Joomla! site syndication http://www.biketexas.org Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:55:39 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.biketexas.org/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.biketexas.org Joomla! site syndication http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/979/71/ Cyclist and SuperCyclist-Certified PE teacher Oscar Torres noticed something very fundamental missing from the Annual Track and Field Day at Williams Elementary School in Pasadena. Bicycling! So Oscar and fellow PE teacher David Garza fixed that problem this past May 12th when they organized the first annual Williams Track and Field Day Bike Ride. But first, they prepped the students with three weeks of bicycle safety lessons, using the 15-unit SuperCyclist curriculum. By the day of the ride, the kids knew their hand signals and the seven bike laws cold! Helmet fitting was especially emphasized in the three weeks prior to the event. Assistant principals, Linda Flores and Wendy Wiseburn, also did a helmet fitting check just before the kids mounted up for to the ride. BikeNews - Education Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:07:57 +0100 http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/977/71/ Petition (http://www.bikedfw.org/petition.shtml) update - submitted by BikeDFW I feel that now it is up to us to really beat the bushes, so to speak, and get that average non cyclist to pay attention and help with our cause, says BikeDFW president Eric Jackson. If we can get the average person to accept cycling in greater DFW as a good thing and a viable means of transportation, we will have accomplished more than enough to say this organization matters. Luckily, we've had the assistance of several local news stations who have covered our petition in light of the recent string of cyclist-related crashes in the past few months, including Channel 11 KTVT, CW33, and at least two articles in the Dallas Morning News. While this has made quite impact on our petition, word of mouth will continue to be our greatest ally towards gaining signatures. This means metroplex cyclists need to make sure that friends, family, and other acquaintances know what riding a bike means to us, and why we want to keep it safe. BikeNews - Advocacy Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:38:17 +0100 http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/976/71/ Forty-three pumped-up elementary school PE teachers gathered at Ramona Bang Elementary School in the Cypress-Fairbanks (Cy-Fair) ISD on June 4 for the Texas SuperCyclist Curriculum certification training. Up to 11,094 Cy-Fair elementary and middle school students stand to receive bike safety education in the coming school year, based on 2007 SuperCyclist survey results of average number of students taught by PE teachers actively implementing SuperCyclist lessons. (258 students per active teacher.) The larger-than-usual size of enrollment in the SuperCyclist training was not a problem as Texas Bicycle Coalition contract SuperCyclist instructors, Regina Garza and KC Jones, moved through the classroom and active portions of the six-hour training, guiding the teachers through the key aspects of the 15-unit curriculum. Texas Bicycle Coalition staff members Brenda Chuleewah and Mark Stine and Cy-Fair ISD PE Coordinator Loretta Bourn managed the logistics to keep the training on a smooth course. The teachers jumped into the Hang-Tag, Seven-Rules, Decision Course, and Skills Course gym exercises, truly enjoying the rare chance to all come together from their schools and have a great time before heading off to their summer lives. With their SuperCyclist certification, they also carry off six continuing-education credits for their professional development. BikeNews - Education Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:59:23 +0100 http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/975/71/ Texas Bicycle Coalition has sent the following letter to Bicycling Magazine. (If you are using Firefox, click on the image of the letter to the left and then choose Maximize to read the content.) When speaking to journalists or reporters about cycling in any Texas community, Texas Bicycle Coalition board members and staff speak in terms of what has been accomplished as well as what challenges remain to be faced. Like many other cities and towns in Texas, Dallas has made tremendous strides in recent years. The comprehensive region-wide and local plans currently in the works for the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex will take years, still, to accomplish, but are truly visionary. Texas Bicycle Coalition board members and staff do not provide negative information for Bicycling Magazine or any other publications to use in reviewing the state of cycling in Texas cities. We have and will continue to take a positive and long-range view of cycling in our very unique state. BikeNews - Community Successes Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:04:32 +0100 http://www.biketexas.org/content/view/974/71/ The Honorable Will Wynn, Mayor of Austin, presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Texas Bicycle Coalition on May 22, 2008 on behalf of the Austin City Council. The certificate recognized many years of effort in areas such as trails and bikeway funding, developing bike safety curriculum training programs for elementary school PE teachers, and building support across the Texas Congressional delegations for Safe Routes to School funding through the federal transportation bill. Benefits for these efforts have been measurable in dollars in cities and regions across Texas, including the Austin Area. BikeNews - Advocacy Tue, 27 May 2008 08:45:21 +0100