We had a great ride in Eugene this past Saturday to celebrate our 5th year anniversary. The Birthday themed ride was attended by over 70 people, including at least 4 new families. After meeting at Monroe Park we rode downtown, over to the DeFazio bridge (and by the Earth Day celebration at EWEB Plaza), then back through downtown and out the Fern Ridge Path to the MacRhodes home in the Far West Neighborhood.  The birthday celebration continued with traditional flare; balloons, pizza, ice cream, cupcakes, crazy kids, visiting parents, and even gifts (in the form of a raffle). Thanks to Arriving by Bike for some of the prizes!

We also had Cliff Etzel there taking some special “Family Bike Portraits“.  Here’s a slideshow with a few of the families who joined us, ranging from those there from the beginning to brand new Kidical Mass families. Here’s to five more years of fun family bike rides!

Kidical Mass 5th Birthday Party – Images by Cliff Etzel

Join us this Saturday (March 16th) 11am at Monroe Park.

We’ll be ending up at Noisette Bakery for a fancy treat at the end.

photo via BikePortland

Here’s more information about upcoming family friendly rides too. If you’d like to get our monthly reminder email that gives all the details of the rides you can subscribe here.

Get Ready for the Birthday Ride!

Coming up in April we’ll be celebrating our FIFTH birthday of Kidical Mass. We’ll be throwing a special birthday party with games, food, fun and of course some biking so mark your calendars for April 20th!

Also- Camping Registration is Open!

Our June ride is our very special (and popular) family bike camping adventure! We’ve reserved our spot at Armitage Park and REI will be joining us for support again. It’s been a blast the last two years and I know a lot of families are looking forward to another fun time again. It’s June 15/16 this year; right after school get’s out and Father’s Day Weekend so it’s the perfect way to kick off the summer! Register Here!!

2013 Rides

Mar. 16- Tweed / Fancy Pants Ride (Monroe, 11am)
April 20- Birthday Ride! (5 year Anniversary Celebration!)
May 18- Geocaching Ride (Andy F…)
June 15-16- Family Bike Camping (Monroe to Armitage)
July 20- ?
July 21- Sunday Streets
Aug 4th- Blackberry bRamble Community Ride
Aug. 17- Bike and Boat the Willamette (+BBQ)
Sept. 21- ?
Oct 9- National Walk and Bike to School Day
Oct. 19- Pumpkin Ride
Nov. 16- Giving Thanks Ride
Dec. 21- Holiday Lights Solstice Ride

We’re looking for all the problem solvers, people who want to make the world around them better, and members of the Walk+Bike Network to join us at the Walk+Bike Annual Meeting. We hope you’ll come and discuss:

• How to make walking and biking easier, safer, and more accessible for youth and families.
• A report of last year’s goals
• Set statewide goals for the coming year
• Enable and excite our Network to make it all happen

When: April 25th, 9:30am to 12pm
Where:  The Salem Conference Center
Please RSVP if you plan to attend!

This year the Annual Walk+Bike Meeting is scheduled in conjunction with the Active Transportation Summit, which runs April 24th and 25th in Salem and will include some great SRTS sessions and representations as well as overall learning, networking, and lobbying opportunities.

Registration is open for the Walk+Bike Trainings in Eugene; June 21-23

My community is talking about educating youth and adults about bike and pedestrian safety.
How can we teach it to students in schools?
What would an adult or family workshop look like?

The Walk+Bike Committee has pulled together a couple of trainings that will help make you or a member of your community the resident expert on bicycle and pedestrian safety! The 3 training options are listed below. We are working on providing some travel scholarships, but don’t have anything confirmed yet. We’ll keep you posted. The location of the trainings is Eugene, OR.

-Bike Safety for Kids Curriculum Training, $15 (Register)
Training commitment: Saturday, June 22, and Sunday June 23, 8am-4pm, 16 hours

-Neighborhood Navigators Curriculum Training, $15 (Register)
Training commitment: Saturday, June 22, 9am-12 noon and 12:30-3:30pm, 6 hours

-League of American Bicyclists: League Certified Instructor Training, $300 (Register)
Training commitment: Friday, June 21, 5:30-9pm; Saturday, June 22, 8am-4pm; Sunday, June 23, 8am-4pm

The official lodging for the trainings will be the  Valley River Inn where we have confirmed a special rate of $99 a night and we will organize some fun events based from there since it is along the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path Trail system, near McMenamin’s North Bank, and a short bike ride from pretty much everything (this is Eugene after all).  Be sure and let them know that you are calling to reserve a room with the “Oregon Safe Routes to School” group.

You can read more about these trainings HERE. We will also provide some networking and hanging out time surrounding the trainings so all training participants can make plans for taking over the world!

LiveMove, the transportation and livability student group at the University of Oregon, is starting a walking school bus for Adams Elementary in which parents, their children, and LiveMove members will meet at Washington Park and walk to school together. This is a great way to teach children about safety, meet neighbors, save money on gas, and create a more sustainable environment! Please email me if you would like additional information on dates and times.

Hannah Crum
LiveMove Community Outreach Coordinator
hcrum@uoregon.edu

We’re excited to see this walking school bus form as part of a student led project working with the school and families to encourage more kids to be active in their transportation choices!

BICYCLE SAFETY TIPS
It is a great idea to ride your bike to school, but please ride safely:
1. Obey traffic signs and signals—Bicycles must follow the rules of the road just like cars
2. Wear a helmet and never ride with headphones (helmets are mandatory for everyone under 16 years of age)
3. Always ride in the same direction as traffic – Motorists aren’t looking for bikes riding against the flow of traffic
4. It is legal to ride on the sidewalk, but pedestrians have the right of way
5. Always pass on the left
6. Scan the road behind you – learn to look back over your shoulder or use a rear view mirror
7. Keep both hands ready to brake
8. Use hand signals – even if you just point in the direction you are going – let motorists know your intent
9. Make eye contact with drivers
10. Choose the best way to turn left—There are two choices: (1) Like a car: signal to move into left turn lane and then turn left; (2) Like a pedestrian: ride straight to the far side crosswalk then walk your bike across.
11. Watch for road hazards
12. Use lights at night (or all the time to be even more visible)
13. NO TEXTING OR TALKING ON THE PHONE WHILE RIDING
14. Lock your bike at school

The most efficient machine on earth in terms of weight transported over distance for energy expended is a human on a bicycle!

The trailer (with the bikes inside) were parked in the back of Prairie Mountain School and last seen Saturday about Noon. The church group at the school said they didn’t see the trailer there on Sunday morning at 6:30. The City of Eugene Bike Safety Instructor arrived at the school early Monday morning and saw that the trailer was gone and called to report it.
Here are pictures of the trailer and the bikes.

White 20 Foot Cargo Mate Trailer with Ramp & RV Side Door

Fleet in Trailer

Part of the fleet at Sunday Streets. Trailer in background

Single OSATA Bike in trailer

Bike Friday fleet being used with Kelly Middle School Students a couple weeks ago.

Also inside the trailer were:
40 Reflective safety vests
45 Helmets
Full Park Tool kit & repair stand
3 walkie-talkie radios (Midland
6 traffic safety signs (stop, yield, one-way, pedestrian)
small air compressor (Orange Black & Decker) & extension cord
Bike floor pump (yellow Topeak Joe Blow)
Tubes and parts

We are obviously crushed by this! Just as our bike eduction program was on a great upswing this loss of over $30,000 worth of equipment is devastating. It looks like the fleet that Bethel has been working hard to put together might be ready in time for this class to get back on the bikes to finish their classes but we now have to see what to do for the next schools we were going to teach at.

Here’s a link to a KMTR story on the fleet.

Here’s a link to a video the city is working on.

Please call Eugene Police with any information.

Contact Shane MacRhodes with questions: 541-556-3553

Yellow Instructor Bike

Video from KMTR on stolen fleet:

With the support of a grant from the Jane Higdon Foundation the Eugene Bicycle Safety Education program curriculum is being expanded by the local School Districts and the City of Eugene Recreation Division’s River House Outdoor Program.  This fall and spring, city recreation staff will use three fleets of bikes owned by the school districts to teach at eight middle schools in the region, reaching more than seven-hundred kids . The one-hundred bikes and three trailers (used to store and move the fleets) were purchased locally through various grants and sponsorships. One fleet was even specially built for the program by local bike manufacturer Green Gear (Bike Friday) and adjusts to fit kids and adults.

On Wednesday, October 10th students at Kelly Middle School will demonstrate the bicycle safety skills that they learned over the 10 hour course and we invite sponsors, supporters and the media to a special celebration at the end of their neighborhood ride.

Kelly Middle School
Wednesday, Oct. 10th
Neighborhood Ride: 11:00 am-12:15pm
Celebration & Demos: 12:00-1:00pm

More program information:
The goals of the Bicycle Safety Education program’s on-the-bicycle education are to increase bike ridership and safety among youth so they can have fun traveling predictably, visibly, and legally through our community. We hope to teach them lifelong skills about getting around in their community using active and healthy transportation choices. In addition, we recognize the many health benefits of biking that counteract the obesity epidemic in our country such as improving cardio-vascular fitness, improved coordination, stress reduction, increased muscle tone, strength, and brain function.
The City of Eugene Recreation Division’s River House Outdoor Program has a mission to reconnect people with nature and breakdown barriers people have to getting outside. We hope to inspire and instill an active, healthy lifestyle for people throughout the Eugene area. The Eugene Safe Routes to School Program serves a diverse community of parents, students, and organizations advocating for and promoting the practice of safe bicycling and walking to and from schools throughout the Eugene area.

Register, apply for a stipend, make a quick plan, announce it, and get kids walking and biking on Wednesday October 3rd for National Walk + Bike to School Day!

1) Register HERE

2) Download the Point2point Solutions Stipend Info Sheet and send your request in (before Sept. 24th).

3) Make a plan

4) Execute plan: Get kids walking and biking to school!