Archive for the 'Bike Education' Category

Six weeks after Hurricane Sandy crippled the Northeastern coast, impacting the lives of millions of Americans, some are still recovering from its effects. Amidst the chaos of the storm, many heroes emerged, displaying their resilience and concern for fellow residents in their neighborhoods — and beyond.

And plenty of those heroes were members of the cycling community.

To shed some light on how the storm has affected cycling in the northeast and highlight some relief efforts, I checked in with Jennifer Laurita (pictured) — a League member, LCI and New Jersey resident — on how she’s been coping with Sandy’s aftermath.

While, Sandy interrupted the bustling lives of many in New York City and the surrounding areas, we saw picture after picture of both new and longtime cyclists going about their daily business shortly after the storm, taking advantage of their city’s ample bike lanes and trails. While silver linings are hard to come by in a tragedy as immense as this, the uptick in bicycle ridership was certainly a shining example. “Those of us who cycle already picked up where we left off, and many people I know, especially instructors, reached out to as many people around them as they could to encourage cycling to deal with things like gas shortages,” Laurita said.

Many people were pushed into cycling by the transportation chaos that ensued right after the storm. For many, there were plenty of obstacles in attempting to get to their businesses to assess damage, reaching family members or just getting to work. The storm flooded train stations in the New York and New Jersey area, travel by car was dangerous at best, congestion was impenetrable combined with fuel shortages and rationing further complicating matters. Traveling to Baltimore for an LCI seminar, Laurita wasn’t sure she’d be able to find enough gas to get her back to Jersey residence.

For many, cycling became a saving grace. Bike commuting rose by as much as 130 percent in parts of New York, putting a strain on the city’s 300 miles of protected cycling infrastructure and forcing some to call for more infrastructure to accommodate increased ridership. But, beyond just getting out and riding, cyclists also became local heroes in raising funds for relief efforts and transporting donations.

Brooklyn’s Red Hook community was especially hit hard by the hurricane, leaving many businesses and the offices of Red Hook Crit in need of some serious repair. Instead of just focusing on getting back on their own feet, Red Hook Crit decided to raise funds for the Restore Red Hook Initiative by selling a limited edition Restore Red Hook Jersey produced by Castelli. Cyclists from Bicycle Habitat utilized the disaster relief capabilities of their vehicles to deliver much-needed supplies to the Far Rockaway community. Cyclists gathered donated goods at several local bike shops and community cycling organizations organized Roll Outs and Bike Brigades, loading cyclists with panniers, backpacks and any other suitable carriers they could find to deliver goods to local relief centers. And, as Carolyn wrote about yesterday, Giant Bicycles donated 100 bikes for relief efforts led by Recycle-A-Bicycle and Transportation Alternatives.

Though cycling increased as a means to navigate in a post-Sandy world, biking also posed challenges even for the most dedicated. Many year-round cyclists observed that, with new ridership, there’s been more congestion on major bikeways increasing the travel time for some and frustration for many. There are also numerous safety concerns ranging from inexperienced rider engaging in risky behavior to damaged infrastructure creating obstacles for cyclists. “We still have many trees down and a lot of debris in the roads from people cleaning up, so it makes riding even more challenging having to navigate around piles of yard debris, especially sticks,” Laurita said.

Perhaps even more than clean-up, it’s become clear that bike education has a great role to play in making the streets safer for many choosing to commute to work. “People who’ve taken safe cycling classes already have knowledge of hazard avoidance, flat repair, bike maintenance and emergency cycling maneuvers to deal with unexpected road situations,” Laurita said. “And people who have already taken a League  class have direct access to their instructors, who they’re able to ask for more assistance. I know I need donated venues to host disaster-related cycling classes for communities around the NYC area, so people can learn how to get around and still be productive during disasters like Hurricane Sandy.”

For Laurita, Sandy drove home the fact that the bicycle should be a major part of a basic disaster preparedness plan in the event that essential transportation services are inoperable or inaccessible. She is currently working on a program with Xtracycle to teach people how to use bicycles in time of disaster.

In the meantime, cycling has allowed her to get around town to check on family and to aid others in different relief efforts. “We still need to get supplies into the hands of people who have lost so much,” she said. “I’ve been helping demolition and rebuild damaged and destroyed houses and I know so many people who have lost everything. I would love to be able to help people with bike tools, pumps, bikes, locks, etc. When I tell you people have lost everything, I literally mean everything. Houses are stripped down to the bare studs in the walls.”

Our thoughts are with those who are still rebuilding and we thank all the visionary bike advocates, like Laurita, who are making sure bikes are pedaling all residents toward recovery.

 

 

Frank Neal (pictured) has biked across the country, pedaled into the California Triple Crown Hall of Fame, and finished the Paris-Brest-Paris. But, despite his many accomplishments as a bicyclist, Frank says he is most proud when giving back to the sport he loves.

A League Cycling Instructor, Frank has presented bicycling safety at bike expos across the country — 12 in this year alone.

While sharing his knowledge with children and adults alike, Frank was approached by an elementary teacher who asked him to talk to the students at her school. This request led Frank to reach out to the League for advice. And we thought other League members might have some insight.

“I am one to get on the floor, sit Indian fashion, and ask the students to gather around,” Frank says. “Does the League have anything that invites the elementary audience to participate? It can be a short rhyme, a five-line song, or anything like this that will be fun, keep them involved, and be a take-away they will remember?”

Like many, the facts that have stuck with me through life were either part of a song or poem – what a great idea for bicycle safety! What ideas or tricks do YOU have for sharing you love of cycling with children? Share in the comments!

 

As Melissa Balmer (pictured) was launching Women on Bikes SoCal she had a quick realization. Despite living in one of the most densely inhabited areas of the U.S. she was smack dab in the middle of a particularly troubling void: In all of Southern California, there were fewer than 30 women who were League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).

Thanks to Balmer’s efforts and a group of diverse female leaders, that number jumped dramatically in just one weekend last month.

Across the nation, the League has more than 3,500 LCIs who deliver bicycle skills education to thousands of people who ride each year. But, as Balmer discovered, there was only a small handful of female LCIs in her area: South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, the South Bay and greater Long Beach. So she raised funds to provide scholarships for a new and diverse group of women, from across the Los Angeles area, to become LCIs.

The first all-female LCI seminar, taught by stand-out trainer Jen Laurita, made history last month.

“Deciding to take on the goal of hosting the very first all-female LCI class was quite an adventure,” Balmer says. “I had absolutely no idea it had never been done before when the idea popped into my head. I’ve learned so much over the past year while pulling it together, raising the funds to make it happen, and drawing in the right scholarship candidates. I couldn’t be more proud of this very dynamic and diverse group who stuck in there to see it through. Jen Laurita, the lead instructor who dealt with hurricane Sandy right before coming out to teach this class, is a treasure. I can’t wait to see what this new group of female LCI’s will help make happen.”

Excited to learn more about these new LCIs, I got in touch with Elizabeth Williams and Maria Sipin to ask them about the training — and their plans to increase biking in their communities.

Why did you want to become an LCI?

Elizabeth: I became an LCI because I love riding and enjoy sharing my bike passion. One of the ways I can continue to do this is through teaching bike education. I started teaching basic bike classes more than a year ago and since then have discovered that there are lots more people needing basic bike education. I want to do something about this, so I’ve started developing a bike program and will use my LCI training to help safely connect people to the benefits of biking.

Maria: I was inspired by the Women on Bikes SoCal movement to increase the number of women riding bikes. I connected with their mission to transform bike culture to be more inclusive and appealing to women. Becoming a League Cycling Instructor is an opportunity to work toward that goal and become a mentor to foster youth leadership in the long run.

How was the training and the trainer? What was the best part?

Elizabeth: The trainer was amazing! She was very engaging and held my attention for the long weekend. Watching the presentations was probably the best part because I got to see a variety of different teaching styles and some I could borrow for my classes.

Maria: The training was robust and demanding. I expected the majority of the training to focus on evaluating the LCI candidates’ ability to ride a bike and perform drills with perfection, but there is an even greater emphasis on how well each person can teach the Traffic Skills material. Presenting an engaging lesson and successfully teaching the material to the group was most challenging, but it was also the best part of the training. Receiving constructive criticism defined my strengths and identified opportunities for improvement. With that, I could adjust my teaching methods.

Do you think the all-female aspect changed the dynamic at all?

Elizabeth: I think having the all-female class did make the environment more comfortable for the class. We had less stress about not knowing as much as guys do about bikes. We had no “macho” anything all weekend and that probably made it easier for the ladies to ask questions and deliver their presentations.

Maria: The all-female training created a very social dynamic. Aside from the “girl talk” (gushing about our pets, partners, milestones, and hygiene advice), we had serious conversations about advocacy challenges and experiences with peers, cycling groups, and law enforcement. The training was better because many of us knew each other from participating in Women on Bikes SoCal activities. Our trainer Jenn Laurita was energetic, knowledgeable, social, and professional throughout the process. I admire her passion for teaching.

How do you intend to use your new certification/skills?

Elizabeth: I’m developing a bike program focused on bridging the biking gap for women & youth in underserved communities. I’ll be teaching classes in these communities, connecting people to bikes, so everyone can reap the benefits of riding.

Maria: My priority is to collaborate with other LCIs and coalitions to increase access to workshops, classes, and organized rides to people in my community. One of the challenges I had was finding a Traffic Skills 101 class closer to home. The classes available at the time were 40 miles away and offered once a month. This is an example of a barrier that could prevent people in my community from participating, and I’d like to help change that.

What would you say to other women who are considering becoming an LCI, but perhaps have some hesitation?

Elizabeth: Anyone who has a real passion to spread bike love, and can commit the time to the training, can become an LCI. You don’t have to be a tough guy to do it. Women make wonderful teachers and in order to encourage more women to bike, we need more women LCI’s to be examples.

Maria: Ask the League questions. Talk to other LCIs and get the inside scoop on expectations and time commitments. Convince a friend to become an LCI too. It’s a bonus to have a support system during this process. Commit to the idea of becoming an LCI especially if you love biking and could see yourself teaching it. You are half way there. The next step is preparing yourself physically and mentally.

Women on Bikes SoCal was able to host this LCI program as a full scholarship with the generous support from Bikeable Communities, the California Bicycle Coalition, the League of American Bicyclists’ Women Bike initiative, Building Healthy Communities Long Beach, Bike Long Beach, private donations, special events, and outreach support from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.

Do you want to become an LCI? Next month, in conjunction with our first-ever Coach Seminar, we’ll be offering LCI training at a significant discount! Sign up for the seminar January 24-25 in Houston, Texas, and become an LCI for just $200. Click here to register! Questions? Email Alissa@BikeLeague.org.

 

The weekend after Hurricane Sandy, a few eager bicyclists gathered in an old Firemen’s Training Facility in Baltimore, Md., ready to sharpen their skills, boost their teaching know-how and become the latest class of League Cycling Instructors. I had the pleasure of joining this elite force as we learned the ropes from one of the nation’s top LCI coachs: Jennifer Laurita.

LCI seminars are held periodically throughout the year to initiate instructors on how to best serve their communities as resources for bicycle safety. Certified instructors teach Smart Cycling classes to children and adults, as well as spread what we all know already: Safe cycling is the most enjoyable way to get around town. Becoming a League member and taking a Traffic Skills 101 are the only prerequisites for participating in the LCI seminar.

For our group, Laurita was an amazing seminar instructor. Not only did she drive down Hurricane Sandy-battered roadways just for our class, but she kept us upbeat all weekend in the huge and chilly training facility. And, man, was she knowledgeable. Though one of the youngest coaches currently, Laurita answered each question with a confidence and poise that most of us in class could only dream of. Her presentation was not only professional but also disarming, allowing the class to tackle and question some concerns we had about being LCIs. If Laurita is ever in your town, makes sure you take whatever she’s offering.

The seminar class was made up a nice cross section of interests. From the staff of the fast growing Bike Maryland advocacy group to a doctor looking to get more women involved in cycling, there was a great variation of voices at the table. We even had gold medalist Marla Streb in our midst learning how to transfer her ability to navigate a jagged mountain at 40+ miles per hour to teaching the members of her Baltimore community on how to navigate rush hour as a confident city cyclist.

“Having been a cyclist for over 20 years as a professional racer and coaching for 16 of those 20, I thought I knew it all,” she told me. “But evidently I was wrong! I was humbled when I realized just because I can ride a bike, it doesn’t mean I can effectively teach the League’s rules of the road or the importance of wearing a helmet to every eager cyclist that comes along… I thought we could teach our ABC Quick Checks by droning with a bi-colored PowerPoint. But instead we learned we should engage our future audiences with creative sing-a-longs or track-stands on the desk.”

The Seminar covered various aspects of the League’s Smart Cycling program, including instruction on Traffic Skills 101 and 201. However, the largest benefits didn’t come from ABC Quick Checks or mastering the Emergency Quick Turn- which is not an easy skill to master! It came from learning how to teach a class full of eager (or not-so-eager) people how to become safe and confident cyclists. I learned, for instance, that if I want students to learn how to adjust their brakes, maybe, just maybe, it could be helpful to not block their viewpoint with my body. We all came away with some great personal development suggestions to make us effective instructors, as well as a deeper understanding of how to make our way around a bike and various bike facilities.

“This was one of the best ‘Train the Trainer’ programs I’ve participated in,” said local advocate, Joe Piette. “What a comprehensive, well-organized curriculum! The instruction included an in depth presentation of learning styles and the demonstration of style appropriate teaching techniques.”

I can report that at the end of our three-day mission we left no cyclist behind and all our class participants were given recommendation to become LCIs. All of us left the seminar grateful for the opportunity to learn skills that not only apply to life on a bike but life in general. Rest assured the streets of Maryland will be safer. But don’t take my word for it, listen to an expert!

“Passion, knowledge, professionalism, energetic: All words that can describe the newest class of League Cycling Instructors,” Laurita said. “Every once in a while, I get just the perfect mix of candidates in class that brings cycling education to a new level, and this was the case with our most recent seminar in Baltimore. Despite the difficulties of putting on a seminar while everyone was still very much in the middle of the Hurricane Sandy disaster, we had a fantastic and impressive seminar filled with learning, development, and kinetic energy for future cycling classes to be held in and around Baltimore in the upcoming months. I am so proud to be associated with such wonderful instructors and am eagerly waiting to hear how all their new and existing programs continue to develop in partnership with the League’s vehicular cycling initiatives.”

Coach Laurita is part of a group that is even more elite than our graduating LCI class. She is one of 17 LCI coaches nationally certified to “train the trainers” on how to administer the League’s Smart Cycling program nationally. If that seems like a low number, we agree; that’s why the League has initiated a call for more current LCI’s to become coaches. If you’re interested in becoming an LCI coach or even just an LCI please contact our Education Director Alissa Simcox (Alissa@bikeleague.org) for more info.

Ride safe!

 

The demand for bicycle education is growing rapidly and, across the country, there are more than 3,700 League Cycling Instructors with the classroom knowledge and street skills to get folks riding safely and confidently.

But who’s teaching the teachers?

While we have thousands of LCIs, we only have 17 LCI Coaches — an elite group of experts in bicycling instruction who lead LCI seminars. Over the course of three days, these coaches train new LCIs on the Smart Cycling curriculum and, more importantly, how to teach it.

With more and more seminars being scheduled each year, there’s a need for more people to instruct them. That’s why we’re so excited to announce our first Coaches Training scheduled for early 2013 in Houston, Texas.

At these four-day trainings, experienced LCIs will have the opportunity to learn what the job entails and facilitate their own LCI Seminar. And Texas is just the first stop — we’re planning two additional trainings in other regions, too.

Are you an LCI? Do you want to teach the next generation of LCIs? Contact me at Alissa@bikeleague.org for more information.

 

At a recent city council meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Councilor Greg Jamison held up a copy of the League’s Traffic Skills 101 booklet. He picked Michael Christensen out of the crowd and praised the local League Cycling Instructor for giving him new insight — “a huge educational process” — on the rights and concerns of bicyclists in his community.

In fact, the Councilor added, his time in the saddle made such an impact that “it has changed my mind” on bicycling policy.

We all know that LCIs are making our streets safer by teaching critical skills, like scanning and signaling, to cyclists in their communities. But Christensen proved this week that LCIs are powerful advocates at the policy level, as well.

Just a few weeks after Christensen took Jamison for a ride, the city council unanimously passed a new bicycle ordinance that:

• allows bicyclists to ride two abreast (banned at the state level)
• requires motorists give bicyclists three feet to pass and
• emphasizes cyclists’ right to take the lane if it’s too narrow to share.

And that’s not all. Currently, South Dakota is one of the few states in the country that hasn’t adopted distracted driving legislation — but Sioux Falls is making progress at the local level. Just a few hours before the new bicycle ordinance passed, a council committee moved forward on a proposal to ban texting while driving.

Kudos to Christensen and the whole city council!

 

The League’s Smart Cycling curriculum is a great tool for creating safe, confident cyclists. One of the greatest aspects of the program is the way it can be adapted to meet an educator’s needs. A great example is Programs to Educate All Cyclists (PEAC), a Michigan group helping individuals of all ages with cognitive, physical, and emotional disabilities reach their cycling goals.

John Waterman and his staff are serious about what they do. “We believe everyone can ride,” Waterman says. “That’s our motto and we take this stuff personally.” Waterman is a League Cycling Instructor, and all of the staff has graduated from Traffic Skills 101. More importantly, everyone has a degree in special education and a passion for working with cyclists with disabilities. PEAC has developed a number of programs to address the variety of goals set by their students.

Rather than approaching cycling education only as a set of skills, PEAC staff focus on a student’s level of independence. “Student goals can last years,” says Waterman. “What cyclists face the first time they pick up a bike or ride in traffic can be overwhelming for our students.” Students are required to demonstrate the necessary skills as they progress towards their goals and become more independent cyclists. Practice venues range from parking lots to trails to urban streets. Transitions between practice venues are done on a tandem bike to slowly introduce the new skill set to students.

The highest praise anyone can offer of PEAC is to share stories from their students and families.

• Shawn has been part of PEAC for about twenty years, coming to the group just as he started learning to ride a bike. What he found was the excitement and joy of riding with his family. This was difficult for Shawn due to a cognitive and visual impairment and the multitude of decision points required while cycling. PEAC worked with him to become independent by making sure he understands the decisions he has to make and knows the area he is riding. Shawn is living independently with two jobs and cycling is how he gets to work and connects to the community.
• Rachel is part of a very active family that loves to ride. Her mom knew including Rachel would be a challenge, and reached out to PEAC. Together they helped outfit “Rachel’s Chariot,” a trailer that holds all of her necessary medical equipment. While she faces a lot of physical challenges, cycling has given her independence and family time her parents never thought would be available.
• Chris learned to ride a two wheel bike at PEAC, but suffered a tragic accident and had to relearn how to walk and bike. Today his bike is his sole method of transportation to work (Chris works for a hardware store and runs his own business). He now volunteers with PEAC and teaches children to ride. Chris’ current goal is to ride a tandem with his girlfriend.

One of the biggest lessons John has learned is that “our students are our best advocates.” PEAC students met with Michigan state senators to discuss complete streets and the value of accessibility and bicycling in their lives. “What our students face is really what complete streets is meant to address,” notes Waterman. The complete streets legislation passed the Senate unanimously and has since become law.

PEAC students and staff have also realized the benefit of a cycling community like Michigan. “Michigan is the most inclusive [cycling] community you’ll meet, from the League of Michigan Bicyclists [LMB] to the local clubs,” praises Waterman. “Everyone is part of PEAC. Local rides are reaching out to us, wanting our input on how to make their ride available to everyone. And the LMB has gone out of its way to ensure students with disabilities are included in its SRTS literature.”

To learn more about PEAC, email John Waterman at jwaterman@bikeprogram.org. Also consider riding in PEAC’s Annual Celebration of Cycling Ride on September 8, 2012 or get up/get down at the Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan. Both events help fund PEAC programs and activities throughout the year.

Elsewhere in cycling advocacy…

• A project installing rumble strips on several key bicycle routes in Vashon Island, Washington is on hold after concerns were raised by cyclists.  Advocates have noted that WSDOT isn’t following it’s own policy to leave at least four feet of clear space for cyclists.  Bike Vashon and the Cascade Bicycle Club are working with WSDOT and King County DOT to stop the rumble strip project if cyclist concerns cannot be addressed.

Do you have news from your advocacy organization? Let me know: matt@bikeleague.org

 

It may seem like I’m blogging about Georgia a lot lately, and it’s for good reason. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is one of two Advocacy Advance model grant recipients. ABC’s grant is focused on doubling federal spending on bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs, as well as tripling the mode share to 3 percent. While in town for an Action 2020 workshop, I had the pleasure of meeting Neil Walker, a cycling instructor who wears many hats.

It’s hard to get involved in bicycle education in Atlanta without running into Neil. As a League Cycling Instructor and educator, Neil has made a mission of working with low-income and minority kids and adults in the metro region. “I grew up in a lower income area and was pretty much confined to a few square blocks,” notes Walker. “Once I got a bike, suddenly I was able to go all over the place. That bike got me my first jobs delivering groceries and newspapers.”

Today Neil is working with a number of organizations and neighborhoods:

• Metro Atlanta Cycling Club: Through their One Love event, the club has raised more than $100,000 in the past five years for the Dream Team, East Atlanta Kids Club, and Bicycle Little League. The club is primarily focused on involving African Americans in cycling
• Dream Team Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG): The program starts with teaching Traffic Skills 101 to middle and high school students. The main goal is to get kids on bikes. For the 2012 ride, 20 kids are signed up to participate, with the course set to travel through the mountains of northern Georgia.
• East Atlanta Neighborhoods: Neil’s work is focused mainly on health and nutrition. Among other things, he has led local rides to the farmers market (55 participants on the last trip) to highlight local, healthy food options. Atlanta City Councilmember Aaron Watson (himself a huge bike proponent) liked the program so much he formally adopted it as his Living Smart Initiative.

At the national level, Neil has been working with the National Brotherhood of Cyclists to expand their educational offerings. The goal is to go from the current four LCIs nationally to at least five in each of the 35 local clubs.

There are definitely hurdles for working in low-income and minority neighborhoods. A lack of local bicycle shops and infrastructure makes it hard to establish the necessary culture. Working with the Atlanta Police Athletic League, Neil and others have been bringing bike shops to the neighborhoods. “We showed up at a public housing development with no warning and ended up fixing 22 bikes,” Neil says. “Kids just kept coming up to us.” Neil also works with his old employer REI to do neighborhood bike repair days.

A huge myth is that only poor people ride bicycles. “It really creates a bicycling stigma in the minds of low income people,” says Walker. “Adults are difficult. They may be self conscious on a bike or just not know where to start.” School bicycle clubs are one way to address the issue, as kids are usually eager to ride and share that freedom with their family. Adults also start to come on board once they expand their definition of a cyclist beyond the lycra. “With cut-backs in local bus service, showing someone how to ride to the closest MARTA [Atlanta’s light rail system] station can be huge,” Walker says.

There’s also the challenge that some people just don’t think of bicycling as an option. The Dream Team has expanded throughout Georgia, mainly due to people asking about it as BRAG passes through town. This type of event can be the spark that gets folks thinking “maybe I should be riding a bike.”

If you’d like to learn more about these programs, email Neil at neil@atlantabike.org.

Elsewhere in cycling advocacy…

• Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has signed the state’s three foot safe passing legislation into law. Sponsored by state Sen. Tom Hansen, the law provides a safe passing distance for bicyclists, pedestrians, and electric personal assistance mobility devices. Nebraska becomes the 24th state to adopt a safe passing law. Who’s going to get us to the halfway point?
• Virginia is for bicycle touring, and it’s getting easier thanks to the Virginia Bicycle Federation. VBF worked with Joe Elton, Virginia’s State Parks Director to create designated areas for cyclists to camp even when campgrounds are full. Ride-in touring cyclists will always have a place to stay.
• The Florida legislature recently passed a series of bicycling bills. The bills cover topics from additional exemptions to the state’s mandatory bike lane law (which could stand to be repealed) to allowing cyclists cited for riding without lights at night to avoid fines by installing lights on their bicycles.

Do you have news from your advocacy organization?  Let me know: matt@bikeleague.org

 

Last Saturday, we partnered with Bikes Belong for Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play at the White House. Nickelodeon encouraged cities across the globe to host events, and the channel shut off all programming for three hours to prove the point that kids need to go outside and play.

The D.C. event was a big success, with more than 600 kids biking through the bike course on the White House lawn. The participants were shown the proper way to fit a helmet, the parts of the bike and how to make sure they were working properly, how to obey the laws the of the street, and were encouraged to get out and ride more often. The kids all enjoyed the activities and were pumped for the bike zone on the lawn. Some kids were so excited to ride bikes that they wouldn’t listen to their parents when they were told it was time to stop riding — there were a few feet stomping episodes to convince their moms and dads to let them ride more. One little girl was so excited, she brought her own pink and white helmet adorned with glitter, just so she could ride. It was great to see the next generation so excited to ride. Hopefully, they’ll keep that up far into adulthood. To learn how to teach your child to bike, visit the League’s kids bike education info page on bikeleague.org.

Thanks to the the Washington Area Bicycling Association – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Nickelodeon, World Wide Day of Play and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

More people are commuting by bicycle every year, thanks to Bicycle Friendly Communities and other motivators like high gas prices. To ensure that motorists and bicyclists are sharing the road safely and learning about the Rules of the Road, AAA and the League of American Bicyclists have partnered to promote safe cycling. We hope to make the roads safer and more enjoyable for everyone. Andy Clarke, president of the League, joins Rhonda Markos, AAA traffic safety specialist, on AAA Talk Radio to chat about our partnership, bike safety facts and tips for motorists and cyclists alike, and why bicycling is moving up the ranks as one of the most popular modes of transportation. Listen to Clarke and Markos’ interview below.

Recently there was discussion in the comments about federal spending on infrastructure and on education programs. Kauai Path, Inc., a non-profit in Hawaii, offers a fine example of federal money funding bicycling education. Using funds from a federal “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” Grant from the CDC, Kauai Path Inc. will train 20 to 30 new League Certified Instructors (LCIs) in the state during two weeks in February. The new instructors will train more than 200 school students and 50 adults and implement a new bicycling curriculum in the school system. It will be done in coordination with a Safe Routes to School program on Kauai.

“We on Kauai are focusing our effort in the areas of increasing levels of physical activity and improving nutrition, thus decreasing obesity rates,” says Kauai Path’s executive director, Randall Blake. According to the announcement of the grant, which is being administered through State of Hawaii Department of Health, Kauai pledged to “increase physical activity and improve nutrition through social support, culturally appropriate education,” and “improve active transport and public transportation infrastructure,” among other things.

The CPPW funds will be used to train the LCIs and obtain bikes, helmets and safety vests to be used for bike education curriculum. But bicycling education is just one component of a multipronged approach. Kauai Path Inc. will also publish 40,000 copies of a “Green Map,” which will list bicycling paths, mountain bike and hiking trails, and the island’s county and state parks.  It will also show the location of vendors of locally-grown, fresh produce. For those technologically inclined, the map will be also made available for mobile web devices.

There is also a planning component. Kauai Path Inc. is funding two planning projects to expand their bike and pedestrian shared use path network on the island. Members of Kauai Path Inc. are serving on Citizen Advisory Committees to the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s Regional Long Range Land Transportation Plan for the County of Kauai, and on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Statewide Long Range Transportation Plan.

This multi-dimensional approach, Blake says, “will have both short- and long-term effects on increasing bicycling in Hawaii, which in turn will reap numerous health benefits as our efforts combat the obesity epidemic.”

Happy Friday. Here is a fantastic feature on a local news station in Roanoke, VA, which spends about three minutes plugging an upcoming Traffic Skills 101 course taught by LCI Barbara Duerk.

We would love to see this kind of coverage every time a Smart Cycling course is offered. In the meantime, to see where courses are being offered near you, check out our find-it feature. Go here for more on our education programs.

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In other safety and education news, the StreetsBlog Network directs our attention to an interview on Seattle’s PubliCola blog with a bike-commuting bus driver who offers tips on riding safely around buses. Here’s a snippet of the refreshingly calm and balanced perspective of a professional bus driver:

I could write a book on this subject, but I’ll focus on a few things:

First, Be visible: Wear visible clothing and use lights—day and night.  It makes a hugedifference from a driver’s perspective. I have lots of stories of cyclists seemingly coming out of nowhere at the last second. I can usually see a red tail light three or more blocks away while some lighting conditions can hide cyclists until I’m almost on top of you.  Seriously, please, get front and back lights and use them all the time—I do.

Second: The “three-foot passing rule.” Cycling advocacy groups have been pushing for legislation defining 3 feet as a safe passing distance. Cyclists need to remember that this applies to them as well. When you’re passing a bus (hopefully on the left side and not on the right), please try to give at least three feet. This is especially important for buses, since we are constantly moving to and from the curb to pick up passengers.

Third: Don’t plant yourself in blind spots when waiting for a light.  Many cyclists like to ride up on the right side of my bus and then wait for the light right next to the door.  There are many blind spots on a bus caused by window frames and the fare box, especially for shorter bus drivers. We are trained to “rock and roll” in the seat to expose the blind spots, but relying on a human being to be perfect in all situations is risky. Either wait behind the bus, or get well in front of the bus where you are very visible. Wherever you are waiting, it’s a good idea to make sure you can see the bus driver’s eyes directly.

Photo from PubliCola.net

As bicycling continues to grow across the country, so does the need for increased understanding of how to safely ride a bike. There’s much more to learn beyond the basic balance, braking and shifting.  Luckily, with proper training and a bit of practice, it’s not that hard. With our terrific Smart Cycling series of courses, and our hardworking League Cycling Instructors (LCIs), we offer courses for cyclists of all skill levels – beginner to expert.

With this growth of bicycling, comes the need for more instructors. The League relies on our wonderful LCIs to help deliver our Smart Cycling message across the country, and we welcome more cycling enthusiasts to join us in this effort. What would have made for a full year of instructor seminars a few years back, now makes for a full month! We have 16 seminars remaining this year [2 are apparently already full!]. See the schedule below, and consider signing up for one:

Aug 27 Seminar	Anchorage, AK Fri-Sun, Aug 27-29 Contact: Kristi Wood Seminar signup
Sep 10 Seminar	South Portland, ME Fri-Sun, September 10-12, 2010 Contact: Jim Tasse, 207-318-0386 Seminar signup
Sep 16 Seminar	Chattanooga, TN Thu-Sat Sep 16-18, 2010 Contact: Philip Pugliese, 423.643.6887 Seminar signup This seminar is directly after the ProWalk/ProBike Conference in Chattanooga
Sep 24 Seminar	Hoboken, NJ Fri-Sun, Sep 24-26, 2010 Contact: Jay DiDomenico, 201-792-2825 ext 2 Seminar signup
Oct 1 Seminar	Houston, TX Fri-Sun, Oct 01-03, 2010 Contact: Brian Hatt Seminar signup
Oct 1 Seminar	New Britain, CT Fri-Sun, Oct 1-3, 2010 Contact: Elizabeth Emery, 860-522-2217 ext 227 Seminar signup Registration for this seminar is open to CT residents. We will maintain a wait list of out of state candidates and notify you by Sept if space becomes available.
Oct 8 Seminar	Austin, TX Fri-Sun, Oct 08, 2010 Contact: Jerrel Wallace, 512 322 6728 Seminar signup
Oct 15 Seminar	Asheville, NC Fri-Sun, Oct 15, 2010 Contact: Gwen Wisler, (828) 333-1767 Registration for this seminar is closed This seminar is not really closed but you must contact Gwen to register.
Oct 15 Seminar	St. Paul, MN Fri-Sun, Oct 15-17, 2010 Contact: Nick Mason, 612-986-6096 Seminar signup
Oct 15 Seminar	Omaha, NE Fri-Sun, Oct 15-17, 2010 Contact: Stuart Shell, 402-449-0816 Seminar signup
Oct 22 Seminar	Des Moines, IA Fri-Sun, Oct 22-24, 2010 Contact: Jeffery Lauridsen, 515-248-6330 Seminar signup
Oct 22 Seminar	Corpus Christi, TX Fri-Sun, Oct 22-24, 2010 Contact: Tom Neagli, 361-993-7000 Registration for this seminar is closed You must contact the site coordinator to register for this seminar
Oct 22 Seminar	Northbrook, IL Fri-Sun, October 22-24, 2010 Contact: Lawrence Mysz, 708-754-7859 Seminar signup
Nov 12 Seminar	Phoenix, AZ Fri-Sun, Nov 12-14, 2010 Contact: Tom Tomczyk, 480-228-2195 Seminar signup
Nov 19 Seminar	Washington, DC Fri-Sun, Nov 19-21, 2010 Contact: Glen Harrison Seminar signup This will be at the WABA office on Ontario Street

Having active LCIs  in your state, community or business earns you credit in their respective award recognition applications. If  you’re working on any of these, it’s a great way to bolster your responses to the Education section. Also, we strongly encourage law enforcement, Safe Routes to School practitioners, planners and engineers to participate. As professionals working on behalf of cyclists, you already understand the needs, rights and responsibilities of bicyclists. You’ll learn the necessary skills to better share this with others.

To learn more about becoming a LCI, visit the Instructor FAQ’s , contact Education Program Director Preston Tyree or call the League office at 202.822.1333.

The City of San Antonio has launched a new safety campaign called “Get Cyched,” featuring these two ads, to draw attention to their new Safe Passing Ordinance. The message emphasizes sharing the road, and responsibilities for motorists and bicyclists. The city’s safe passing law requires most drivers to give at least three feet when passing and commercial truck drivers to give 6 feet. The city also passed an ordinance that requires bicyclists to use a front light and a rear light or reflector when riding at night.

According to the press release, the campaign is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with Energy Efficiency Block Grant (EECBG) funds through the Department of Energy, with support from San Antonio’s Mayor:

“We have made bicycles a higher priority in San Antonio,” Mayor Julián Castro said. “Not only do bike-friendly initiatives promote healthy living, they will improve the overall quality of life in our city and make places like downtown more attractive to investment and residential living.”

Thanks to new LCI Justin for the heads up.

Learning to ride a bicycle as a adult can be an adventure.  It forces you to step out of your comfort zone. When you are a kid everything is new. Learning to ride a bike is just one more new challenge. But as adults  we are to being in control, or at least to being well-practiced at what we do. Because the dynamics of teaching adults to ride can be different from teaching children, some organizations, like the Washington Area Bicycle Association and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, offer adult-only classes. Sometimes League Certified Instructors (LCI) give one-on-one lessons.

Every story of someone learning to ride a bike is different. Here’s one:

A young man in Milwaukee is planning a trip to Mexico to visit a girl over the Fourth of July weekend. She wants them to go on a bike ride together when he gets there. One problem: he doesn’t know how to ride. Duly motivated, the young man finds local instructor, Dave Schlabowske, using our LCI-finder. He emails Dave on Saturday and by noon on Sunday he’s in the middle of his first lesson.  Fortunately, Dave was careful to document the experience and tell the story on his blog. Enjoy.

We don’t always get a lot of national and international media coverage for local bike events, so I have to say it was a pretty amazing sight riding up Pennsylvania Avenue Monday morning and seeing a wall of media people wielding cameras, microphones, even some notepads…apparently in the median and across the bike lanes! The combination of European royal-watchers, sports reporters, and a couple of political hacks each headed for their respective targets (the Crown Prince of Denmark, Caron Butler, and Congressmen Oberstar and Petri respectively) as we rode up to the intersection at Freedom Plaza.

The Associated Press story that followed (and was picked up in a lot of places) included a rather unnecessary jibe about a passing motorist complaining that the event was holding up traffic as people were trying to get to work. That was pretty ironic given that we deliberately started the ride at 9:30am to avoid rush hour, stayed resolutely in the bike lanes (which are still within the temporary orange traffic cones) all the way up Pennsylvania Ave., and didn’t spill over into the travel lanes even when we stopped for the wall of media at 13th Street. In fact, the only people who might have been in the way of traffic were…the media. And we had specifically asked them to gather in Freedom Plaza and not in the middle of the street!

Besides, if you are still trying to get to work and it’s already 9:45am…I think you should be blaming your alarm clock, or the traffic you got stuck in on the Beltway or the illegally parked tour buses and taxis on Penn. Ave., rather than a couple of dozen people in the wide median of a six lane roadway!

Another miserable piece of journalism from the DriveOn blog at USA Today used the ride to regurgitate misinformation about the bike lanes from AAA Mid Atlantic and the always civic-minded D.C. cab driver corps who are irritated that the bike lanes will prevent them from making illegal and dangerous u-turns – or at least make them more difficult. The facts about the bike lanes are that with the proper enforcement of cabs and tour buses who currently illegally park, double-park, pick-up and discharge passengers along Pennsylvania Ave., there is no degradation of service to motorists using the reconfigured street. Of course, that doesn’t make such good copy as an imaginary “war on drivers” that the USA Today writer so enthusiastically perpetuates.

After we left Freedom Plaza, the ride around the Monumental Core of Washington DC was a real treat – the weather was perfect, and taking in the sites by bike was an ideal way to go.

Visit our Flickr page for more photos.

The folks in Los Alamos, NM, had the right idea. What better way to enjoy National Bike to Work Day than to take a Traffic Skills 101 course?

On this Bike to Work Day — the tenth time Houston has celebrated the day — League President Andy Clarke and Education Director Preston Tyree, together with the City of Houston, announced the launch of BikeEd.org, an online Bicycle Education tool. BikeEd.org represents the classroom component of the League’s Traffic Skills 101 course. You take the online bicycle education course; find League-Certified Instructors (LCI) and hands-on classes, and other resources. The City of Houston developed the resource with the League’s materials. It has been used by their city staff and the Houston-to-Austin MS Ride ride marshals and team captains. Today is the national debut. We will be rolling it out over the course of the summer.

On another note, the Houston Chronicle reports on Bike to Work Day with this amusing sub-headline, “Cycling to the job in Houston is getting easier. Now if only it were a little cooler.”

Every time I get to teach a class, either school children, novice road cyclists, or future instructors, I remember why I love this job. I get out in the fresh air, I get to meet some great people and I get to ride a bike. It doesn’t get much better than that. We have a great education program with great instructors to train everyone from the rank beginner to someone getting back on a bike after thirty years off. Lots of changes are going on now. If you are looking for a class, use our course and instructor finder.

This weekend in Austin, we had a group of students from Team Luna Chix who encourage women to get active and ride. No racing, just riding. They also raise money for the Breast Cancer fund which works to prevent this terrible disease. In addition we had two “old” guys, one retired from flying Harrier jets for the Marines and one retired from being an Air Traffic Controller. Their participation made for a great class with lots of chatter and people learning some things about bike handling and lane positioning.

Here’s a great blog post from one of the “old” guys who just completed the core Traffic Skills 101 class in Austin, Texas.

~Preston Tyree
League Director of Education