For the past couple of years a Youth Bike Summit has been held on the East coast and for the first time it’s headed out West this year. This is a great opportunity for any students, or people working with students, to get together to share information about youth, bikes and making a positive impact on communities. Here’s more information from the Summit organizers:

The Youth Bike Summit is a three-day conference geared toward youth, bikes, education, advocacy, and leadership. People from different disciplines, backgrounds, and ages gather together to learn, share, network, and explore how bicycling can be a catalyst for positive social change. There will be keynote speakers, hands-on workshops, panel presentations (many led by youth), and many other opportunities for youth and adults to share ideas about what biking can mean for youth, families, communities, and our planet. Check out these videos to learn more and take a peek at these photos from last year’s event.

This touchstone national event offers a youth and adult Keynote presentation, 30+ engaging workshops, hands-on

activities, a thought-provoking visioning session with youth and adults working in communities near and far. By creating a space where ideas from bicyclists of all ages can be heard, we seek to create a more inclusive national dialogue that addresses the issues, rights, and concerns of all bicyclists.

In 2014, the Youth Bike Summit welcomed more than 500 youth and adult participants from 26 states and 4 countries. Based on the growth of the Youth Bike Summit and the momentum it’s generated since its inception in 2011, the event is going national! For the first time ever, the Youth Bike Summit will begin to travel and will be hosted this year by Bike Works in Seattle, WA.

HISTORY: In March 2010, Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) (based in Brooklyn, NY) attended the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit with two high school interns who had completed a comprehensive job training program and Earn-A- Bike program. Both participants learned they loved bicycles and expressed an interest in learning more about how bicycling fits into policy, the environment, social entrepreneurship, and community-building. Traveling to Washington DC for the first time, the 17 year old participants explored the nation’s capital by bike, attended the conference, and lobbied elected officials. As the group debriefed on the bus ride home, we discussed the importance of engaging youth in the national dialogue of cycling education and advocacy. As a result, the idea of the Youth Bike Summit came into being. Both young advocates were active participants in the planning of the conference in 2011.

Youth Bike Summit 2015
WHEN: February 13-15, 2015
WHERE: Various venues in the Columbia City neighborhood in SE Seattle HOSTED BY: Bike Works 3709 S. Ferdinand, Seattle WA 98118
ADMISSION: $25/youth; $50/adult

For more information about Bike Works – www.bikeworks.org
For more information about the Youth Bike Summit – www.youthbikesummit.org

Contact:
Pasqualina Azzarello, Director of Youth Bike (917) 202-2028 pasqualina@youthbikesummit.org Deb Salls, Executive Director of Bike Works (206) 695-2607 deb@bikeworks.org

As the days get shorter and there is less natural light, it’s a great time to ride bikes with friends and keep active. Join us next year for the second annual Haul-a-day Ride in the Springfield Christmas Parade or this upcoming weekend for the Eugene Kidical Mass Holiday Lights ride.

This year, Kidical Mass Springfield started an annual tradition of riding in the Springfield Christmas Parade. Participants decorated their bicycles with holiday cheer and rode in front of the Springfield bike safety education fleet trailer. If you missed the fun this year, make sure to mark your calendars for next year! Join us for our haul-a-day ride. Here are a few photos from the fun parade:

Feeling inspired and looking for a good excuse to decorate your bicycle with lights and have fun riding around Eugene with other families viewing the holiday light displays? Join Kidical Mass Eugene for the Holiday Lights ride this Saturday!

Eugene Holiday Lights Kidical Mass Ride

Saturday, Dec 20th, 4:00 PM

Meet at Monroe Park

The 2014 Eugene Safe Routes to School project is nearing completion. The project was applied for by the City of Eugene in cooperation with Bethel and 4j school districts. These ODOT SRTS funds were applied for in 2010 and approved to be at the top of a waiting list dependent on funding. The funding came through in 2013 and design work was done in early 2014. Construction began in early fall and to date, widened sidewalks and upgraded ADA ramps have been installed in the 22^nd and Chambers school zone for ATA/Family School. The majority of the wayfinding signs have been put in around the city. All the bike hoops are installed at ATA as well as at Malabon and Irving elementary schools. All legends and striping have been placed at locations around the city. The path to Malabon Elementary from Ellsworth Street has been constructed.

The elements left to be worked on are the rectangular rapid flashing beacons at 18^th and Friendly and at 22^nd and Jefferson, which are scheduled for the week of the December 15. The two bike shelters for Irving School should be installed by Dec. 12. The speed reader signs on Royal Avenue will be installed soon as well.

Knife River Corp., working under contract for the Eugene Public Works Department, is the general contractor on the projects. Total cost of the projects is approximately $575,000, which is funded by a federal Safe Routes to School grant administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation. For more information, view a news release online or contact Project Manager Chuck Mueller at 541-501-0370 or Shane MacRhodes, 4-J Safe Routes to School Coordinator, 541-790-7492.

On Wednesday, October 8, Eugene and Springfield schools will join more than 260 Oregon schools in promoting and celebrating International Walk+Bike to School Day.

 
Walk+Bike to School Day is a internationally recognized day in which students are encouraged to use active transportation, such as walking and bicycling, to travel to and from school. It is one of the encouragement events coordinated by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership to promote walking and biking for safety, health, and congestion reduction. Not only will students learn valuable navigational and decision making skills by walking and biking to school, they also will show up at school more ready to learn after some morning exercise.

 
“In a time when we’re seeing increasing public support for bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs, we know events like this reflect the value of active transportation for all communities,” says Kari Schlosshauer, Pacific Northwest regional policy manager for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. “This event is just one of the many high-impact tools that show immediate positive benefits for children and families. We know that encouraging sustainable, active, transportation choices by reducing traffic and increasing safety around schools, and by increasing the level of physical activity for children, translates into healthier communities.”

 
Students at Hamlin Middle School and Springfield High School will celebrate by hosting their own bike repair events. Page Elementary School students will be registering for Boltage, a walking incentive program, and Connect2School, a free program that matches students with walking, biking, and carpool buddies. All Lane County students are invited to use the free Connect2School matching tool provided by Point2point at Lane Transit District. Visit http://www.point2pointsolutions.org/connect2school to find a match today!

 
The local Walk+Bike to School Day events are brought to you by the Eugene-Springfield Safe Routes to School program in partnership with active transportation champions at many of our elementary, middle, and high schools in the Springfield, Eugene 4J and Bethel school districts.

Leading up to Walk+Bike to School Day, Springfield SRTS is partnering with Hutch’s bicycle shop to provide FREE bike tune-ups to Springfield families. Come on out to Briggs Middle School at 10AM on Saturday, October 4th to get your bike looked at and to decorate your helmet with fun reflective stickers.

When: Saturday, Oct 4th, 10AM – Noon

Where: Briggs Middle School (pavement around side of school)

What: Free bike tune-ups and helmet decorating

Why: It’s fun! Prepare your bicycles for Walk+Bike to School Day and lots of fun fall riding.

Volunteers are needed to help with our Bike Safety Education rides.

Bike Safety Education Ride. Photo by Cawood.

Guess what? You get to ride your bike around, role model good bicycle behavior, and empower more youth to be safe, responsible bicycle riders. How fun!

Please sign up for Bike Safety Community Ride!

Here’s how it works in 3 easy steps:
1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/mB5HUx
2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots – VolunteerSpot will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: VolunteerSpot does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me (zane.s.wheeler@ci.eugene.or.us) and I can sign you up manually.

As our regional Safe Routes to School program expands, we need even more volunteers to help us reach our goal of providing bicycle safety education to every student in Springfield, 4j, and Bethel school districts. In the 2014-2015 school year we will reach over 1,500 students with our bike safety education course. THANK YOU in advance for your contributions to making this vision become reality.