3/13/2012 @ 12-1PM: Building a SRTS Bike Brigade:Getting Started and Spreading the Success

When most people think of Safe Routes to School, walking is the first thing that comes to mind. However, cycling is another healthy, fun and efficient way for children to travel to and from school, and it’s a growing part of Safe Routes to School programs across the country.

Developing ways to encourage people to bike to school is a crucial component of expanding the reach of these programs. By including bicycling in our Safe Routes to School toolkits, we’re able to potentially reach those living farther away from their school.

This 60-minute webinar will cover two successful Bike Train/Bike Brigade programs and provide insight into how listeners can replicate their success within their own SRTS programs.

Register now!

Presenters:
Lauren Marchetti, Director, National Center for Safe Routes to School
Kiel Johnson, Founder of Bike Train PDX, Portland, Ore.
Gina Overshiner, Bike Program Manager, PedNet Coalition, Columbia, Mo.

Lauren Marchetti, director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School, will begin the presentation with a brief introduction and discussion of National Bike to School Day, which will be held for the first time this May 9.

Next, Kiel Johnson, founder of Bike Train PDX, will share invaluable tips on how to get a bike train running from the ground up. Kiel helped organize a successful bike train from Beach School in Portland, Oregon. Using that as a model, Kiel has spread bike trains to schools throughout the city.

Finally, Gina Overshiner, Bike Program Manager for PedNet Coalition in Columbia, Missouri, will discuss how she built a middle school bike brigade that rides every day, in conjunction with a school bike club and bicycle safety education classes. Gina will be joined by one of the seventh-grade girls who bikes to school daily.

This webinar is part of the Safe Routes to School Webinar Series, developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School. To view archived webinars, visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/events-and-training/SRTS-webinars.

For more information, please contact Michelle Gulley at mgulley@americawalks.org.