DATS Bicycle Plan Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting

#5: Education and Encouragement

ProgramsBremer Conference Center, Danville

October 19, 2009

Education Programs

Description:– “Education includes teaching cyclists

of all ages how to ride safely in any area from multi-use paths to congested city streets as well as teaching motorists how to share the road safely with cyclists.”

League of American Bicyclists

“Bicycle education is more than a shove down the driveway.”

Education Programs

Include bike safety education in driver’s education programs– Educate bicyclists and motorists on

bicycle laws.– Include bicycle education in schools.

Education Programs

Distribute tip sheets or postcards with state bicycle laws

Education Programs

Bike Rodeo– A bicycle skills event to provide an

opportunity to practice and develop skills for people to become better bicyclists and avoid typical crashes.

– Aimed at educating children.– Encourages active, experiential

learning. – Addresses bicycle skills and traffic

concepts to avoid the most common types of crashes for kids.

Education Programs

Bike Mentors– Program where prospective cyclists

can contact a “bike mentor” for help finding the right:

Bike Helmet Lock Route to work

– The mentor also teaches proper on-road bicycle safety and bicycle laws and points out potentially dangerous areas to bicycle.

Encouragement Programs

Description:– This category of programs

focuses on how the community supports and promotes bicycling.

Encouragement Programs

Bike to Work Week events (or bike to school day)– Hold a “Bike to Work Day” event.– Encourage other activities during

bike to work month/week: Route mapping assistance Commuter convoys Company commuter challenge Ride with the Mayor

MAY IS

NATIONAL

BIKE MONTH

Encouragement Programs

Employer and Business Encouragement Programs – Bike commuter financial incentives such as

discounts at local bike shops, financial subsidies for not using car parking spaces, extra vacation time, or lunch discounts.

– Provide bike parking and storage facilities for employees.

– Showers or changing rooms for employees are ideal.

– Provide route coordination and safety education for employees.

Encouragement Programs

Produce and distribute community bike maps

Encouragement Programs

Regular community bike rides– Organize outreach activities to promote

bicycling in groups.– A fun way to get people to ride their bikes.

What do you think about these programs?

1. Please provide comments on positive and/or negative aspects of these programs in the space next to each slide.

Do you have more ideas?

2. List any additional program ideas you have that were not mentioned in the presentation in the space provided next to this slide.

Which program is the most important to implement?

3. In small groups, rank the education programs and the encouragement programs based on which programs you find most important and influential for the community.

How do we make these programs a reality?

4. Take the top two programs from each category, and as a group, brainstorm about steps for implementing each program.