The Sitka Cycling Club (formerly known as the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition) will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at the Sitka Public Library. This meeting is open to all interested folks.
The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include brainstorming ideas on how to grow our Sitka Cycling Club; a discussion about what we can do to make Sitka more bicycle friendly; a discussion of monthly club bike rides this summer; a recap of the inaugural Sitka Half Century Ride; an update on the new Sitka bike co-op; a recap of the family friendly Kidical Mass bike ride on Sept. 14; discussion of International Walk/Bike To School Day on Oct. 2; the launch of a new Be Safe, Be Seen safety campaign; and other topics.
For more information, call Doug Osborne at 738-8734.
In 1970, more than half of all elementary school students ages 6-11 walked to school. By 2006, only 15 percent were walking to school. Alarmed by this trend, a group called the Partnership for a Walkable America started National Walk To School Day in 1997 as a one-day event aimed at building awareness for the need for walkable communities. In 2000, the event became international when the UK and Canada (both of which had already been promoting walking to school) and the USA joined together for the first International Walk to School Day. In addition to expanding into several other countries, the dates also have expanded and October is International Walk To School Month.
“Walking or biking to school is an excellent way to add some physical activity into your day,” said Doug Osborne, a health educator with the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC). “It can be a great way to start the day. Walking or biking can be a lot of fun. It’s also important to remember to be safe.”
Walking or biking to school with their children is a good way for parents to catch up on what’s happening in their children’s lives. Other benefits to walking or biking to school include less traffic, cleaner air, and friendlier communities. Walking with their children is a good way for parents see if there are things along the route that can be done to improve safety, such as improving lighting, checking crosswalks and watching for aggressive pets along the route.
International Walk (Or Bike) To School Day is a great teaching tool for safety. Parents and teachers can teach the kids about road safety rules and the importance of being visible when they walk or bike alongside the roads. They also can check their kids’ clothes and backpacks to make sure they have reflective tape on them.
Why wearing white is not enough.
Reflective tape is particularly important as we enter the dark months of the winter. Students need to Be Safe, Be Seen, and reflective tape can make a big difference in their visibility. Not only are kids sometimes hard to be seen because they’re blocked by cars, but many cars in Southeast Alaska experience condensation problems during the fall and winter that make it hard to see through windshields. Reflective tape and blinking lights can make it so kids are seen hundreds of feet before they would be if they wore plain dark clothes. Parents can buy reflective tape from local sporting goods, fabric, and similar stores. Sometimes it’s available from local health organizations. The Center for Safe Alaskans (formerly known as the Alaska Injury Prevention Center) produced a YouTube video (also embedded below) that shows how reflective tape makes you easier to see, and will have some free reflective tape available starting in October 2019.
To learn more about International Walk (Or Bike) To School Day, contact your local school to see if any events are scheduled, or check with the Alaska Safe Routes To School program. The official International Walk (Or Bike) To School Day website also has a lot of information about how to set up an event for your school, including tool kits to help you arrange an event. Even if your kids don’t walk the entire way to school, you can drop them off a mile or so away and walk in with them. Many parents create walking school buses to bring several students who live in the same area to school together in one group.
The Sitka Cycling Club (formerly known as the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition) will hold its monthly meeting from 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Sitka Public Library. This meeting is open to all interested folks.
The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include brainstorming ideas on how to grow our Sitka Cycling Club; a discussion about what we can do to make Sitka more bicycle friendly; a discussion of monthly club bike rides this summer; a recap of the inaugural Sitka Half Century Ride; an update on the new Sitka bike co-op; planning for the family friendly Kidical Mass bike ride on Sept. 14; discussion of International Walk/Bike To School Day on Oct. 2; and other topics.
For more information, call Doug Osborne at 738-8734 or Holly Marban at 966-8938.
The Sitka Cycling Club (formerly known as the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition) will hold its monthly meeting from 4-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Sitka Public Library. This meeting is open to all interested folks.
The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include brainstorming ideas on how to grow our Sitka Cycling Club; a discussion about what we can do to make Sitka more bicycle friendly (such as the installation of a new FixIt bike repair station downtown in August, donated to Sitka by CRW Engineering Group of Anchorage); a discussion of monthly club bike rides later this summer; a discussion of the inaugural Sitka Half-Century (a 50-mile bike ride on Aug. 24); the launch of a bike co-op/school, which includes an adult bike mechanics class on Aug. 22; planning for the family friendly Kidical Mass bike ride in September; and other topics.
For more information, call Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or Holly Marban at 966-8938.
The Sitka Cycling Club (formerly known as the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition) will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, July 19, at the Fisheye Organic Café. This meeting is open to all interested folks.
The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include brainstorming ideas on how to grow our Sitka Cycling Club; a discussion about what we can do to make Sitka more bicycle friendly (such as the installation of a new FixIt bike repair station downtown in August, donated to Sitka by CRW Engineering Group of Anchorage); a discussion of monthly club bike rides later this summer; a discussion of the inaugural Sitka Half-Century (a 50-mile bike ride on Aug. 24); the launch of a bike co-op/school; and other topics. Also, don’t forget the Fisheye Organic Café is one of the Bicycle Benefits business in Sitka, so ride your bike and bring your helmet into the restaurant to get a 20-percent discount.
For more information, call Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or Holly Marban at 966-8938.
The Sitka Cycling Club (formerly known as the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition) will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, June 21, at the Fisheye Organic Café. This meeting is open to all interested folks.
The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include brainstorming ideas on how to grow our Sitka Cycling Club; a discussion about what we can do to make Sitka more bicycle friendly (such as the installation of a new FixIt bike repair station downtown, donated to Sitka by CRW Engineering Group of Anchorage); a discussion of monthly club bike rides later this summer; and other topics. Also, don’t forget the Fisheye Organic Café is one of the Bicycle Benefits business in Sitka, so ride your bike and bring your helmet into the restaurant to get a 20-percent discount.
For more information, call Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or Holly Marban at 966-8938.
Rev. Julie Platson of St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church sprinkles holy water during the blessing of the bikes and local Worldwide Ride of Silence event held May 15, 2019. (Photo by James Poulson / Daily Sitka Sentinel)
The Sitka Cycling Club (formerly known as the Sitka Bicycle Friendly Community Coalition) will hold its monthly meeting from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, May 24, at the Fisheye Organic Café (note time and location change from last meeting). This meeting is open to all interested folks.
The monthly meeting is open to everyone interested in making Sitka an even better town for cyclists of all ages. Topics include brainstorming ideas on how to grow our Sitka Cycling Club; approval of a new Sitka Cycling Club logo; planning the Alaska Walk and Bike Conference in Sitka in early June, a review of National Bike Month events in May; a discussion about the Sitka Community Bike Ride on Saturday, May 25; the creation of a statewide biking/walking advocacy group (tentatively called Walk/Bike Alaska); a discussion about what we can do to make Sitka more bicycle friendly (such as the installation of a new FixIt bike repair station downtown, donated to Sitka by CRW Engineering Group of Anchorage); a discussion of monthly club bike rides later this summer; and other topics.
For more information, call Doug Osborne at 747-0373 or Holly Marban at 966-8938.
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