Education

Few activities are as enjoyable and invigorating as riding a bicycle. Through our Safety and Education Programs, we seek to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the joys of cycling in Central Texas. ACA Safety and Education Programs for adults and children are held throughout the year. Please check back often.

Staying Safe on Wide-Shouldered Roads

If you have been riding your bike around Austin for any time at all, you have probably realized that major highways like 360, 620, and Parmer Lane can all be vital parts of any training or commute route. But are you intimidated by the concept of riding on the shoulders with high speed traffic a few feet away? Or have you wished you could ride up and down Highway 360, only to give up the first time you encountered those frightening on/off ramps at 2222 and 2244? If this sounds all too familiar, then check out the "basics" as presented here. Follow these guidelines and increase your confidence and safety on the wide shoulders: http://www.ridetheshoulders.com For more in-depth training under the guidance of our nationally-certified instructors, check out ACA's classes under the education tab.

Law of the Street (Things You Should Know To Avoid Trouble When Riding Your Bike)

by Brad Houston (BradHoustonLaw.com)
As presented to CyclingTexas.org, May 20, 2011

PART OF WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
This article is an overview of some of the issues related to cycling on the streets and roadways of Texas. It is not intended as legal advice on which you should rely. Rather, this article is to inform you of some of the issues to keep in mind.

The U.S.A is very different from Europe. Cultural norms often determine the acceptance of different modes of travel. For instance, in Europe, bicycles are part of the culture and are highly respected by most motorists. In contrast, in the United States and in particular in Texas, generally the culture does not consider bicycling as an accepted mode of transportation. Thus, in Texas, hostility is often encountered by cyclists when sharing the road with cars, SUV’s and Trucks.

New Education Promotion

ACA is making a new push to promote participation in our classes with a new education flyer. The City of Austin's Bicycle Master Plan established a goal of educating 1,000 adult cyclists every year. We will soon be calling upon our local bike shop partners to help reach this goal by distributing our promotional flyers to all new bike customers. At ACA, we believe that a better educated cycling population, riding in accordance with applicable traffic laws, benefits all cyclists.

For the 4-1-1 on all of ACA's classes, see our classes page.

Signal Problems?

By Nadia Barrera, League Cycling Instructor and City of Austin Staff                                                          

Have you ever had problems triggering a traffic signal to turn green while on your bicycle? This can be very frustrating, especially because as cyclists, we are a minority that is generally judged by other vehicles operators waiting in the queue. If we run the light, that is one more motorist who thinks that bicyclists in general break the rules and do not deserve to share the road space. Beyond that, running red lights is not safe.

Are Bike Lanes Always the Best Place to Ride?

 

by Phil Hallmark, League Cycling Instructor
Bike lanes can be useful additions to a city's cycling network. But every cyclist needs to know that sometimes it is safest to ride outside the bike lane, and not only when there is a parked car blocking the way. Let's go over some of the guidelines that are taught in the League of American Bicyclists "Traffic Skills 101" street cycling course.

Education Reports

2011 11 30 ---- Education Director Report
2011 08 31 ---- Education Director Report
2011 07 27 ---- Education Director Report
2011 06 29 ---- Education Director Report
2011 05 25 ---- Education Director Report
2011 02 23 ---- Education Director Report
2011 01 26 ---- Education Director Report

Funny name, serious mission

by Wes Robinson, Director of Education - Austin Cycling Association The pole that holds the solar-powered box that uses radio waves to record when a student rides his or her bike to school stands near the front corner of Sommer Elementary and close to bike racks. Photo by Gilbert D. Martinez

The first and only Freiker student bike participation program in the state of Texas debuted Feb. 5, 2010 at Sommer Elementary School in far Northwest Austin.

ACA joined Bicycle Sport Shop, BikeTexas, and Trek Bicycles in kicking off the program at the school.  More than 300 children attended the kickoff, which also featured bike and helmet safety inspections, a bike rodeo, helmet fittings, and a bike parade attended by local offiicials.

The goal of the new Freiker program (short for "frequent biker") is to encourage students to choose active forms of transportation to school through incentives, thereby improving student health and safety and promoting lifelong healthy habits.  Such behavior also reduces the number of vehicles delivering children to school, which improves safety around the school for everyone and reduces carbon emissions.

How educated cyclists can become cycling educators: new classes debut

by Wes Robinson, Director of Education - Austin Cycling Association

Austin Cycling Association, in coordination with the League of American Bicyclists, Bicycle Sport Shop, and the National Bicycle Dealers Association, rolled out two new bicycle instructor programs on Nov. 21, 2009. Twenty youth instructors and two skills instructors were certified to teach basic bicycle safety to children and adults. Students included individuals from the YMCA, the City of Austin Child Safety Program, the City of Leander Fire Department, Safe Kids Austin, the Texas Office for Prevention of Developmental Disabilities and Bicycle Sport Shop's mountain bike racing team. ACA hopes to offer youth and skills certification courses every quarter beginning in 2010, subject to enrollment minimums

How far is far enough?

by Preston Tyree, Director of Education - League of American Bicyclists

Door zone crashes may be responsible for 7 percent of the crashes that cyclists encounter. But they are responsible for a larger percentage in urban traffic, as much as 17 percent of the fatal crashes, as reported in one New York City report.

Cyclists who consistently ride in the "door zone" (that space that is next to a parked car that can be obstructed by an opening door) are setting themselves up for a case of road rash at best and possibly a serious injury or death. So, how far away from a parked car is far enough?

Cycling Skills Classes

The Austin Cycling Association in cooperation with the League of American Bicyclists and the National Bicycle Dealers Association offers the following classes designed to empower individuals to teach basic bicycle safety to youth and to improve adult cycling confidence.  ACA offers these classes quarterly, subject to class minimums.  All classes are taught by certified League Cycling Master Instructors.