ward A inning W Safe Routes for Kids Bicycle Safety Program THE BICYCLE Curriculum TRANSPORTATION THIRD EDITION ALLIANCE presents a comprehensive program that teaches traffic savvy through classroom activities and on-the-bike skills practice. The goals of the extensive road, and specifically on-the-bicycle, education offered by this program are to increase bike ridership and safety among youths so that they travel predictably and safely. Acknowledgements B A C K G R O U N D The Bicycle Safety Program was CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT TEAM developed by the Bicycle Scott Bricker Transportation Alliance through Bicycle Transportation Alliance Program Director, author a grant provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Serra Sermet Bicycle Transportation Alliance This safety curriculum was Program Manager, curriculum development, field testing, editing modeled using the following Karen Frost programs and educational Bicycle Transportation Alliance materials: Catherine Ciarlo Traffic Safety Education Guide. Bicycle Transportation Alliance Editing University of Florida, Gainsville (1998) Corinna Wilborn Grapheon Design Effective Cycling: Kids II. League of Design, layout American Bicyclists Lizzy Caston Basics of Bicycling: Version 1.1. Review, evaluation Bicycle Federation of America Kids on Bikes In Chicago ART (Pamphlet). City of Chicago Justin Short The Alaska Bicycle Driver’s Guide Illustration (Booklet); State of Alaska, Department of Public Safety Tom Frisch Computer illustration Training Programs for Bicycle Safety. Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (1998) CURRICULUM COMMITTEE Effective Cycling. John Forester, (REVIEW AND CONSULTATION – 1999) MIT Press (1984) David Mesirow Principal (retired) PROGRAM SPONSORS Kathy Smith The following sponsors gave Teacher – Health MS essential financial and materi- Jessica Lawrence als support that made our first Teacher – Health MS year a success. Greg Wilson Planner, City of Corvallis Ira Grishaver Community Cycling Center, Director Jo Ann Fairchild Trauma Nurses Talk Tough Sky Brigner Planner, Metro Barbara Plummer Planner, City of Portland Other special thanks in getting the program going to ODOT, Mike Morrison at Trauma Nurses Talk Tough, Deb Hogan, and the teachers including Nancy Phillips, Julie Ponder, Nancy Meitle, Kathy Smith, Jessica Lawrence, Cara Ungar and Jim O’Horo. ©2003 Bicycle Transportation Alliance Table of contents C H A P T E R P A G E I N T R O D U C T I O N Introduction to the Safe Routes for Kids Bicycle Safety Program . i O V E R V I E W Overview of cycling program . xi L E S S O N 1 Bicycle ridership and safety. 1 Purpose: Students learn traffic laws and the civic responsibility of riding L E S S O N 2 Helmets, gear and bike parts . 13 Purpose: Students learn the benefits of and to properly fit a bicycle helmet; they learn parts of the bike L E S S O N 3 Laws, hazards, and repair . 27 Purpose: Students review traffic laws, address riding hazards and repairing flat tires L E S S O N 4 Traffic simulation; fitting bikes. 35 Purpose: Students learn proper intersection behavior, seat placement, bicycle maintenance and sizing of bicycles L E S S O N 5 Controlling, stopping and signalling . 45 Purpose: Students learn primary bicycling maneuvers including scanning for traffic L E S S O N 6 Riding with traffic . 55 Purpose: Students learn proper cycling techniques for riding in traffic L E S S O N 7 Intersections. 63 Purpose: Students learn to yield and properly turn through intersections and driveways L E S S O N 8 Hazards and emergency avoidance . 71 Purpose: Students learn to identify and avoid bicycling hazards L E S S O N 9 Neighborhood bike ride / Bike rodeo . 79 Purpose: Students either go on the road for a practice ride or go through a series of bicycling activities L E S S O N 1 0 Neighborhood ride and written test . 85 Purpose: Students either go on the road for the final test practice ride or go through a series of bicycling activities for post-testing R E S O U R C E S Additional learning resources . 89 H A N D O U T S Handouts and worksheets . 99 I N D E X Index . 121 B I C Y C L E T R A N S P O R T A T I O N A L L I A N C E ’ S I N T R O Welcome ii What students learn iii Background of cycling education iv Overview of lesson plans v Starting and implementing vi Getting help vii Safe Routes for Kids Statewide Education Goals viii Bicycle Safety Program O V E R V I E W B A C K G R O U N D Teachers, you are about to offer your students the national award-winning Safe The BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION Routes For Kids education program, a comprehensive two-part program that ALLIANCE (BTA), a 501 (c)(3) a non- teaches bicycle safety education and transportation alternatives and solutions. profit organization, works to promote bicycle use and to improve bicycling con- The Bicycle Safety Program curriculum teaches traffic savvy through classroom ditions throughout the State of Oregon. activities and on-the-bike skills practice. Working with the Bicycle Transporta- Active since 1990 in the Portland metro tion Alliance (BTA), a statewide non-profit organization, will make it easy. region, BTA members work in partnership BTA instructors are working with classes throughout Oregon and Southwest with citizens, businesses, community Washington, bringing bikes, helmets and other program materials to make your organizations and government agencies to program a success. make our communities in Oregon safer, more pleasant and more livable. Why is the BTA offering all of these resources? Because children face a greater likelihood of death or disability through traffic related crashes than any other In the Fall of 1998, the BTA began implementing its new Bicycle Safety cause. Children between the ages of 10 and 14 have the highest rate of bicycle Program. The Bicycle Safety Program crashes for all age groups and since youths are usually at fault, a majority of began with seed money provided by the crashes can be avoided through education. The BSP is also a great way for Oregon Department of Transportation, youth to stay active and healthy. At a time when obesity amongst children and Transportation Safety Division. The BTA adults has reached epidemic proportions, bicycling is an excellent and efficient implements the Bicycle Safety Program means to meeting daily physical activity needs. in schools throughout Oregon and SW Washington, provides support, trainings, Youth use the roads for bicycling everyday. Yet roads can be hazardous and chil- equipment, and implementation services. dren are not formally educated to skillfully maneuver on the streets. As our The BTA has taught this program to over -children get older, they also increase the distance they travel and are thus 14,000 children in Oregon and SW exposed to higher traffic streets. Studies show that parents grant their children a Washington. In June of 2003, the BTA greater degree of freedom to travel from home (called home range) between the received the National Bicycle Education Leadership by the League of American ages of 10-12. These freedoms typically coincide with the move from Bicyclists at their National Bicycle elementary to middle school. Parents are justified to grant preadolescents more Education Leaders Conference. The BTA freedom because their mental, physical, perceptual, and coordination abilities has extensive experience with teaching are rapidly increasing to adult capacity. The extensive road, and specifically on- bicycle safety, this third edition includes the-bicycle, lessons offered by this program are designed to increase bike refinements as a result of field experience ridership, physical activity and safe and predictable riding amongst youth. and evaluation. i Safe Routes for Kids Bicycle Safety Program B A C K G R O U N D L E S S O N Goals for Bicycle Safety Program Welcome to the Safe Routes for • Increase safety of youth bicyclists Kids Bicycle Safety Program • Increase the number and frequency of children riding The Bicycle Safety Program (BSP) is a comprehensive curriculum, funded by their bicycles the Oregon Department of Transportation, with a goal to teach 4th-7th grade • Improve the lives of children students to travel safely on a bicycle. Students learn the traffic rules and by improving health, learning regulations, the potential hazards to travelling and handling skills needed to capacity, independence, and cycle effectively, appropriately and safely through their community. The BSP community conditions for promotes safe youth cycling and offers on-the-bicycle training; the BSP also bicycling. uses hands-on in-class lessons to teach safety concepts and laws. The curriculum is geared to meet Oregon’s statewide health and physical education Benchmarks. A series of corresponding optional activities are offered that meet reading, math, science, social science, and civics Benchmarks. Many of these optional activities are also found in the Safe Routes for Kids – Transportation Alternatives and Solutions curriculum. Ten cycle safety lessons, lasting 55 to 60 minutes each, are provided in this book. Of the ten lessons, four are in-class and six are on-the-bicycle. The lessons are developed to be taught on consecutive days but can be taught over the course of multiple weeks. (Note: A variety of lesson plans from 7 to 10 hours are provided in the next section, Overview of Cycling Program [p. xi]). The Safe Routes for Kids learning package includes the BSP and the Transpor- tation Alternatives and Solutions curricula that are designed to coincide with other school-based bicycle advocacy and education programs. Expanded Safe Routes for Kids lesson plans may include graphing bicycle ridership to school, survey of students’ transportation behavior, mapping safe bicycle routes, and learning the principles of physics that apply to a bicycle.