Getting Kids in VT on Bikes --webinar

"Getting Kids on Bikes"

We all know biking is a great form of healthy and green transportation, but sometimes it takes a special initiative to get children and families on bikes. In this webinar we will explore how can you get more kids to bike to school or summer camp and ways to provide opportunities to bike at school or summer camp. Integrating bicycling into your SRTS program is a great way to extend the reach of your program and help foster a lifetime of healthy bicycling habits. This webinar will focus on the elements required to launch a successful biking campaign: Getting Organized Selecting, Mapping, and Promoting Preferred Bike Routes Staying Safe Jason Van Driesche, Director of Advocacy and Education at Local Motion, will share tips, tools, and best practices to help you create a culture of biking in your community. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions following the presentation and are encouraged to send us questions in advance.

When: Thursday June 6, 12 - 1 p.m. EDT REGISTER TODAY    This webinar is offered by the Vermont Safe Routes to School Resource Center in collaboration with Local Motion and the Center for Health and Learning. For more information please contact Abby Mattera at abby@saferoutesvt.org.

However, Vermont is leading National Bike Challenge already again!

See ALL HERE

Period :  Warm up May June July August September Challenge period updated: 5 minutes ago
unit: points/1000 persons

• 1
  

  Vermont

  219.86 p.
• 2
  

  Wisconsin

  114.46 p.
• 3
  

  Nebraska

  95.23 p.
• 4
  

  Iowa

  30.58 p.
• 5
  

  District of Columbia

  28.66 p.
• 6
  

  Colorado

  25.87 p.
• 7
  

  Utah

  21.80 p.
• 8
  

  Pennsylvania

  21.59 p.
• 9
  

  Montana

  17.44 p.
• 10
  

  Ohio

  16.17 p.

  
  

Vermont takes 23rd in Bicycle-friendly states ranking

From Bicycle Times

The League of American Bicyclists has released its latest Bicycle Friendly State ranking and for the sixth year in a row, Washington continues to lead the nation, with high performance in all categories. Up-and-coming states—including Delaware, Illinois and Arizona—charged up the ranking, shaking up the top 10.

The BFS program is more than an annual assessment. Throughout the year, League staff will work actively with state officials and advocacy leaders to help identify and implement the programs, policies and campaigns that will improve conditions for bicyclists. The ranking is now even more comprehensive, capturing more information than ever before and delving more deeply into the issues embedded in becoming a more bicycle friendly state.

Delaware took a leap in the 2013 ranking, moving from No. 10 to No. 5 in just one year. Also making a strong showing in this year's rank is Colorado and in the Southwest, Arizona moved back into the top 10.

For more on the Bicycle Friendly State Rankings, including individual state report cards, visit the League of American Bicyclists.

2013 Bicycle Friendly State rankings

1. Washington
2. Colorado
3. Oregon
4. Minnesota
5. Delaware
6. Massachusetts
7. New Jersey
8. Wisconsin
9. Illinois
10. Arizona
11. Maryland
12. Michigan
13. Maine
14. Utah
15. Pennsylvania
16. Virginia
17. Tennessee
18. Connecticut
19. California
20. Nevada
21. Iowa
22. Texas
23. Vermont
24. Georgia
25. Rhode Island
26. Idaho
27. New Hampshire
28. North Carolina
29. Louisiana
30. Missouri
31. Florida
32. Ohio
33. Wyoming
34. South Carolina
35. Hawaii
36. Mississippi
37. Arkansas
38. Oklahoma
39. Montana
40. Kansas
41. Nebraska
42. Indiana
43. New York
44. West Virginia
45. Alaska
46. South Dakota
47. Kentucky
48. New Mexico
49. Alabama
50. North Dakota

May is National Bike Month!

From BicycleTimes

Each year in May we celebrate National Bike Month, 31 days devoted to celebrating and promoting two-wheeled transportation. Here’s how you can make the most of it:

Check the League of American Bicyclists’ national database for events near you. You can even submit an event of your own to be included.

Participate in one of the national events. National Bike to School Day is May 8, the second annual Cyclofemme ride is May 12, the national Ride of Silence is May 15, Bike to Work Week is May 13-17 and Bike to Work Day is May 17.

Promote National Bike Month to your friends and in your area. The League of American Bicyclists has put together acollection of great promotional material to help you out.

Help other non-cyclists participate. Let’s face it; it’s easy to make excuses not to ride. The League has put togetherthis handy guide with common complaints and sample solutions to help people get the pedals turning.

Need inspiration yourself? Try out Bike Month Bingo! Print out this bingo card, pin it on your fridge and check off boxes as you ride. Compete against your friends!

Looking for even more competition? Join the National Bike Challege, log your rides, collect points, and compete against friends, co-workers, and bicyclists across the country. 

Back-in angle parking for Montpelier?

The idea is simple: you take diagonal parking and change the direction of the parking spots from angling 45 degrees from traffic to 135 degrees from the flow of traffic. This could be very interesting for a number of roads in Montpelier as the city is planning on becoming a certified "League of American Bicyclists Bronze Medal Bike Friendly City".  Read more about Back-in angle parking below.


Advantages 
Back-in/head-out angle parking is similar to both parallel and standard angle parking. As
with parallel parking, the driver enters the stall by stopping and backing, but need not
maneuver the front of the vehicle against the curb. When leaving the stall, the driver can
simply pull out of the stall, and has a better view of the oncoming traffic.
Bicyclists 
This type of parking provides a safer environment for bicyclists using the roadways. The
driver is able to see the cyclist easily when exiting the stall. Several cities where back-in
angle parking has been implemented have seen a reduction in number of accidents
compared to the number of accidents at regular parallel parking schemes. Matt Zoll at
Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee says that after implementing the backin/head-out angle parking scheme in Tucson they “went from an average of 3-4 bike/car
accidents per month to no reported accidents for 4 years following implementation.”
Visibility 
In contrast to standard angle parking the visibility while exiting a back-in/head-out angle
parking into traffic is much improved. When the driver is backing up (into the stall), the
driver is in control of his lane: traffic behind either waits, or changes lanes.
Steep terrain 
Back-in angle parking can also be useful on steep terrain: if used on the correct side of the
street, it causes drivers to automatically curb their wheels, which in turn prevents runaway
autos. Used on the wrong side of a steep street, however, it is likely to cause more
runaways.
Disabled parking 
In Pottstown, PE, a 13-foot wide handicap accessible stall has been incorporated into the
angle parking as the last space, intersection nearside, of each block. This places each
disabled parking stall close to the existing curb ramps, and allows the wheelchair-using
drivers to unload out of the way of traffic (see Figure 6). By contrast, the street’s previous
parallel parking arrangement could not be safely used for disabled parking, and
conventional angle parking raised safety concerns for the street’s proposed bicycle lanes.
 
Read the whole article HERE at albanyhomezone.