MOTHER LEADS FOUR DAY -- 75 Mile -- WALK FROM EARTH DAY TO PA STATE CAPITOL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MOTHER LEADS FOUR DAY WALK FROM EARTH DAY TO PA STATE CAPITOL

Contact: Michele Barrett, mbarrett@walkbikeberks.org, 610-323-2999, 484-638-1391

Berks County, PA: 8:30 AM Saturday, April 30: From Earth Day to the Stairs of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, a suburban housewife and mother of two is beginning a four day journey (75 Miles) to bring attention to transportation needs of those who do not drive a car for every trip they make.

Founder of WalkBikeBerks, and now Safe Routes To School Coordinator for the organization, Michele Barrett will be walking to Harrisburg to draw awareness to the importance and the needs of those that bicycle and walk for transportation and recreation. " I am walking for Freedom, Mobility and Safety -- because the loss of even one more life on our transportation system is not acceptable. Recently, a news reporter asked me if we are doing enough to provide safety on our streets. I could only answer, 'When a person dies on the streets we pay for and build -- no -- we obviously have not done all that we can do.' Too often, we blame the victim of the collision, without ever asking: Was there any responsibility in the design of the street?"

In an effort to build a better transportation system that meets the needs of all road users, WalkBikeBerks was formed to bring Complete Streets and Safe Routes to School to Berks County PA. Now, Michele hopes to bring the message from Transportation for America's recent publication: Dangerous by Design, which can be found here: http://t4america.org/docs/dangerousbydesign/dangerous_by_design.pdf.

This walk to the PA State Capitol Building will end at the PA Walks & Bikes Summit. Along the Schuylkill River Trail: Thun Trail from Pottstown to RACC, other people will be joining Michele at various locations. She will be stopping in Birdsboro, PA on April 30th on her way to the Wyomissing Earth Day where WalkBikeBerks will be a presenter. Michele will stop in Birdsboro to highlight one of several Transportation Enhancements projects that will make locations in Berks County safer for pedestrians and all road users. Michele plans to be in Birdsboro mid-morning.

Participants in the walk are only asked to do one thing: please carry your own message for why walking -- Freedom, Mobility and Safety -- is important to you. Bring the whole family? Berks County has some beautiful trails. The weather forecast calls for a high of 69 degrees and sun.

Click here[http://www.schuylkillrivertrail.com/index.php?/trail/overview/pottstown_to_reading/] for Route Map, a total of about 20 miles from Pottstown to the location of the Wyomissing Earth Day event.

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Help us make your neighborhood better for walking and biking. Join us today.
www.walkbikeberks.org

Bicycle Riding Courses for Adults and Children!

Would you like to ride your bicycle more but feel timid riding around motor vehicles? Are you afraid of getting a flat and not knowing how to fix it? Would you like to get the best experience that can be had while riding your bicycle but something just doesn't seem right with your bike or how it fits you? Do you think you could benefit from some pointers on how to maneuver around obstacles and ride predictably?

If you answered yes to anyone of these questions then we have a class for you! These are active sessions, so -- you will not just be getting high quality classroom instruction, but -- also bike riding sessions for practice drills which will culminate in a group ride to put into practice everything you will have learned!

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League of American Bicyclists "Traffic Skills 101"

Saturday, May 14

8:00 a.m. -- 5:00 p.m.

Alvernia University Upland Center

540 Upland Ave, Reading, PA 19611

Instructor: Benton Levengood

Fee: $35

To register for this course, email your full name, phone number and age to info@walkbikeberks.org.

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League of American Bicyclist' Bicycling 123 - Youth course

Saturday May 21

10:00 AM

Exeter May Days

Exeter Sr High School, Exeter Township [by tennis courts]

This is a skills course for youth up to age 13.

Fee: FREE to children ages 6-13

To register for this course, email both a parent and child's full names, phone number and child's age to info@walkbikeberks.org.



Note: We are able to provide some participants free helmets due to the generosity of AAA Reading-Berks. Limited sizes available to children who need a helmet.

Note: ALL participants must wear a properly fitting helmet to participate in our education rides.

Bike to Work Challenge Begins May 1

WalkBikeBerks is sponsoring for the 3rd year our Bike To Work month challenge for Bike Month in May 2011!

If you live in Berks County or work in Berks County and ride your bike to or from work you may participate in our challenge. Every trip you ride your bike (to or from work) will get your name entered into a raffle during the month of May 2011. So, the more trips you have the better opportunity for you to win!

Also, if you get your co-workers involved, your place of employment may also win a raffle! During Bike To Work week of May 16th - May 20th any business located within Berks County that has the most employees participating in the commuter challenge will win a prize. All participating employees who commuted to / from work during Bike To Work week will be entered into a raffle for the prize.

How do you enter?
There are two ways you can track your trips and miles.


1. You may go to http://greenlightride.com/competition/view_challenge/140/ and register for WalkBikeBerks Bike To Work Month challenge. *Please note you must first register prior to entering the competition through the website.

Once you are registered and accepted into our challenge you may start entering your trips and miles for each day you commuted to or from work (please note in your profile your business name as a profile tag so we can track businesses participating). If you would like to get your co-workers involved create a profile for your company and have each co-worker join your team and enter the competition together!

2. If you do not want to log your trips online, you may use our spreadsheet to track your trips and miles and send back to info@walkbikeberks.org when completed. Click Here to download the spreadsheet to begin.

We will announce winners in early June once all the entries are in and tabulated. A listing of prizes will be posted soon, so come back often for updates or visit our website! Start spreading the news to your friends and co-workers!



Good luck and happy bicycling!
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How to Organize Bike Trains

Free Webinar: Organizing Successful Bike Trains

May 5 at 1pm ET - register today

Walking school buses are popping up everywhere, but have you seen or heard of a bike train? Starting a bike train, a group of children and parents who ride to school together with other families, is a great way to get students actively commuting to school from farther distances. Bike trains have the same underlying principles as walking school buses but forming a consistent, sustainable bike train that allows students to safely bicycle to school while parents, teachers and administrators rest easy, requires a deft balance between organization, encouragement and training. This webinar hopes to tackle those hurdles and leave attendees with the tools to either tune up their current bike train or start one anew.
This webinar will focus on success stories from Tampa Bay, Florida; Portland, Oregon; and Washington, DC that will provide insight from the nuts and bolts of grassroots organization to bike trains that are arranged and endorsed at the multi-school level. Presenters will highlight their unique programs but also outline the steps necessary to create and organize a bike train that will make a difference and the tips and tricks to keep them running smoothly. Click here to register now!

Our presenters include:
Kiel Johnson, Bicycle Safety Educator, Bicycle Transportation Alliance (Portland, Oregon)
Jason Jackman, Program Planner Analyst, Center for Urban Transportation Research (Tampa Bay, Florida)
Parrie Henderson, Parent Organizer, Mt. Pleasant Peloton (Washington, DC)
David Cowan, Program Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership (Denver, Colorado)

Thanks to the SRAM Cycling Fund, we will be holding six webinars in 2011 on bicycling and Safe Routes to School. You can view our March webinar on getting bike shops involved in Safe Routes to School here.

Call to Action: Help us find the Driver of the Hit & Run

A 25-year-old Pottstown man was walking on the shoulder of the roadway along Route 422 when he was struck by a hit-and-run driver. The collision took place on Route 422 [Benjamin Franklin Highway] in Douglass Township on Sunday about 2:30 a.m. while walking east with a friend. He was taken to Reading Hospital, then flown to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. We urge anyone with information to call police at 610-367-9474.

Robert Folwell and the Brentwood Trailhead

On May 20, 2011 at 6:45 AM, Mayor McMahon and Robert Folwell of the SRGA will join WalkBikeBerks for our annual Bike Ride to celebrate Bike Month. We'll be meeting at the Brentwood Trailhead. Below is an excellent article to tell you more about the trailhead written by our guest speaker, Robert Folwell. Schuylkill River Greenway land deals benefit both industry and public access By Robert Folwell In 1998, Brentwood Industries approached Schuylkill River Greenway Association about the possibility of acquiring a piece of the Thun Trail right-of-way for parking to serve their operations, located on Route 10 (Morgantown Road). That conversation opened the door to a series of actions over the next several years during which time Brentwood acquired additional land totaling nearly 50 acres to develop an industrial park and to construct a new plant twice the site the size of their facility. To continue reading, click here.

BIKE MONTH

WalkBikeBerks

Bike to Work Day

May 20, 2011 www.walkbikeberks.org

6:45 AM Registration Brentwood Trailhead

7:00 AM Ride to Berks County Services Building

8:00 AM Assemble at Berks County Services Building

Light Refreshments Provided

For more information, contact us at info@walkbikeberks.org

If you Run, Walk, or Bicycle in Berks County, Take Our Survey.

Walk Bike Berks Travel Survey: Click Here to Begin.

Drivers Can Prevent the Death of Those Who Walk and Bicycle

Be aware behind the wheel

Drivers -- we -- share the responsibility for preventing pedestrian-related deaths and injuries.

We Pledge To: Slow Down and Think about Who might be out on the road.

The difference between fatality rates of walkers increases from 5% at 20mph to 45% at 30mph.

When a driver slows, she might be able to stop before she hits another person. By expecting to see your neighbor walking a dog or a child on a bicycle -- and looking for them, you increase your chances of seeing them, and of not hitting them.

Saving a life today could be as easy as:

1. Slowing down.

2. Expecting to see people.

Complete Streets Champions Receive Legislative Leadership Award

Complete Streets Champions Receive Legislative Leadership Award

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