Lots of good thoughts here Vernon, thanks for taking the time to spell them
out so clearly. Suffice it to say that we have thought about most of what
you mentioned. We've borrowed a kit from our local AAA office that has
worked okay in the past. But we need something more complete.
I completely agree with you about the strict obedience issue. And it's why
I continue to resist the urge to go the LCI route. We've learned from
experience that strict application of traffic laws, especially for our
inner city refugee teens, can often inadvertently make them targets for
violent behavior and bike theft. Sometimes it isn't a good idea to stay on
the right-hand side of the road and come to a complete stop at an empty
intersection, like if there's a group of 6 older teens standing there
staring at you and your bike. But that's what happens if we go too far in
teaching these kids the rules of the road without adding some common sense
into the mix.
What we need, IMO, is a different type of bike safety/skills approach when
teaching kids, particularly refugee and inner-city teens. The last thing
any of us wants to do is have a kid spend his/her time earning a bike only
to have it get them beat up and have the bike stolen.
On the issue of safety training for deer.....I think the jury is still out.
Please consider your goals and objectives carefully as you plan, Matt. We
use bike rodeos to encourage more people to ride, recognizing that more
cyclists on the streets make all of us safer. Thus our primary objective is
to give people confidence in their ability to ride safely. Promoting safe
practices is secondary. We make sure everybody who tries succeeds,
hopefully learning some skills in the process. Our bike rodeos are not
competitions, because we don't want anybody to lose, though we provide a
venue for those who want to display awesome skills.
A fundamental skill worth focus is the ability to look back over the left
shoulder (right in UK) while maintaining a straight line. We also emphasize
riding slowly, by requiring those who finish the course too quickly to do
it again more slowly. We know it takes less skill to maneuver a bike
quickly.
Very few materials are essential. Portable road stripes (or paint) and
cones can be handy for setting up the course. A double ended ramp might be
a nice touch. A printed certificate of completion and safety take-home are
valuable. Free lights, reflectors, pant clips, and safety vests are nice
handouts. Posters can communicate the importance of holding your line a
safe distance out from the door zone and other obstacles on the right side
of the road. Help participants to understand that cowering on the shoulder
is not a safe riding style and that more cyclists are hit on sidewalks than
on the street.
There's a lot of controversy around helmets. Yes, they reduce skull
fractures from first impact if worn correctly, though they do nothing to
prevent concussion and slightly increase neck injury. The risk is that
telling people that bike riding is dangerous reduces the number of people
willing to cycle and thus makes cycling more dangerous. More people suffer
head injuries in automobiles than on bikes. Make them wear the damn
helmets. The main thing that will really improve safety is fewer cars.
I also refuse to instruct cyclists to honor all laws or "drive their bike
like a car." Traffic rules are designed to protect all users of the road
from the threat of motor vehicles. Cyclists should understand the risks and
ride defensively, without threatening other cyclists or pedestrians.
Stopping at every stop sign merely increases vulnerability. Learn to
maneuver away from threats. Stop when necessary. Be prepared to ditch your
bike to the right if cut off; it could save your life.
Since cyclists cannot be licensed, motorists should not expect them to
behave predictably. 75-90% of car-bike accidents are caused by the motorist
even if you expect bikes to comply with laws and none of them would happen
if there were no cars. China didn't have a universal traffic code before
1955 because they didn't need regulations when everybody rode bikes.
Holland has become much safer as they transitioned from cars toward bikes.
Hold out for a car-free future!
If cyclists learn to comply with their rules, will they then demand safety
training for deer?
Thank you for working to make cycling safer for all of us.
On Thursday, October 31, 2013 1:08 PM,
ThinkTank:
I am writing a grant to fund the purchase of a kit to set up and conduct
bike rodeos community-wide. Can anyone point me in a good direction so that
I can develop an itemized list of needed supplies and costs? I have a good
idea of what we need but I want to include a very detailed budget with
specific items included.
I think I remember seeing some info on the Wiki but that's obviously an
issue right now due to the malware situation. Anyone have a good source?
Thanks,
Matt
--
*Matt VanSlyke*
*Utica Bike Rescue*
*714 Washington Street, Utica, NY 13502*
*315.525.9554*
*matt@uticabikerescue.org*
*www.uticabikerescue.org*
*www.facebook.com/uticabikerescue*
*Learn. Earn. Ride.*
Matt VanSlyke