Project Ride Smart ends

This week, many more LCIs joined us for the final set of blacktop drills and street ride. L-R: Mellissa, Doug, Jeff, Elle. We're having lunch in the classroom where the bikes are stored.

L-R: Elle, Pollyanna, Scarlet.

I stayed on campus with the red group. Here students are doing the ABCQuick Check. A = air. B = brakes. C  = chain, cranks, cassette. Quick = quick release especially the seat post to adjust for proper seat height.

Scarlet led the blue group off campus. The route was carefully planned so teachable moments would occur such as proper lane position, yielding at round-abouts, right and left turns, avoiding the door zone, and much more. Each student practiced as individual drivers of their vehicles.

Pollyanna led the yellow group. There were two LCIs per group of no more than 8 students.

Parent volunteers also went along. At the left, one of my red group riders is practicing power pedal, starting and stopping.

I am pleased to say that our team successfully taught 5 students HOW to ride a bike!

Project Ride Smart

I started working at H Allen Hight Elementary on Oct 14 teaching bicycle skills to four classes of 5th graders. This time, my teaching partner is Scarlet. Project Ride Smart lasts for three weeks. Each class will get 9 hours of intense instruction, blacktop drills, and a longer ride in the surrounding community.

Nice straight lines for the blacktop drills.

A fleet of bicycles in three sizes to meet the needs of everyone.

We took advantage of the decorations put out for the annual Harvest Festival.

Bike Palo Alto

I was invited by the Safe Routes to School coordinator to do a presentation at Bike Palo Alto.

El Carmelo was on a route through the city where participants could stop

for information on bicycle routes through the neighborhoods of Palo Alto,

get a helmet fit, find the safest route to school,

or learn more about family bicycling.

Safe Routes to School: Day 2

I parked my bike at the free bike valet.

Elle was a member of my LCI training classes. At the conference, she was part of a team

promoting Kidical Mass - Mixing children, grown-ups, and bicycles together.

There was all manner of kid-toting styles, some behind the bike and a few in the front.

A 3-mile ride through downtown.

My tour began after lunch. A group of about 30 people walked to the Amtrak station for a short ride to the Bicycling Capital of the USA, Davis.

This 14-mile riding tour explored the programs and infrastructure of Davis. Those who didn't bring their own bicycles, had rental bikes waiting for them at the Davis Amtrak station.

The director of UCD's transportation department told us about how 20,000 bicycles/day are managed within a student population of 33,000 students.

A relatively new community, UCDavis Village West is "the largest planned zero net energy community in the United States."

Here, the City of Davis bought then tore down a house to create this bike path, a vital connector between communities.

This conference was great and I appreciate very much NNTMA's sponsorship.

Safe Routes to School: Day 1

North Natomas Transportation Management District generously invited me to attend the 4th annual national conference. Perfect, I'll ride my bike to downtown Sacramento.

Despite doing my ABCQuick Check and going for a test ride yesterday, I soon had a flat tire. Since I'm not a tire-changing whiz (like Dick), I took the bus and RT downtown to the Sheraton Grand on J St.

650 participants this year.