Safe Routes Philly Family Phest

It’s Saturday morning. The kids have just finished their breakfast, and without skipping a beat they plop down in front of the TV. You watch as they boot up the Xbox, readying themselves for yet another video game, and you think to yourself, wouldn’t it be great if they had a physical activity? In an ideal world, the activity wouldn’t be limited to that particular day; it would increase their general activity level while helping them to become safer and more responsible. Look no further...

One of this year’s premiere events is Safe Routes Philly Family Phest, which will be held at Eakins Oval on Saturday, September 11th from 10:00am- 2:00pm. Family Phest has a dual purpose; The first is to connect families to youth and health oriented organizations, which will be holding tables at the event; The second is to educate children on bicycle safety through their participation in a Bicycle Rodeo.

A Bicycle Rodeo is a skill building obstacle course which teaches children (ages 8-12) essential bicycle skills in a safe and fun learning environment. The Family Phest Rodeo will begin with a thorough bike safety and helmet check, ensuring that the participants have a safe vehicle to complete the course. The young riders bike through seven different stations. Each station provides the participants an opportunity to practice balancing, stopping, signaling, and turning; skills they can take away and use forever.

Kids must bring their own bike and helmet if they wish to participate in the Bike Rodeo! Otherwise they’ll have to wait until next time to join in the fun. Don’t forget to register for Family Phest at www.saferoutesphilly.org.

The first 50 to RSVP will receive a free water bottle the day of the event.
We hope to see you there! - Safe Routes Philly :)

New Profile for Photo Campaign

Here is the latest profile from our "I Bike PHL Photo" Campaign:

Name: Kaylynn

Age: 23
Occupation: Substitute Teacher

Neighborhood: West Philly

Use of Bicycle: Transportation

Favorite Part of rinding a bike in Philly:
It's faster than public transporation and cheaper.

You too can become part of the campaign. Just talk to us at any of our events, sign a release and you can be immortalized on our blog and website.

Stay safe,

The Bicycle Ambassadors

Bicycle Ambassador Events: August 19-25

Here are the events for the coming days:

--Thursday, August 19, we'll be at the Clark Park (Baltimore Ave and 43rd St) Market from 3PM-7PM. We love helping people keep their bikes in tip-top shape. If you are having any issues, bring your bike and we'll check it out. There's a good chance we can repair it on the spot.

--Friday, August 20 is another Bike Philly Registration Day. We're making a final push to make the ride bigger than ever. We'll be at Trader Joe's on 21st and Market from 11:20AM-2PM. You can sign up at our table and recieve a free t-shirt at the ride.

--On Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, 22 we'll be at the Livestrong Expo at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell. On Saturday we'll be there from 8:30AM-2PM and on Sunday from 10AM-5:30PM. Look for us checking in bikes and bags on Sunday.

--On Tuesday, August 24 we'll teach another class in the Mariposa Education Series: Bike Cleaning 101. We will meet at Mariposa Co-Op (4726 Baltimore Ave.) at 6PM. All are welcome to attend the class. We'll also be at the ING Direct Cafe from 9AM to 11:30 for register more riders for Bike Philly.

--On Wednesday Agusut 25 we'll be at the Broad and South Farmer's Market from 2PM-7PM.

Always an Ambassador - 1 year later

The following is a note from Chrystal Smith, 2009 Bicycle Ambassador Alumnus, sharing her continuing work as an Ambassador in South America.

Last year when I returned home to Philadelphia after serving two years in the Peace Corps, where I ate Guinea Pig as my regular diet while overcoming language and cultural barriers, I felt I was "able to do anything." I was over confident and assumed that a job as a Bicycle Ambassador would be a walk in the park after the Peace Corps. It took only a few days of training to realize that this job was much more than celebrating the bicycles.

Working with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia radically changed the way I perceive bicycle safety. The weight of being a responsible rider and educating/encouraging the general public to make change was a challenge, but it was a challenge that we were excited to take on. It was a week by week development...first the helmet...then stopping at red lights....and then it all just became second nature. I was learning from my own experience just how much more respect the average cyclist receives when showing that we want to share the road, not take it over. As the 2009 season progressed our team of 6 Ambassadors reached more than 20,000 people! We even started to become a wee bit famous in our own way and were soon being recognized even when we weren’t suited up in our burgundy superhero shirts (our uniforms slightly resembled a superhero shirt with our triangular logo). It became an addiction to educate EVERYONE.

As life goes on and change naturally comes about, I have found myself living in Buenos Aires. Although I am five thousand miles away, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is with me every day. My time as an Ambassador took my interest in bicycles and turned it into a passion to educate, organize and promote this incredible machine, even in South America. Porteños (Citizens of Buenos Aires) are fascinating and beautiful in many ways; however the awareness level of how to share the road in a safe manner is not a common concern. Armed with a season of experience, I decided to continue my "Ambassadorship" here is Buenos Aires. I started by bringing a few local bike shops together and simply teaching classes in bicycle garages about the beauty of safe riding. We also started a monthly newsletter which is slowly beginning to catch on.

My experience as a Bicycle Ambassador showed me a Philadelphia I never knew, but also helped me to have hope for change not only here in Philadelphia but globally. Superheroes (or people in superhero shirts) don’t only work within their district, right? While the position will remain on my resume, it has meant much more to me and has changed me into just what the position implies….An Ambassador for Bicycles.

Chrystal Smith - 2009 Bicycle Ambassador

Want to learn how to ride a bike?

Are you an adult who has never learned to ride a bike? Have you always wanted to learn but could not find a class? Well, look no further!

League Certified Instructor (LCI) Diana Hulboy will host a Basic Riding Skills for New and Returning Adults on Saturday, September 11 in Plymouth Meeting.

Space is limited for this class - please register early. Click here for more information.

New "I BIKE PHL" Photo Campaign Begins

We just kicked off a new photo campaign on Tuesday. As Bicycle Ambassadors we try to encourage more people to get on bikes, especially as transportation and we hope seeing these photos will get more people in the saddle. The sheer diversity of people riding bikes in the Philadelphia area inspires us all the time. Here's our first cyclist profile:

















Name: Joseph
Age: 56
Occupation: Network Tech
Neighborhood: Haddonfield, New Jersey
Use of Bicycle: Commuting to and from work

Want to rep Philly and cycling? We'd love to take your photo with the "I Bike PHL" sign at any farmer's market or event.

See you on the streets,

The Bicycle Ambassadors

Remarkable People: Safe Routes Philly at John Marshall School

Students: 69 students (5^th grade)
Date: June 1, 2010
Philly Neighborhood: Frankford

At the end of the school year, there were some pretty incredible schools with some pretty amazing people working there. One school not to be excluded is John Marshall School.

John Marshall School is located in the Frankford area of Philadelphia. Our connection to the school happened when one of our people met a teacher – Ms. Michelle Linton – from the school at an Urban Garden bicycle tour. Thanks to everyone’s help and proactive push, we were able to make it happen!

The first class was quite interesting. As soon as I noticed that I had 8 students in the first class, I assumed that it was a special education class, but little did I know that it was an autistic support class.

I was a little nervous as I prepared to begin my lesson, having no prior experience teaching autistic children and knowing that my lesson had to change slightly to accommodate this special audience. I slowed the pace a little bit, focused the lesson on three points (helmet check, checking your bike, and hand signals), and welcomed support from their teacher Michelle. The lesson went smoothly, and the students were wonderful, as were the remaining classes at John Marshall School!

During a chat I had with Michelle a few days later, she was super thankful for our visit and mentioned that her students were using hand signals as they made turns through the school hallways! What a pleasant success.

Michelle and the Principal, Ms. Carla Glover, are very supportive of the Bicycle Coalition and Safe Routes Philly and are excited to get the students of John Marshall School more involved in biking. Throughout the summer, Michelle and I have been corresponding on getting a team together for Bike Philly, and Michelle made it happen! Look for the John Marshall School team at Bike Philly! Kudos Michelle!

Special thanks goes out to Ms. Kirk, Ms. Colby, and Ms. Dudley for welcoming our Bike Safety lesson to their classrooms, Ms. Glover for the wonderful support, and Ms. Michelle Linton for being an incredible champion for her students. Here’s to 69 more students who are now safer in the streets of Philadelphia.

~Cy

Would you like Safe Routes Philly to teach a bike safety lesson at your school? Direct instruction lessons are available at all independent, charter, private, and parochial schools. Contact Cy@bicyclecoalition.org to get connected!

Safe Routes Philly – the youth education program of the Bicycle Coalition - is hosting an event the day before Bike Philly on Saturday, September 11^th. Safe Routes Philly Family Phest provides a fun day for families to learn bicycle skills and discover health- and youth-oriented community resources available to them. Bring the family out Saturday to Family Phest and Sunday to Bike Philly and make it a bicycling weekend. And don't forget about the BCP's Scenic Schuylkill Century ride. Mom or Dad can do the ride while the other brings the family to our Phest. Family Phest is held at Eakins Oval from 10:00am-2:00pm on Saturday, September 11^th.