What We Do: Safe Routes Philly Assemblies

Our Safe Routes Philly program operates in Philadelphia public elementary schools with a "train the trainer" model.  We provide teachers, mainly PE teachers, with the training and resources required to give lessons on pedestrian (2nd grade) and bicycle (5th grade) safety.  The goal is to seed Philadelphia's public schools with the knowledge to teach future generations of students the joys of walking and biking to school safely.

Unfortunately, there are schools in Philadelphia without PE teachers or the time or staff necessary to take our trainings and implement the lessons.  For these schools, our Safe Routes Philly program provides assemblies.  These assemblies are not the ideal delivery vehicle for the Safe Routes message, for they are not repeatable within the school without our future involvement.  But they do reach students who would otherwise miss our lessons.

Host a cross-crountry PE teacher in Philly Sunday night!

A Sudbury, Massachusetts middle school physical education teacher, Catherine "Cate" Dill, began an unprecedented 5,246 mile trek coast-to-coast on February 1, 2011 in Santa Barbara, CA.  Called "Let's Get Moving America," Coach Cate is promoting physical activity throughout the school day, eating nutritiously, and living one's passions by walking, running, cycling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, hiking, and inline skating across the country to her final destination in Boston, MA by mid-June.  A website devoted to her trek is here.

She is making her way to Philadelphia this weekend and will be visiting a couple of public elementary schools on Monday with our Safe Routes Philly team.  However she is currently looking for a place to stay on Sunday night.  Does anyone have space to put Coach Cate up on Sunday evening?  If so please contact Diana Owens at diana@bicyclecoalition.org.

Two Rivers, Two Bike Events This Saturday

There are two family-friendly bicycle events happening this Saturday along both Philadelphia rivers, and Safe Routes Philly staff will be on hand for both.

First, a golden opportunity to saddle up to a (dare we say 'vaunted'?) Bicycle Coalition Bicycle Rodeo is this Saturday in Schuylkill River Park!

For the city slickers among us, bicycle rodeos are fun skill-building obstacle courses which teach children ages 8-12 valuable bicycle skills in a safe and supportive environment.  Join our very own Cy and the CHOP Kohl's Mobile Safety Van for a bicycle-confidence-building morning.  Participation is free but space is limited: RSVP to Carolyn Duffy at carioduffy@yahoo.com

What: Free Bicycle Rodeo
Where: Schuylkill River Park (east side of Schuylkill River between Pine and Spruce St.)
When: Saturday, May 21st 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
What to bring: bicycle, helmet, enthusiasm.*
More information: here.

Skeptical?  Here are some photos from a Bicycle Rodeo which took place last Saturday in Mt. Airy (click to enlarge):

And for those leading their horses to drink the Delaware on Saturday, there is a free bike clinic hosted by the Friends of Washington Green.  Get a free bicycle inspection from Performance Cycles.  Three Philadelphia bike police will lead a ride along the river trail and show children how to safely cross Columbus Blvd.  Safe Routes Philly staff member Steve will be there giving helmet fittings and going over the bike ABCs.  Prizes and free soft pretzels, too!

What: Free Family Bike Clinic
Where: Washington Avenue Green (the new river park on the Delaware at Washington Ave)
When: Saturday, May 21st 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
What to bring: bicycle, helmet, enthusiasm
More information: website and flyer.

*Note: the Kohl's Mobile Safey Van will be selling discounted helmets on site.  Enthusiasm will be provided free of charge.

A Bicycle Rodeo at Williard Elementary

Bicycle Rodeos are one of the many ways our Safe Routes Philly program brings bicycle education to Philadelphia elementary school students.  A bicycle rodeo is a fun skill-building event where children learn and practice bicycle skills like signaling, weaving, and quick stops.  Safe Routes Philly staff Megan, Emily and Cy conducted a rodeo at Williard Elementary School in Kensington on April 27th.

Williard is an elementary school which takes its students' health and fitness seriously.  Thanks in large part to the efforts of PE teacher Debra DeShields, Williard hosts a 'Turn Off the TV Week', an annual Walk to School Day, and PACES (Parents And Children Exercising Simultaneously).  The rodeo was part of Turn Off the TV Week.

The rodeo took place after school with 15 students and the assistance of Debra DeShields, plus one staff and one parent volunteer.  Our Community Reps had to move the rodeo indoors as a tremendous thunderstorm drenched the area with rodeo-discouraging wind and rain.



A child navigating the Snake Pit

The children, however, were far from discouraged by the deluge.  One student walked home in the rain to retrieve his permission slip!  Students use their own bikes for the rodeo, which allows them to build confidence on the bike they will ride outside of school.  Our staff also perform equipment checks, and one bicycle's brakes were too loose to use (that child learned about the importance of bike tuneups, and shared a bike with another student).

The rodeo stations that Wednesday were a turtle race (balancing at slow speeds), signaling exercise, snake pit (maneuvering and weaving drill) and an education station (labeling parts of a bike).  The rodeo lasted one hour.

The children had a blast and gained valuable two-wheeled confidence, but the parent volunteer on hand also came away more confident.  She told Megan that watching her son move through the exercises made her feel better about him biking home and around the neighborhood.

The Williard Elementary rodeo posse

The Bicycle Coalition's Safe Routes Philly program has at least ten more rodeos scheduled for this summer.  If you are interested in bringing a rodeo to your school or community, check our our resources page.

Last Rites for Dead Bikes

Last Monday, Ben from the Bicycle Coalition performed last rites on 24 dead bicycles in Center City Philadelphia.


One of the dearly departed

 We've all seen these poor bicycles, their years of devout service ignobly rewarded by being lashed to a pole and forgotten.  When they were locked up, these bicycles no doubt expected to be retrieved in a matter of hours.  But hours became days, and days became months, and their owners never returned.  Perhaps the lock key was lost, or a component was vandalized, rendering the bike inoperable.  Yet surely these faithful steeds deserve better than to be rusted by rain and picked apart by passing vultures.

Now cracks a noble heart.  Good-night, sweet Raleigh Recoro*

Fortunately, the Bicycle Coalition looks after these deserted machines.  Working with the City of Philadelphia's Streets Sanitation Department, we tag dead bicycles for removal.  The tags are bi-lingual, neon orange, remain for a week, and display a phone number to call for questions or claims.  After that week, we remove the bicycle (or remnant of a bicycle) with the City's help and donate it to Neighborhood Bike Works.  There, the bike is cleaned, dressed in white, and then recycled for salveable parts.

Thanks to this effort, bicycle parking is freed up, the streets are cleaner, and 24 derelict bicycles have been given the rest they deserve.

*With apologizes to Hamlet.

Author Presentation and Panel Discussion This Thursday

Safe Routes Philly is a BCGP program which promotes biking and walking as fun, healthy forms of transportation in Philadelphia Elementary Schools.  Teaching students how to safely walk and bike to school improves students' health and can relieve burdens on school district resources.  With the Philadelphia School District considering cutting funding for bus and SEPTA student transportation, these lessons are all the more valuable.

This week a parent group is hosting a presentation and panel discussion at Henry C. Lea Elementary School in West Philly.  The speakers are Jacqueline Edelberg and Susan Kurland, educators and authors of the acclaimed book How To Walk To School.  The event is free and open to the public.

What: Authors presentation by Jacqueline Edelberg and Susan Kurland.  Panel discussion, book sale and signing, and garden reception with refreshments.
Where: Henry C. Lea Elementary School.  4700 Locust St, Philadelphia PA 19139.
When: Thursday, May 5, 2011 @ 5:45 pm
Cost: free and open to public

The flyer for the event is available here.