Sunday, July 27, 2008

Pennsylvania's Bicycle Driver's Manual

Click here: Pennsylvania's Bicycle Driver's Manual
Bicycle InformationPennsylvania Bicycle Driver's Manual - For more information about Bicycling Magazine or the other publications of Rodale Press, please call 800-666-2806 or write to: Rodale Press, Inc. Department R Emmaus, PA 18098 Pub 380 (6-99)
Cover of Rodale Press publication "Street Smarts"
Foreward
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chap 1
Chap 2
Chap 3
Chap 4
Chap 5
Chap 6
Chap 7
Chap 8
Chap 9

Friday, July 25, 2008

Agenda July 26, 2008

9:00 – 10:30 Monthly Meeting

9:00 Call to Order

Minutes –
· Review and Approve minutes
· Comments and concerns

Treasurer’s Report
Postal Report
Old Business -
501 (c) 3 – Jeremy
LOGO – David
Brochure – Jennifer and Barbara
Membership Fees/Benefits – Membership Committee
Paid member status report – Michele
Bike Friendly Status Application – Emily
BCTV – Bob
Liability Insurance – Bids?
Antietam’s Walk to School Day Report – Michele

New Business
Board Vacancy
Pro Walk/Pro Bike

Discussion

10:30 Adjourn

Monday, July 21, 2008

Friday, July 18, 2008

Welcome

Please welcome our newest board member, Ben Levengood. Ben joined us, hit the ground running, and has been a force of energy and talent we are thrilled to have with us.

Thank you, Ben. And welcome.

Welcome as well to the new members who have been joining us over the summer months. Your contributions in ideas, time, and talent are sincerely appreciated. Exciting things are planned for WalkBikeBerks in the coming weeks and months, and it is because of your donations and volunteer efforts that we will be able to make them all possible.

Thank you,
Michele Barrett, Board President

Thursday, July 17, 2008

August 1st Deadline Approaching

PennDOT has more than $12 Million for Safe Routes to School Infrastructure for local governments in Pennsylvania. Apply today.

From the PennDOT Safe Routes to School Website:

Update – June 19th, 2008
Resolutions – The resolution requirements have been changed. Resolutions will still be required, but they will not need to be on file before the project sponsor submits an application. They will still be required prior to the reimbursement agreement being signed, should the project be selected for funding.
New Non-Infrastructure Resources
The Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA) has updated their SRTS Academy website.
The National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS) has added online training modules (videos) to provide an overview of the Federal Safe Routes to School program.

Visit this site to find all of the information you need to complete the Infrastructure Application for up to $1 Million in Safe Routes to School funding for your community.
http://www.dot.state.pa.us/Internet/Bureaus/CPDM.nsf/SRTSHomepage?OpenFrameSet



Planning Deputy Secretary

Program Development & Management Home

Background

Getting Started

Program Guidance

Application Instructions

Infrastructure Application

FAQ's

Links

Non-Infrastructure Grants - PANA

Contacts

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

For Immediate Release


“Promoting fun, health and fitness by encouraging walking and biking to school. Let’s get Pennsylvania kids moving again! It’s fun. It’s healthy. And it’s good for the environment.”
~ PANA Safe Routes To School Academy

For Immediate Release:
Contact:
Michele Barrett
WalkBikeBerks
PO Box 6795
Wyomissing, PA 19610
610-779-9702

Mount Penn Elementary Center Wins
PANA Safe Routes to School Academy Mini-Grant

In partnership with PennDOT, Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA) is helping schools and communities celebrate International Walk to School Day. On June 17, 2008 PANA announced the winners of its first round Safe Routes to School Academy Mini-Grants, and Mount Penn Elementary Center was one of five Pennsylvania Schools to be awarded $5,000. The purpose of the mini-grant award is to educate and encourage students to walk to school.


Mount Penn Elementary School and WalkBikeBerks will kick-off their Safe Routes to School Program with a Walking School Bus Celebration on October 8, 2008 –International Walk to School Day!

Kids need exercise. Sadly, the latest statistics prove they’re not getting it. In fact, childhood obesity rates have nearly doubled in the past twenty years. Along with all the health benefits of regular activity, children who walk or bike to school demonstrate better concentration, enhanced memory, improved learning and creativity, boosted mood for up to two hours after being physically active, higher test scores, and less disruptive behavior.
Changing behaviors of children and parents require creative solutions that are safe and fun. Safe Routes to School is a national effort with more than $612 million in federal funding to be allocated to states from 2005-2009. Twenty-one million of this funding has been designated to Pennsylvania to increase the number of students who walk or bike to school and improve the health and safety of our communities as a result. WalkBikeBerks, with PANA , will work closely with parents, school districts and local governments to begin their own Safe Routes To School Programs.
A simple, fun, cost-free transportation choice, a Walking School Bus is easy to organize. Developed by PANA, a walking school bus is a group of children walking to school under the supervision of one or more adults. It can be as informal as two families taking turns walking their children to school or as structured as a route with meeting points, a timetable and a regularly rotated schedule of trained volunteers. Parents often cite safety issues as one of the primary reasons they are reluctant to allow their children to walk to school. Providing adult supervision may help reduce those worries for families who live within walking or bicycling distance to school.
A walking school bus is simple to begin. Pick a single neighborhood that has a group of parents and children who are interested.
1. Invite families who live nearby to walk.
2. Pick a route and take a test walk.
3. Decide how often the group will walk together.
4. Have fun!

A good time to begin is during International Walk to School Week on October 6-10, 2008. Walk and look for ways to encourage more children and families to be involved. A second round of PANA Safe Routes to School Academy Mini-Grants opens October 8, 2008. Organize your SRTS Team today!

For more information, contact Michele Barrett, President of WalkBikeBerks at walkbikeberks@yahoo.com or visit PANA’s Safe Routes to School Academy Web site at http://www.srtsacademy.org/.


# # #

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Gearing Up for International Walk to School Day

For more information about International Walk to School Day, please visit: http://www.walktoschool.org/. Click on Who's Walking to learn more from other districts in PA who have already registered to participate. WalkBikeBerks will be happy to help you find any information, make connections, or prepare for Walk to School Day in your community. Call 610-779-9702 today!

Please consider requesting these free pedestrian crossing signs for your school zones. You will want to write a letter requesting that your local municipality contact PennDOT for the signs. Request as many as you need. Of course, the signs can remain in the crosswalk outside of school hours as well, increasing safety for all pedestrians in a community.

These pedestrian signs will be one of many simple steps that can be taken to create safe walking conditions for children (and their parents) when they participate in International Walk to School Day on October 8, as well as for all other walk to school days in your districts.

Our local PennDOT contact for this request is:

Linda Guarini, TE Coordinator
(610) 205-6950
lguarini@state.pa.us

Press Releases -->January 2007
-->
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Jan. 10, 2007

PENNDOT URGES MUNICIPALITIES TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY BY USING CROSSWALK SIGNS

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation today reminded municipalities that they can improve pedestrian safety by installing free crosswalk signs.

Since 2001, PennDOT has distributed more than 3,400 of the fluorescent yellow-green, free-standing crosswalk signs to municipalities across the state. The signs, which are placed in the center of a roadway directly before the crosswalk, are offered to municipalities upon request.

In order to receive the sign at no cost, the municipality must have either an area with a high car/pedestrian crash history, or roadways that are difficult to cross because motorists fail to yield.

Pennsylvania law says that when traffic signals are either not present or not operating, motorists must yield to pedestrians within a marked crosswalk, or any unmarked crosswalk, at an intersection. Violators of the law are subject to a $50 fine.

A PennDOT study in southeastern Pennsylvania found that crosswalk signs are very effective in helping to increase pedestrian safety. In fact, where the signs are used, motorists are 17 to 34 percent more likely to yield to pedestrians.

According to PennDOT, roughly 10 percent of fatalities on Pennsylvania roadways during 2005 involved a pedestrian. Of the 1,616 fatalities reported in 2005, 162 were pedestrians.

Municipalities interested in receiving crosswalk signs should contact their local PennDOT district office.
http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=459343

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Google Map of the Thun Trail


View or Edit Larger Map

You can improve this map by adding amenities, photos or commenting on trail conditions. Click on "View or Edit Larger Map". You will need a GMAIL account to do so.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Logo Contest Winner Announced -- Awarded FUJI Bike!

On Sunday, June 22 at 3:00 WalkBikeBerks launched our new Student Designed Logo with a celebration on the trail. We joined at the Brentwood Trailhead where we congratulated Angela Chapell-Mimms, WINNER of a new FUJI BICYCLE donated by SPOKES Bike Shop. (She is wearing red in the photo.)

David Sloyer, who awarded the bicycle to Angela on behalf of SPOKES is located in the center.

Michele proudly poses with her 'borrowed' Fuji bicycle -- generously provided by SPOKES as well.

First time trail-rider Grace, far right, stands next to her brand new tag-along bicycle purchased at SPOKES Bike Shop.
After pictures, awards, and congratulations, we set off on the trail to have ice-cream and cool drinks at Scoupe DeVille. It was a great day!
Thank you sincerely to Angela for her fine art work. Thanks also to all of the students who contributed. We are so impressed by all of the entries received. Thank you also to David Sloyer, Mike Myers, and Chip, and all of the others at SPOKES who gave so generously of time, assistance, and donations.