Category Archives: Pedal in the City

Pedal in the City Meets Education Corner: Bike Utah Visits Backman Elementary School

bike-1Learning continued right up to the last ring of the bell for 5th and 6th grade students at Backman Elementary School, May 30-June 2.  Bike Utah came to Backman as part of its Youth B.E.S.T. Program.

Bike Utah has launched the Youth Bicycle Education and Safety Training Program to teach 3,000+ kids in Utah how to safely and confidently navigate by bicycle. Imagine that — 3,000 of Utah’s youth who want to ride and have the skills to do so!

pedalcityThe Youth Bicycle Education and Safety Training is a 5-hour, on-bike program that is administered at schools, targeting students in the 4th to 7th grade range. Bike Utah provides a trained instructor, bicycles, helmets, and all other equipment for the duration of the program. The program has the capacity to move around the state so it can be administered at schools in all corners of Utah, depending on the season. This is a no-cost program so every school and student can participate regardless of financial ability.

Through this program, students learn the benefits of riding a bicycle, the rules for riding edcorneron the road, and how to get a properly fit helmet, conduct bicycle checks, navigate intersections and avoid hazards.  Fairpark residents witnessed the program in action this month and saw some very happy young students riding around the school grounds and on the Jordan River Parkway Trail.

Visit Bike Utah at their web site or Facebook page to learn more about the programs they offer and other events at:  https://bikeutah.org/get-involved-2/youth-bicycle-education-program/

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Pedal in the City: Woman on Wheels

globe-bikeDid you know that in the 1890’s, the US saw an explosion of popularity in bicycling, especially for women? Millions of bicycles were sold, bicycle infrastructure was developed, bicycle member clubs emerged, and attire and accessories all the rage.

Our last Pedal in the City article focused on statistics on women riding bicycles as compared to men.

This month we wanted to share some history with you, from this article: “Women on Wheels: The Bicycle and the Women’s Movement of the 1890s” – http://www.annielondonderry.com/womenWheels.html

“Cycling in the 1890s was nothing less than “a general intoxication, an eruption of exuberance like a seismic tremor that shook the economic and social foundations of society and rattled the windows of its moral outlook. Nowhere was this more evident than in the role of the bicycle in the changing lives of American women. Indeed, the women’s movement of the 1890s and the cycling craze became so inextricably intertwined that in 1896 Susan B. Anthony told the New York World’s Nellie Bly that bicycling had “done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.”

On the development of “The New Woman”:  “As cycling’s popularity exploded, a new breed of woman was making her mark in the 1890s. “The New Woman” was the term used to describe the modern woman who broke with convention by working outside the home, or eschewed the traditional role of wife and mother, or became politically active in the woman’s suffrage movement or other social issues. The New Woman saw herself as the equal of men and the bicycle helped her assert herself as such.”

Read the rest of this interesting history of “Woman on Wheels“.

womens-mothers-day Today women are bicycling more than ever.  There is a plethora of resources for women on bicycling.  One such resource is found here: Women Bike (Bike League’s resource page on Women, which also inculdes a link to the Women Bike Facebook page.)

Read the statistics on the gap between men and women who ride bikes, from our December article, “Women and Bicycling: Do Men Ride More Than Women?

Pedal in the City: Take the Bicycle Safety Survey

pedalcityThe Salt Lake County Planning and Transportation Office of Regional Development is conducting a survey on improving bicycle safety through April 11.  Through an interactive map participants can provide input about biking routes and concerns.  Take the survey!

What would it take to get you bicycling in Salt Lake County?

What type of bicycling infrastructure should the county invest in?

TAKE THE SURVEY below and use our interactive mapping tool to add points, lines, & comments to let us know where you bike, where barriers exist, and where you might bike if conditions were better.http://wikimapping.com/wikimap/Salt-Lake-County-Bikes.html

Participa en la encuesta en español:

Sus comentarios nos ayudarán a mejor enfocar nuestros esfuerzos para mejorar el ciclismo a lo largo del valle de Salt Lake, y en agradecimiento por su tiempo, usted será elegible para recibir un pase UTA de $5 (sólo para los primeros 750 encuestados). Esta encuesta le llevará aproximadamente entre 8 y 10 minutos.

Para mayor información, visite www.slco.org/bikes

Pedal in the City: Know your laws!

pedalcityBicycling is tons of fun, healthy and environmentally friendly. But with bicycling comes responsibility.

Here are highlights of bicycling laws in Utah.

Making sure your bicycle is street legal:

You are required to have a white headlight, red taillight or reflector, and side reflectors, all visible for at least 500 feet (41-6a-1114) any time you ride earlier than a half hour before sunrise, later than a half hour after sunset, or whenever it is otherwise difficult to make out vehicles 1000 feet away (41-6a-1603).

  • You     must have brakes capable of stopping you within 25 feet from a speed     of 10 miles per hour on dry, level, clean pavement (41-6a-1113).
  • You     cannot have a siren or whistle on your bike (41-6a-1113).

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