May 2018

If Bike to School Day got you excited or if you were not able to participate we have you covered. Dive into our new Bike to Schoolresourcesandstartyourownbiketoschoolprogramorplanyourownbiketoschool day anytime that works for you. If you're a school administrator who wants to integrate physical education curricula or a resident who wants to champion more biking in your community, these resources are for you:

Roll Bicycle Education Into Your Physical Education Program
Create a strong foundation of bicycling education for students by integrating bicycling education into physical education. When physical education programs include Safe Routes to School, both programs achieve their goals. Like physical education, Safe Routes to School supports increased physical activity, develops healthy habits that can last a lifetime, and decreases the risk of chronic disease and obesity. This fact sheet explains the why and the how of integrating bicycle education into physical education programs.
 
Roll Up to a Bicycle Skills Clinic
Increase bicycle skills at your school with a bicycle skills clinic! A bicycle skills clinic, sometimes called a bike rodeo, offers a chance for elementary school students and their families to learn and practice bike handling skills in a fun, safe, and encouraging atmosphere. Use this handout to learn tips for getting more kids trained on bicycle safety skills and riding today! 

Safe Bicycling Tips
Get your bicycle ready for riding with the Safe Bicycling Tips handout. Provide students and parents with this handout to reinforce safety and celebrate Bike Month! 

The Wheels on the Bike Go Round & Round
Learn how to put together and run a bike train program at your school, including initial planning considerations, logistics, promotion, training, and evaluation.

Different Name, Similar Program: TIGER Morphs into BUILD
In this month's federal update, learn more about changes to the US Department of Transportation's TIGER program, which the Trump administration has renamed the BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) program—and how the $1.5 billion available could go to Complete Streets projects in your community. Also in this month's federal update: the Trump administration tries to retroactively cut the FY2018 funding levels for programs and our quarterly report on how states are doing with implementing the Transportation Alternatives Program.

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Regional News: Youth Leaders Engage Legislator in Muscoy, CA

Youth leaders in Muscoy, an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County, are working to get sidewalks and crosswalks in their community. Last month, the group known as Soar IE hosted Assemblymember Reyes for a walk audit of two schools and will continue to push to make their community safer. Check out our Regional Network blog to read more about the conditions in Muscoy and hear from Soar IE.

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Regional News: Salem, OR Approves Its First Family-Friendly Bikeway
Last month, the Salem City Council approved the 2.5-mile Winter-Maple Neighborhood Greenway, which will provide safe routes for children and families at several schools. The Safe Routes Partnership joined with students and staff from the Oregon School for the Deaf, which is along the proposed route, and other advocates to successfully advocate for the addition of speed humps and a lower speed limit along the route.

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Safe Routes to School Catching on in Montgomery County, MD
Since Safe Routes to School's inception in Montgomery County, Maryland, the movement has expanded dramatically. Over the years, SRTS has entered the limelight with successful work ranging from bike/ped safety projects to get students involved in the Walk Your Way Program to the YOLO high school education campaign.

In the next year, Montgomery County hopes to see more and more schools involved in solidifying SRTS programs, including high schools. They see W2SD as the kick off to the rest of their programming, and since they started participating in W2SD, they have more than doubled participating schools. 50 out of 200 schools in the county are engaging, with the number increasing each year.

Learn more about Montgomery County's SRTS successes.

How Does Your City Rate?
After more than two years in development and 164 calculations per city, PeopleForBikes has launched the nation's first comprehensive, data-driven PlacesForBikes City Ratings system. The rating system evaluates cities, using existing data and newly developed sources, across five categories: Ridership, Safety, Network, Acceleration and Reach. Cities can use this system to guide smart investments in building and connecting their bike networks. Learn more at CityRatings.
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June Webinar: Engaging Students with Disabilities in Safe Routes to School
Equity is a core principal of Safe Routes to School. How do we best ensure all types of walkers, riders, and rollers are provided access through Safe Routes to School?

Please join us on June 19th at10-11 AM PST | 1 -2 PM EST as we discuss language, policy, and practice that engages students of all ability levels in your program. Come ready to learn about resources available to support practitioners working towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in Safe Routes to School.

Speakers:

• Chris Mackey, Information Specialist, National Center for Physical Activity and Disability
• John Waterman, Executive Director, Programs to Educate All Cyclists
• Sara Mazze, Safe Routes to School Program Manager, Transportation Department Eugene School District 4J

Register