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

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.

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.

Sunday Sundae Ride

My ride on the trail was excellent today. The weather was perfect, the trail smooth, and the amount of shade just right. There were others riding and walking, enjoying the day outside, moving.

Company at the Scoupe DeVille was inviting and offered nice conversation.

I'm excited to try the new Spokes Ice Cream Sundae, created in celebration of Sunday Sundae Rides. A warm waffle stacked with vanilla ice cream, pretzels, and topping to create a wheel and spoke -- yummy! Thank Scoupe DeVille for the creation.

The new Fuji Bicycle is on display in the ice cream parlor, waiting for entries into the drawing. Remember, all you have to do is meet WalkBikeBerks at the Brentwood trail head at 3:00 any Sunday afternoon this summer. You will be given a ticket to complete and drop into the entries bucket at Scoupe DeVille on our ride. At the end of the summer, we'll complete a drawing, and the winner will receive the Fuji Bike -- simply for riding with us!

We are excited to have you. Please join us next Sunday. The ride is about four miles each direction, and takes about 20 minutes each way. The trail is perfect for families with children, beginner riders, and everyone who loves ice cream as much as I do.

Dieters? Join us...cycle off the calories both before and after your ride...and enjoy the summer moving with us.

I'll be trying the new Ice-Cream Spoke! Will you?

SAVE THE DATE!

You are invited to join us

Board Dinner Meeting

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

6:30 PM

Maple Springs Deli

Rt. 724 Birdsboro

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=Maple+Springs+Deli&near=Birdsboro,+PA&fb=1&cid=0,0,5825755420753446009&ll=40.269719,-75.817702&spn=0.223189,0.31929&z=11

All members and friends are invited to join us!

Nancy Kauffman/Vice President/Event CoordinatorWalkBikeBerkshttp://walkbikeberks.blogspot.com/



REVIEWS BELOW

GEM OF THE THUN TRAIL
For my money, Maple Springs Cafe is the Gem of the Thun Trail. Its midpoint location on the trail, coupled with something for everyone (including cyclists) on their menu, makes this a convenient and enjoyable rest stop. They have an assortment of quality deli selections, but if you would just as soon have a burger or a dog, they have several different varieties of those as well. They offer wait service at dinner time, which adds a friendly and personal touch. I for one don't mind riding my bike there from Montgomery County 2 or 3 times a year. The only thing trail users need to beware of is the restaurant is located on Route 724, not the Old Schuylkill Road, in the western end of Birdsboro.
April 27, 2008 by Tom H. in Royersford, PA

Hidden treasure
Hidden in a small strip mall outside of Birdsboro, Maple Springs Cafe is one of the county's best kept secrets. The lunch menu includes the standard Italian Sandwiches (on Conshohocken Bakery rolls) plus unbelievable items sucha s hot roast beef sandwiches and gourmet soups du jour. But the dinner menu really soars! I love the lobster ravioli. The dinner portions are huge. The decor is still mostly cafe rather than destination restaurant and the waitstaff is inexperienced. The prices are very affordable and the food is great!
April 03, 2007 by Becky in Birdsboro, PA

Sightline Video: Your Way on the Highway

What if you could hit the open road right here in the city?

Open to more transit and bicycles.

Open to more car sharing and flex driving.

Open to saving money on gas.

Watch this short video from Sightline and find out.

http://www.sightline.org/maps/animated_maps/your-way-on-the-highway/

Get a Sundae on your Sunday Ride!

Please join WalkBikeBerks for a ride on Sunday, June 22, 2008 at 3PM. We will meet at the Brentwood Trailhead on the Thun Trail, at the intersection of Morgantown Road (PA Route 10) and Brentwood Drive. We will bike approximately 4 miles to Gibraltar where we will stop for ice cream at Scoupe DeVille in Gibraltar before riding back to Brentwood Trail Head.

We will be presenting our new logo officially to the public! We are excited and proud to display the work of the winning student entry in our logo contest and to present the winner with her new Fuji bicycle donated by Spokes Bike Shop. We'll also be sharing the 1st and 2nd runner up entries as well and hopefully presenting them with their new bike helmets donated by LEBO's and JB Mountain Bikes!

So come out and ride the beautiful trail with us, watch the unveiling of our new logo, and get to know us and share your ideas and passions as it relates to bicycle and pedestrian advocacy issues!