Awesome Bike-to-Work PSAs Emphasize Fun

The blog Boston Biker recently posted some amazing, and entertaining, 'Bike to Work' PSAs from Hungary.

I think what's so great about these is that they target the feelings associated with biking and bike commuting, feelings of freedom, relaxation, and community. And these are feelings that anyone can understand and relate to, regardless of any other 'objective reasons' they might have for using bikes (such as health, environmental, economic, recreation, to name a few).

These PSA's invite new bicyclists to start biking for any reasons they want, but to all share in one common benefit that people don't tend to associate with transportation- fun.







Okay, that was my little attempt at 'cultural criticism'. Anyone else have thoughts on these videos (the third one could definitely spark some conversation)?

And I totally second BostonBiker's invitation to make a couple of these, for Philly.

The Bicycle Coalition is Hiring!

Are you interested in joining our Bicycle Ambassadors team for the 2010 Season, or becoming an instructor for our new Safe Routes Philly education program?

Bicycle Ambassadors

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia manages a federally-funded adult outreach and education program called the Bicycle Ambassadors. Bicycle Ambassadors teach motorists and bicyclists to better share city streets by speaking face-to-face to members of the public. Teams of Ambassadors deliver bicycling expertise personally in demonstrations and conversations in public places, at community events and to local companies.

To read the full job description and learn more about the program, please click here.

Safe Routes Philly Instructor

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, a non-profit advocacy and education organization, manages the federally-funded youth education program Safe Routes Philly which introduces cycling as a fun, healthy and environmentally friendly activity for all children to enjoy. The youth bicycle safety program is offered to fifth graders in Philadelphia as a 45 minute in-class lesson. Students learn the basics of bicycle safety, including: helmet fitting, a pre-ride bicycle safety check, and the fundamental "Rules of the Road."

To read the full job description, please click here.

Slush Biking

Given all the snow recently in the Philadelphia area, we're going to be dealing with packed snow and slush for a while. Even though we're in the middle of a 'snowmageddon' right now, as the snow begins to melt it'll be possible to get around by bike again- with a few extra things to pay attention to.

Last time it snowed I didn't even make it to the corner trying to bike on my un-plowed street before falling over and giving up. But with some of these tips, maybe it'll help people like me give it a try:

1. Go slowly, wear lights, and be patient. Plan to take major roads, since they will probably be plowed the best, and don't be worried about taking the lane (no one will be moving very fast anyways). As always, pay extra attention on streets with trolley tracks or avoid them if possible. Get off and walk or carry your bike over treacherous areas.

2. Your breaks won't work as well (it takes a whole rotation of the wheel just for the slush and gunk to wipe off), so break in advance.

3. Lower the air pressure in your tires. Use the lower end of the pressure range found on the side of your tire, or look for them to bulge a teeny bit.

Different people often suggest different types of tires for snow. However, in his slush-biking ariticle, BostonBiker says that "pretty much all of them (save for studded) slide around a bit, and pretty much all of them work just fine."

4. Special advice for slush (from IceBike.com): Things move slower in the snow, including falling... Frequently, the falls that seem inevitable from second to second can be avoided by continuing to apply power and steering as best you can. Your side slipping front wheel often bites when it hits a slightly more solid ridge, and if you can delay the fall for half a second or so you may find that you can recover. Don't be in a hurry to dab, stay on the pedals and apply power.

5. A helpful trick, taken from mountain biking, is 'picking your line'. Look about 15 feet ahead of you and pick a path that avoids obstacles (it doesn't have to be a straight line- but make sure you stay on the right side of the road). If you try to steer around obstacles when they're right in front of you, the big movements can upset your balance.

Anyone else have tips for biking in the snow and slush? (Thanks for the comments I received on twitter!) These articles from IceBike and BostonBiker also have more detailed advice.

Photo by Jenny Ford.

Help Us Translate Our Bike Safety Literature!

¿Cómo se maneja su bicicleta en Filadelfia?

The Bicycle Ambassadors are looking to translate our bicycle safety literature into additional languages. New languages will allow us to include more Philadelphians in our education and encouragement efforts. Can you help us?

We are looking for volunteers to translate and proofread our materials into: Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Russian, French, Korean, Cambodian, Polish, Amharic, and/or any other languages you think would be useful in Philadelphia. (We already have Spanish translations).

Do you know someone who is fluent in one of the above languages, and can volunteer a few hours of their time to help the Bicycle Coalition expand our education efforts? Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested, or ask them to get in touch with Max at (215) 242-9253 x8 or Max@bicyclecoalition.org.

If you need continuing education credit, community service hours, or resume experience, this is a great opportunity.

Bicycle Ambassadors Fight 'Skeleton Bikes' in Center City

Earlier today, I went out with others from the Bicycle Coalition to remove 'skeleton bikes' that have been abandoned throughout Center City. With the help of a heavy-duty grinder, we removed bikes that had been tagged as abandoned (with a number to call if they weren't actually abandoned).

Skeleton Bikes are bicycles which have been abandoned and have parts taken from them- seats, wheels, handlebars, and -pictured below- even break pads!
These skeletons are a menace to the city because they take up valuable bike parking, but also because these kinds of sights make people scared that their bikes will be vandalized or stolen, thereby helping to dissuade them from biking in the city.

In fact, it is not hard to learn how to lock your bike so that nothing gets stolen off it: check out "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Locking Your Bike" for how to keep your bike from getting stolen.

Thanks to Neighborhood Bike Works for taking the bikes and re-using them, Schuylkill River Development Corporation for lending us a generator, and Philadelphia's Streets Department for driving us around in their truck and helping to collect the bikes!













More photos on our Facebook Page.