Pedestrian Safety Fact Sheet

Pedestrian Safety Fact Sheet

Proven Interventions
Policies that increase the number of people walking and bicycling appears to be an effective method for improving the safety of people walking and bicycling.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.safekids.org/our-work/research/fact-sheets/pedestrian-safety-fact-sheet.html


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THANK YOU AAA Reading-Berks!

Safe Kids, through the AAA Reading-Berks Foundation for Safety, have provided years of pedestrian and bicycle safety education to our children and their families. Today, I found this brochure in my son's school folder. If you are a parent or guardian of a school-age child living in Berks County, you are likely to have already read this brochure.

This brochure comes at a very significant time in the WalkBikeBerks annual calendar -- just as we are gearing up for International Walk to School Day.

It is my sincere hope that every driver, bicyclist, and pedestrian is protected from harm. I hope too that the work of WalkBikeBerks with the support of Safe Kids and the entire Berks County community works together to make it safer for our children to get to and from school every day.

Let's make a special effort in October -- for the kids?

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An Excellent Example for Walk to School Day

Click here: National Walk to School Day
9/27/2010
On October 6 (rain date October 7), at approximately 7:45
Birdsboro Elementary Center will partner with WalkBikeBerks and celebrate National Walk To School Day.

This day is dedicated to raising awareness of walking to school, improving walker’s safety, and encouraging more children to walk to school.
Birdsboro Mayor Myers, Interim Manager Aaron Durso, WalkBikeBerks President Nancy Kaufman, Principal Mary Beth Kiesel, Physical Education Teacher Dee Stamy, and parents will walk to school together for this special event.
Walking Route: Route can be found on the above link.

Walk to School Day Sponsors -- We can't do it without Your Help.

ADD YOUR COMPANY LOGO ABOVE TO BUILD
A CLEAN, HEALTHY, SAFE WORLD FOR OUR CHILDREN!

Thank you J.P. Mascaro & Sons for your financial support.

On Wednesday, October 6, 2010, WalkBikeBerks will celebrate Walk (Bike or Roll) to School Day throughout Berks County. We want to invite you and your community to become part of the county-wide movement to end childhood obesity.

Changing behaviors requires creative solutions that are safe and fun. A county-wide Walk (Bike or Roll) to School program can be both. Through our Walk (Bike or Roll) to School program, our volunteers offer education and skills programs and teach children and parents about physical activity such as walking and bicycling - which are essential to defeating this obesity epidemic.

With your support, WalkBikeBerks can help parents and children improve their weight management efforts and continue to make elected officials aware of the dangerous physical, mental and emotional consequences associated with childhood obesity.

What can you do right now to help us end childhood overweight and obesity?

• Support us with a donation to Walk (Bike or Roll) to School Day 2010. We can only stop this crisis with your help - any amount will make a difference to a child in Berks County. Please donate to WalkBikeBerks today. Donate Now.
  
• We also encourage you to contact your state representative and ask them to encourage PennDOT to ensure that Safe Routes to School Grant Awards begin building projects immediately.
  
• Participate in Walk (Bike or Roll) to School Day on October 6th.
  

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AAA Pushes to Cut Trail Funding. Speak Up Now!

We have received this letter from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. We felt that it was important to share with our WalkBikeBerks' members and readers.

AAA petition page

Ask AAA to be part of America's transportation future! Sign the petition.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) wants Congress to cut long-standing programs that support trails, biking and walking in order to divert those funds to the highway system. (Read the background.)
These programs have played a major role in the development of more than 19,000 miles of rail-trail across the country, most likely including your favorite local trail. These trails and other walking and bicycling facilities allow individuals across the country to enjoy the outdoors and safely and easily travel without a car for many short trips—while saving money and gas, and getting exercise in the process.
AAA has forgotten that bicyclists and trail lovers drive, support AAA, pay gas taxes and want balanced transportation systems that provide the choice to get around in a variety of ways.

Help us help them remember!

Dear AAA,
I am one of tens of millions of Americans who

want safe, convenient places to bicycle and walk.

AAA, be a part of America’s transportation future!
Say YES to the federal programs that fund all ways

of getting around—including trails, bicycling and walking!
Sign the Petition:
Go to the petition page now.

Thank you,
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

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National Public Lands Day In Berks County

Greetings!

Saturday, September 25 is National Public Lands Day. The event at Blue Marsh will start at Vista Pavilion at 8:30 a.m. and will run to 3:30 p.m.

Activities will include the following:

• Trail Work Project
  
• Litter Pick-up - Kirsten Stump, Blue Marsh Cachers, meeting at Sheidy Boat Ramp


• Hawk Watch led by Joan Silagy - 8:30 a.m. at State Hill Boat Launch Vista


• Fishing Activities, Dry Brooks Boat Launch, 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon, Bob Lyon and Roger Mallon


• Bicycle Ride, Walk Bike Berks, Connector Trail 9:00 a.m.


• Trail Walk, connector Trail, Becky Richards, Berks County Parks, and Kathy Grim, Corps of Engineers


• Blood Pressure Screenings, St. Joseph's Hospital


• Camping, Boy Scout Troop 430, 9:30 a.m. at Vista Pavilion


• Dancing, Lenape Northeast Woodlands Alliance, Elizabeth Belk, Vista Pavilion


• Outdoor Crafts


• Frisbee Golf


• Scavenger Hunt

I hope all of you can make it. Thank you for all of your support!

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Much needed to make Berks biker- and walker-friendly (9/16/10)

READ THIS: Much needed to make Berks biker- and walker-friendly (9/16/10)

Congratulations members and active volunteers of WalkBikeBerks! Please write to the editor of the Reading Eagle RIGHT NOW and let them know how much we appreciate their support of our needs.

Letters should be brief (about 200 words) and address a specific topic of general interest. For verification purposes include your full name, address, and telephone number (day & evening) also please include your e-mail. Concise letters will get preferential treatment and are less likely to be condensed. E-mail your letter to letters@readingeagle.com or if you prefer to mail your letters, please address to:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
READING EAGLE
P.O. BOX 582
READING, PA. 19603-0582
or Fax: 610-371-5098

Why write to the Editor? Because your words reach a broad and varied audience of business owners, municipal and state leaders, school boards, and others who make transportation decisions daily. If you want to do something to make walking and bicycling better in Berks County, write your letter and submit it today. The Reading Eagle and all of the readers are waiting to hear from you.


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Let Us Help You Celebrate Walk to School Day This Year!

WalkBikeBerks would like to help you celebrate International Walk to School Day on October 6, 2010 as part of your Safe Routes to School program.

Please let me know what we can do to help.

In the past, we have done the following for schools who celebrate Walk to School:

• Provided Bicycle Education 101 -- with free helmets, certificates and prizes for kids


• Coordinated support with the township, police department and related agencies


• Completed forms for Free PennDOT pedestrian signs


• Created promotional materials such as invitations, signs, banners, and press releases


• Walked door-to-door to make sure parents and community businesses were able to plan and support the day


• Contacted sponsors for T-shirts and/or other incentives for the kids to walk together


• Handled media relations


• Invited and hosted elected officials at the local, state, and federal level during the walk


• Established a safe starting point and coordinated in planning the safest route


• Secured additional grant opportunities from Safe Kids / AAA and other local resources to support a growing program


• Gained food and drink sponsorship from local groceries.


• Worked to get a logo design through health insurance company


• Conducted walkability audits to help improve the overall safety for children and families who choose to walk and bicycle to school.


• Presented Safe Routes to School and Complete Streets educational presentations

Our mission is to make walking and bicycling practical, convenient, and safe transportation. We are here to help you. Just let us know how.

610-323-2999
Sincerely,

Michele D. Barrett

WalkBikeBerks
http://www.walkbikeberks.org/
mbarrett [at] walkbikeberks.org

Cell Phone Text Ban -- Action Alert

We want safer streets: Stop texting and driving

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Josh Karns, PA Walks and Bikes

Pennsylvania is closer than ever to making our streets safer by restricting the use of mobile electronic devices while driving. The Pennsylvania House and Senate have been negotiating the specifics of the bill, and House sponsor Eugene DePasquale stated that he is “confident – not 100 percent convinced, but confident – that we’re going to have a strong bill done this fall.”

Some members of the Senate, however, prefer a watered-down version of the bill that would only apply to new drivers and would make it a secondary offense. It is unsafe for any driver to be texting behind the wheel, and the people of Pennsylvania know it.

Let’s send a clear message to the Pennsylvania Senate that we want a strong bill that applies across the board, and let’s make it a primary offense. This will make our roads safer for all users, especially pedestrians and bicyclists.

Write or call your Senator now using our easy online tool.

Find Your Senator HERE.

Or Use these contacts and the Form Letter Below, as I have done.

Senator O'Pake
opake@pasenate.com

Senator Mensh
bmensch@pasen.gov

Senator Rafferty
jrafferty@pasen.gov

Dear Senators:

Drivers distracted by cell phones are making Pennsylvania's roads a dangerous place for all road users, especially pedestrians and bicyclists. I urge you to support a bill that restricts drivers across the board. Cell phones and text messaging are a distraction to all drivers, regardless of age or experience.

The verdict is in: using a mobile phone while driving reduces reaction time. To ensure enforcement of the restrictions, I urge you to support a bill that makes this a primary offense.
Please act now to improve the safety of Pennsylvania pedestrians, bicyclists, and all road users.

Thank you,

Pennsylvania retailers are stocking a New Form of Green Transportation

Imagine riding your bicycle to work on a summer day without needing to change out of sweaty clothes once you arrive at the office. Or having a bike that gives you a little push up that steep hill by your house.
Bicycles exist that provide this extra boost and power. But unlike the entirely pedal-powered cycles like the one you learned to ride as a kid, these electric bicycles have battery-powered motors to help push the rider along when pedaling isn’t quite enough.
They’re popular in China and Europe and somewhat common in the U.S. on the West Coast and in the South. They haven’t quite caught on nationwide because few bicycle shops sell them, but that’s changing ever so slowly, says Dr. Frank Jamerson, publisher of the Electric Bikes Worldwide Reports. And in Pennsylvania, a growing number of retailers are stocking this new form of transportation.

Read the full story HERE.

Walkable Reading -- Say Yes!

Make Penn Street more walkable, consultants tell Downtown 2020 committee

If you were able to catch this story in the Reading Eagle, then you know that consultants are encouraging a more walkable plan for the shopping district in downtown Reading. WalkBikeBerks understands that these things don't 'just happen' on their own. Good things come as a result of the efforts of good people doing good work.

If you are one of those who support livable streets -- you know, the kind where it's easy and safe to stroll along store fronts and window shop -- it's time for you to let others know. I encourage you to start typing now. Write a Letter to the Editor in response to this story and support a Complete Streets plan: designed and maintained as a safe and attractive public space that supports walking, bicycling, and public transit.

Together, we can build a Livable City!

Letters to the Editor
Letters should be brief (about 200 words) and address a specific topic of general interest. For verification purposes include your full name, address, and telephone number (day & evening) also please include your e-mail. Concise letters will get preferential treatment and are less likely to be condensed.

E-mail your letter to letters@readingeagle.com
Fax: 610-371-5098

If you prefer to mail your letters, please address to:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
READING EAGLE
P.O. BOX 582
READING, PA. 19603

Kutztown and Fleetwood elementary students walk to their first day of school

Berksmont News: Serving Berks County

By Lisa Mitchell
Patriot editor

Students across the region walked, biked, rode the bus to their first day of school on Aug. 30.

Click here for the full story:
http://www.berksmontnews.com/articles/2010/09/02/kutztown_area_patriot/news/doc4c7e9a2d9b06f921712995.prt

Walk or Bike to School Event Sponsorship

Sponsorship Level

Bronze $100.00 Silver $250.00 Gold $500.00 Platinum $1,000.00 Platinum 2x $2,500.00

On Wednesday, October 6, 2010, WalkBikeBerks will celebrate Walk or Bike to School Day throughout Berks County. We want to invite you and your community to become part of the county-wide movement to Fight Childhood Obesity.

Changing behaviors requires creative solutions that are safe and fun. A county-wide Walk or Bike to School program can be both. Through our Walk or Bike to School program, our volunteers offer education and skills programs and teach children and parents about physical activity such as walking and bicycling - which are essential to defeating this obesity epidemic.

We strongly encourage everyone to plan to include children and adults of all abilities.

Walking one mile to and from school each day is two-thirds of the recommended sixty minutes of physical activity a day. Plus, children who walk to school have higher levels of physical activity throughout the day. With your support, WalkBikeBerks can help parents and children improve their weight management efforts and continue to make elected officials aware of the dangerous physical, mental and emotional consequences associated with childhood obesity.