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Tag: bicycling

Bike to School Day 2016

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National Bike to School Day 2016 is Wednesday, May 4, and Street Smarts Diablo is sponsoring Bike to School events throughout Contra Costa all spring long.
Why bike? It’s fun, it’s healthy, it reduces traffic, and it’s pollution-free! Students are reminded to use Street Smarts to stay safe while biking, skateboarding, or riding scooters to school:

      • Wear helmets
      • Ride on the right side of the road (go in the same direction as traffic)
      • Stop at red lights and stop signs, and
      • Make eye contact with other drivers

Parents are reminded to use Street Smarts while driving in the 25 MPH school zone. Your children – and their classmates – are worth the extra time it takes to drive safely.

2016 Participating Elementary Schools:

Bel Air Elementary (Bay Point): Tue., April 26
Rio Vista Elementary (Bay Point): Tue., April 26
Shore Acres Elementary (Bay Point): Tue., April 26
Valle Verde Elementary (Walnut Creek): Wed., May 4
Walnut Acres Elementary (Walnut Creek): Wed., May 4

2016 Participating Middle Schools:

Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High School (Pittsburg): Wed., April 6
Antioch Middle School: Thu., April 21
Pine Hollow Middle School: (Concord): Tue., April 26
Pleasant Hill Middle School Thu., April 28
Martinez Junior High School: Fri., April 29
Riverview Middle School (Bay Point): Tue., April 26
El Dorado Middle School (Concord): Wed., May 4
Foothill Middle School (Walnut Creek): Wed., May 4
Walnut Creek Intermediate School: Tue., May 17
Valley View Middle School (Pleasant Hill): Wed., May 18
Edna Hill Middle School (Brentwood): Tue., May 24
Black Diamond Middle School (Antioch): Wed., May 25

2016 Participating High Schools:

Heritage High School (Brentwood): Thu., May 5

2016 Bike to School Event Photos:

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Fitting a Helmet


Brochure: How to Fit a Helmet (English) (Spanish)

Bike Safety Checklist: For Parents & Children

[For Parents] Helping Your Child Be a Safe Bicyclist
[For Kids] Ride Your Bike Safely

Helping Your Child Be a Safe Cyclist   Riding Your Bike Safely

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

2015 Summer Youth Bike Challenge

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bicycle_wheel_040415511 Contra Costa is rolling out a new youth biking program in Pleasant Hill. The Summer Youth Bike Challenge provides fun, healthy, no cost summer recreation that challenges participants to explore their hometown via bicycle.
Challenge destinations include public parks and athletic fields, the library, Farmers Market, and Downtown Pleasant Hill.  The Summer Youth Bike Challenge is open to all students in grades K-12. Participants are asked to take the challenge and bike to local places by August 29.
For more information, visit the Pleasant Hill Summer Youth Bike Challenge webpage.

Share Your Ideas to Help Shape Contra Costa's Transportation (2014)

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The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is updating the Countywide Transportation Plan and they would like to hear your ideas on how to keep Contra Costa moving. CCTA is responsible for maintaining and improving Contra Costa’s transportation system by planning and funding key projects, like the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore, Highway 4 widening, and BART system extensions. The agency also helps maintain local streets, reduce traffic congestion, and make Contra Costa safe for bicyclists and pedestrians all in efforts to get you where you need to go.
ccta_keep_ccc_ moving copy
The CCTA in collaboration with Contra Costa municipalities and cities want to know what transportation issues you think are important so they can prioritize where to spend time and resources – BART? Buses? Highways? Local roads? Pedestrian paths? Bicycle routes? Do you have new ideas? You tell them. This is your chance to participate in setting the priorities for our transportation system and suggest your own bright ideas for new projects and programs in Contra Costa. There are many ways you can provide your input:
Attend a public workshop to hear more about the CTP.  Here’s a list of the upcoming workshops:

    • Southwest County Public Workshop: Wednesday, September 10, 2014, 7pm, Veteran’s Memorial Building, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette
    • West County Public Workshop: Saturday, September 20, 2014, 1:30pm, Richmond Convention Center, Bermuda Room (enter from Nevin St.) 403 Civic  Center Plaza, Richmond
    • West County Public Workshop: Monday, September 22, 2014, 7pm, Hercules Community Center (Gym), 2001 Refugio Valley Road, Hercules
    • Telephone Public Workshop: Tuesday, September 23, 2014, 6pm, Dial 877-229-8493 and pin# 1126642 when promptedP
    • Past event: Central County Public Workshop:  Wednesday, August 27, 2014, 7pm, Assembly Hall at Civic Park Community Center, 1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Cree
    • Past event: East County Public Workshop: Thursday, August 28, 2014, 7pm, City Council Chambers, Pittsburg Civic Center, 65 Civic Avenue, Pittsburg
  2. Participate in CCTA’s online survey at www.KeepContraCostaMoving.net, to share your priorities, your bright ideas, and see what other ideas have been submitted.
  3. Call 925-256-4720 or email 2014CTP@ccta.net to have a copy of CCTA’s survey mailed to you.

Your opinions and ideas will help shape Contra Costa County’s transportation planning for the next 25 years.  Don’t miss this opportunity!
CTP Frequently Asked Questions
English and Spanish Flyer On How To Participate

Closer Look at The Amazing "Hovenring"

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With thousands of likes, shares, re-blogs, tweets, comments and views, the floating bicycle roundabout known as “Hovenring” may well be the most popular piece of bicycle infrastructure around the globe. It really is quite impressive, in fact we blogged about it shortly after it was first unveiled.  Visually, it’s sleek and beautiful…
… but there’s more to the story.
The project was an engineering feat that had to overcome some obstacles. Ethan Siegel, writing for Starts with a Bang!, notes:

“A huge challenge for building any large, suspended structure is dealing with the inevitable vibrations that will come about, and the Hovenring indeed came face-to-face with that right after its inauguration. A 70-meter (230-foot) tall central pylon was erected, which was then connected by 24 steel cables to the circular bridge deck. All told, the structure weighs in at more than one million kilograms. That much mass, constructed in this fashion, prevented torsion on the structure to keep it stable, but was insufficient to prevent severe vibrations due to winds.”

It took a few months, but the Hovenring eventually overcame all barriers and today sits as likely the most stunning roundabout – bicycle-specific or not – in the world.
For more information about Hovenring, head over to Starts with a Bang! or Twisted Sifter.

Active Transportation to Get $360 Million (2014)

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Caltrans, regional transportation agencies and the federal government have combined funds to provide $360 million in grants for the Active Transportation Program (ATP).  Active Transportation is a term used to describe walking, biking, and transit.  The funds for ATP will be targeted at projects like bike lanes, safer intersections for pedestrians, safety improvements leading to and around transit stops, and non-infrastructure programs like Safe Routes To School safety education outreach.
Jeanie Ward-Waller is the California advocacy organizer for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. She said this is the most money by far that has been offered to improve walk/bike routes.  But she said that it is also unique because the priorities for awarding the money are not just about transportation. Part of the decision about awarding the money will be based on potential boosts to public health. Some money is earmarked for projects in disadvantaged communities.  “It’s watershed in terms of supporting walking and biking, but it’s also a watershed in how it is being targeted,” Ward-Waller said. “I think it’s a new standard about how we are approaching transportation and prioritizing things like public health and sustainability and making sure equity is a lens.” Read the full article in California Report.
 

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