Bike Co-op Offers Series of Bike Safety Classes

The Bike Co-op will offer a series of nine bike safety classes beginning February 25 and continuing through April 17. This is a buffet -come for the entire feast or just for the courses that appeal to you. There is no cost except for those who need this as a prerequisite for a League Cycling Instructor seminar.

The class will be coordinated by Rick Price and by other League Cycling Instructors (LCIs) in the community.

This class brings together forty years of Smart Cycling curriculum developed by the League of American Bicyclists for both novice and experienced riders. There is something for everyone here. You may attend only the classes that interest you although if you wish to receive a certificate for completing the class you must attend all sessions and take an exam. There is no charge for the class unless you wish to receive the certificate. In that case the fee is $60 ($30 for students and educators). ANYONE interested in becoming a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) needs to take this entire class and an exam to get the Traffic Skills 101 certificate (a prerequisite for your LCI). Otherwise just come for fun!

The first 8 classes are 1 hour and 15 minutes each on Thursday nights at the Fort Collins Bike Co-op. There will be no class during Spring Break (March 18) The last class is a three hour on-road class Saturday, April 17th.

AND please tell your friends.

Classes begin at 7 p.m. at the Bike Co-op at 331 North College Avenue.

Feb. 25 – Vehicular Cycling Philosophy and Practice (What this class can do for youth, adults, beginning cyclists, educators, commuters, and motorists);

March 4 – Picking a bike: what kind of bike should I buy ?

March 11 – Bike Maintenance Basics (very basic: replace a tube; patch a tire; simple brake and derailleur adjustments);

March 18 – Spring Break – NO CLASS;

March 25 – Safety equipment, Bike Clothing, accessories, & on-the-bike tools for commuters, recreation and touring;

April 1 – Principles of Traffic Law (in general and in Colorado);

April 8 – How crashes happen and how to avoid them;

April 15 – Riding basics (classroom);

April 17 (Saturday) Bike Handling basics – Parking lot drills (1.5 hours); On-the-road practice (1.5 hours)

Take a look at the League of American Bicyclists web site for other classes we are offering this spring.

Call Rick Price if you have question: 970-310-5238.

What Does City Council Have to do With a Platinum Bike Plan?

Everything. City Council sets policy in 2-4 year increments. They approve plans (like the Parks Master Plan that was just approved or the Bike Plan approved last Oct. 7, or the Bicycle Advisory Committee created by Council also last October 7th.)

Some people seem to like bike lanes, bike trails and paths, others think they are "extras," or childish, or even wasteful.

We've got several candidates running in Council districts 1, 3, and 5. We think you should support Ben Manvel in district 1 (that's Ben with the "One less car" on his shirt in the photo), Dale Lockwood in Distruct 3, and Kelly Ohlson in district 5.

Keeping incumbents, Manvel and Ohlson on Council is absolutely critical. Adding Lockwood would be a great touch to a supportive Council.

If you want a great summary about all these races, read Eric Fried's latest piece in Fort Collins Now. Pay special attention to his comments about Kelly Ohlson's opponent, Andrew Boucher: "all his columns rehashed the same points. Ready? Regulations, fees, taxes: bad! Nanny state: bad bad! Free market, Realtors, entrepreneurs: good! Open space, bicycles, transit: childish. Cars, roads, development: grown-up. Unions: bad. Poppaw, Manvel, Roy: badder. Ohlson: baddest."

Do us all a favor: Send Kelly Ohlson $25 today to help with his campaign, and vote for Kelly Ohlson, send Dale Lockwood another $25 and vote for him too. And send that last $25 contribution to Ben Manvel and vote for him if you're in District 1. Your vote, of course, depends on your Council district. But they all need your $25!

Portland takes Platinum

Indeed today Portland, Oregon will receive the highest Bicycle Friendly Community award from the League of American Bicyclists. We should all plan a trip to the City of Roses to see how they did it!

Davis, CA is Nation's Only Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly Community

Interested in knowing why Davis is the only League of American Bicyclists' Platinum level Bicycle Friendly Community? Here are a few links to tell you about Davis as Bike Town USA:

A "platinum level" bike ride through Davis, California
by Gene Bisbee at 10:42AM (PST) on February 6, 2008
http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2008/2/6/3500191.html

League of American Bicyclists Description of Davis, CA
http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/communities/bfc_davis.php

Davis, CA community wiki
http://daviswiki.org/Front_Page?action=search&inline_string=bicycling

Why a Platinum Bike Plan Blog for Fort Collins and why now?

1. Our Bike Plan was written in 1995 and updated in 2008.
2. With the 2008 update City Council mandated that the City Manager create a Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) to advise Council and City Staff on bicycle matters in Fort Collins. The BAC is taking shape now.
3. Once created, the BAC needs to hear from YOU on how to implement the existing plan and how to engage cyclists and others in improving that plan.

Why a “Platinum” plan? What’s that?

1. Bicycle Friendly Community awards are given by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB). We had the Silver level award from 2003 until 2008 when we got th gold award. There is just one level left, Platinum. Boulder, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, andDavis, California all have the Platinum level award. Some of us think that Fort Collins should be next.
2. The LAB program gives us a metric and a goal. We need to start aiming towards that goal.

How do we get to Platinum?

1. There is no simple formula but the bottom line is this: “what percentage of trips to work are made by bicycle in our community?” If we could answer 16% (like Davis, CA) we’d get the Platinum. Or if we could answer 8% (like Portland and Boulder) we’d get the platinum. We’re at about 5.5% give or take.

So how do we do this?

1. Develop good metrics so we can really understand how many people pedal in Fort Collins.
2. Develop a real bicycle culture where motorists respect cyclists and cyclists respect motorists and follow the rules of the road.
3. Develop an educational outreach program to teach newcomers to town (like all those CSU students every August) that they are a vehicle. That they need to be predictable, visible, use lights at night, stop at stop signs, and not go the wrong way in a bike lane.
4. Make everyone including kids, seniors, students, commuters, racers, and recreational cyclists feel safe on the road.

How does the blog help?

1. By giving us a tool box, idea box, and shared resource to brainstorm how to build our bicycle culture. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
a. Expand the Fort Collins Bike Library check-out locations to every major hotel in town and to the two parking garages in Old Town.
b. Fix the asphalt trails in our City parks.
c. Finish the Downtown Strategic Plan to complete bike lanes east and west across College Avenue at all major intersections.
d. Implement the Canyon Avenue bicycle bouleveard from the west side of CSU campus to Old Town with access to College through the Oak Street Plaza.
e. Begin planning for an overpass/bridge/gateway to the City on Harmony Road where the Powerline Trail is now scheduled to cross Harmony.

2. The BAC which is just now being formed will have lots of public input to get started!