyclists on Sundays. (Pictured above right is a Mexican family riding their bicycles along Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma, which is closed to traffic on Sundays.)

I have seen major streets reserved in such a manner firsthand in Quito, Ecuador, and I’m aware of the practice in Guatemala City and Bogotá, Columbia. These cities literally keep cars from accessing miles and miles of main city streets to open them up to pedestrians and cyclists. The result of the temporary car ban is scores of families riding bicycles or walking together. It was absolutely wonderful to witness families enjoying time together this way. I’m not a psychologist but there must be something emotionally healthy for families when parents spend leisure time together with their children and other families and friends.

I would love it if community bicycling became a cultural norm worldwide in large cities where families may not have opportunities to do such activities during the week. I would love to bicycle on Sundays along with others in my neighborhood. Moreover, the traffic changes force sections of the city to shut down and lessen the incentive for businesses to remain open.

When I ride my bicycle I see different things and run into different people. It’s great!

While something like the Harrison family is a bit extreme, I am interested to know how their three-month bicycle ride will affect them as a family. Worldwide, it would be even more interesting to see if there are any long-term effects on families and communities when commerce shuts down on Sundays and families are free to get out and enjoy being together without having to spend much money. In addition to praying, perhaps in the future we will witness some town boasting a slogan about the importance of families biking together.