Yes, you too can bike to school!
Biking to school, when available, can be a great way to get exercise, reduce traffic, and have fun on two or three wheels. We’re here to help with the best practices and safety tips to ensure that trip, and all trips, are safe ones.
Our in school programs include lessons in the classroom and on the bike, with some schools having us there for 2-4 weeks at a time. This allows us to take youth out for rides near their schools, teaching about the routes, what to look for, what to think about, and how to ride safely.
Keep reading for more information, or reach out to us today with questions. We’re here to help!
In Class Bike/Walk Safety Lessons
Our in class lessons are tailored to each grade level, recognizing that younger students may lack the maturity to ride to school independently, while older students may be distracted when it needs to be on the road. All lessons are based in traffic law where applicable, otherwise they are best practices for safe biking and walking. We strongly encourage helmet use on every ride regardless of age. Safety gear is always essential because streets are unpredictable, and parents should model this behavior for their children.
For youth in K-3 grades have an adult or responsible young adult to help with the crossings, hand signals, yielding, and scanning -skills critical for navigating streets, bike lanes, pathways, and sidewalks. Every driveway is an intersection, so sidewalks require just as much attention as an on-street bike lane. Check out our reminders about sidewalk riding here. Remind each other that the white lights on the back of a car mean it’s backing up, so don’t assume someone is going to see you. Wearing brighter colors during the day and using reflectors, flashlights, and bike lights at night are all good practices for safety. Have your head on a swivel and if in doubt, yield or stop.
For grades 4 and up, we recommend riding with peers if possible. More eyes on the road can make it safer. For older students, the same rules apply as the younger ones, but we add in more discussion about safe bike lane and roadway use. You can find information about some of the more common crashes here on our YouTube Channel. We also explain Idaho’s unique Stop as Yield law that’s not common in many other states. You can learn more here, but remember, just because you can use this law doesn’t mean you should or that you have to. When in doubt, just stop. If you’re riding at night or in the early morning, or even in foggy conditions, use your bike lights. White on the front and red on the back, required by law in every state. If someone can see you, they can work with you.
There’s a lot more to safety than what we’ve got here. If you’d like to schedule a class at your school or office, let us know!
Bike Rodeo, Traffic Garden, Bike Skills Course..lots of fun!
A bike rodeo/skills course is an on-bike session that focuses on bike handling skills, bike maintenance, rules of the road, and helmet fit. The course is designed like a mini road system, with 3 way stops, a roundabout, newspaper toss, slalom weave, and even a duck dodge. All of these are fun to do while teaching invaluable cycling skills for real world use, even the duck dodge, which helps kids move quickly around something on the ground!
We provide these events for schools in the Boise, West Ada, Caldwell, Nampa, and Vallivue districts, as well as for community events and other requests, depending on our availability. The schedules for the year fill up very quickly, so get in touch with us as soon as you can.
When available,helmets can be provided to school age children who might not otherwise have access to one. It’s as fun as it sounds and we bring nearly everything you need, including bikes and scooters to borrow.
