==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
Bicycling and Pedestrian Education Programs
Education is a key goal of BWA-NH
BWA-NH is pleased
to promote standardized bicycling and pedestrian education programs for all
levels of interest. Whether the program is offered by BWA, the League of American
Bicyclists (LAB) Certified Instructors outside BWA, or privately by other organizations,
we want to spread the word that bike-ped education is important and the courses
can be a lot of fun. Bicycling is a life-long activity, not a short-term sport
undertaken for a few years then dropped. From students in grade three through
college graduates and grandparents, there is a bike-ed program available for
you. Check out the LAB "TS-101" course
for adults which was conducted in April and will be offered again later this
year. At this time a pedestrian education program is being implemented by BWA
for elementary school age children and will be part of the more complex bike-ed
training. For more details about the LAB courses offered by BWA, please visit
the LAB
web site or contact BWA at info@bwanh.org.
"Traffic
Skills 101" classes planned for 2012
Two classes
in Concord are being planned on weekends, one in the spring, second in the fall.
Dates are not set as of February 1, but for details of the course content and
sign-up info, please visit our TS-101 page.
"Traffic Skills 101" class was held in Concord on April 2nd & April 9th with 12 students and 8 instructors
The TS-101 class as held in Concord at the BWA-NH office and coordinated by LCI Paula Bedard was considered very successful. We escaped the rain, the wind was not bad, everyone learned a lot, there were no crashes, and both the instructors and students had a good time. For more details and info about the next class, please see our TS-101 page.
To see what cycling
in traffic is like without training or any rules of the road being enforced,
check out this video taken from a San Franciso
cable car just days before the famous 1906 earthquake hit the city.
"Train the Trainers" program now being launched
To help incorporate this program on a statewide basis and with full LAB support, BWA-NH applied for and received a Safe Routes to School grant for $42,000.00. Currently certified LAB cycling instructors (LCIs) must take additional training to become Master LCIs to "Train the Trainers". In addition, the national bike-ed program as created by the LAB and the National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) must be implemented with the support of a local bicycle dealer who is a NBDA member. BWA-NH is very pleased to work with S&W Sports in Concord to fulfill this requirement and roll out the program in southern NH. Shop owner Tim Farmer has been extremely helpful with many community-based bicycling programs. In the "North Country" region of NH, BWA-NH is working with Littleton Bike & Fitness to implement the same training. Owner Dave Harkless of Littleton Bike is highly commited to promoting bicycling safety at all levels, and his shop is another key BWA-NH sponsor.
This new "TTT" program will allow not only the shop personnel to become LAB certified Youth or Skills Cycling Instructors but the shops and BWA-NH will be able to reach schools, other organizations, and the public. Plans are underway for current NH LCIs to attain the additional training for the Master level. (Two of the six were certified in March 2010.) Once all factors are in place, the "TTT" program for the schools will be offered at no cost to train the staff in standardized and sustainable bicycling education principles for them to implement annually for their students. Many schools have already asked for this training so BWA-NH is not forcing this program upon them. Awareness, training, compliance, and enforcement together will make our shared roadways safer and more enjoyable when motorists and bicyclists interact properly by following the rules of the road. To learn more about the LAB bike-ed programs, please visit the LAB web site.
Several of the
communities which applied for Safe
Routes to School (SRTS) funding have included a bicycling education component
in their grant applications. BWA has been asked to provide various levels of
bike-ed ranging from simple one-period presentations (like "NH BikeSmart"
and LAB "Kids-I" presentations) to longer programs including on-bike
activities (LAB "Kids-II" course) to the "Train the Trainers"
programs for a sustainable bike-ed program in a given school. There are six
LAB-certified bicycling education instructors in NH who will provide the expertise
for these nationally recognized programs. BWA is pleased to coordinate the efforts
and to help meet the SRTS goals.
Meet your NH League Certified Instructors
The first "face-to-face" meeting of all eight NH League Certified Instructors was conducted at the BWA-NH Concord office on November 14, 2010. Many ideas were exchanged, publicity options explored, hazards to cyclists discussed, and an action plan for bike-ed classes in 2011 was drafted. Also, now the group can place a name with a face and voice during our routine conference calls!
Three additional NH LCIs joined the group when they attained certification on August 27, 2011. BWA-NH congratulates and welcomes Bill Fisk, Rod Grimsley, and Joshua Walter. They will be assisting with the September TS-101 course plus others next year.
. 
. 
LCIs
Rod Grimsley, Bill Fisk, and Josh Walter, certified
League Cycling Instructors as of August 2011.
LCIs Ken Colburn, Sally McMurdo, and Bill Kennedy
LCIs Susan Weiss, Paula Bedard, and Michael Hurst
. 
Master LCIs Greg Bakos and Dave Topham
. .JPG)
Bill
Fisk, November 9, 2009 in Manchester and August 8, 2011 in Concord NH.
Note the red "Light Saber" on the downtube.
For additional info about the bicycling education programs and materials offered by BWA-NH, GSW, and LAB, please contact:
Dave Topham
BWA-NH Director
LAB M-LCI # 39
603.898.9926
dave@bwanh.org