Three WWBPA trustees recently attended a small bike summit of primarily Essex County bicycle advocates. We spent two hours telling each other about what our organizations do and picking up ideas from each other. Here are some that intrigued us:
A bike scavenger hunt built around a theme and including some wacky bike-related activities:
45-minute bicycle-safety classes in gym class for middle schoolers and talks in school assemblies about how to ride safely in traffic (South Orange Maplewood Bicycle Coalition);
A class on how to ride safely in traffic, taught through an Adult School (South Orange Maplewood Bicycle Coalition);
Crossing Guard Appreciation Day (Bike Walk Montclair);
Regular short Sunday rides to local destinations (South Orange Maplewood Bicycle Coalition);
Bike registration with the police (South Orange Maplewood Bicycle Coalition);
More frequent walk to school events to turn it into a habit, rather than a special event, perhaps working with PTAs (Bike Walk Montclair).
Do you think the WWBPA should borrow any of these ideas? We’d like your input. (Of course, we always need volunteers for all our activities, so please consider giving a bit of your time toward building a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly community.)
Tags: bicycle education, bicycle safety
I am sure that there is a Master Plan to improve Penn Lyle Road!
For the immediate need it has to be cheaper to paint saftey lines along Penn Lyle, from Clarkesville to New Village Road. As Spring and Summer approach ther will be more adults and children riding along Penn Lyle and it has been my experience that cars tend to get too close for comfort.
Painting a safety buffer on both sides still leaves enough room for cars to share the road.
Need I say again that painting the lines is cheaper than reconstructing Penn Lyle.
I like the bike registration with police as long as it is not a requirement.
I would like to see, especially if one of our members, say Daryl McMillan (although it doesn’t have to be a board member), participates in Anchor House that we have a bike ride from Grovers Mill park to QB Mall for the welcome home ceremonies. I realize this might not be ideal riding conditions. Hopefully, we will be dressed for bicycling – being visible. If I am in NJ that Sat. I would be willing to lead the ride.
[…] you live in West Windsor, or even nearby, go to the West Windsor Bicycle and Pedestrian Alliance blog and read their good ideas for different types of bike/ped events, and let them know which type […]
The bike scavenger hunt could be a great opportunity for both education and community outreach. (Plus a lot of fun.)
More walk and bike to school events! Better yet, combine them with crossing guard appreciation and youth bicycle education. Let’s talk about how the NJ SRTS Resource Center staff, myself included, can help.