Maine Safe Routes to School Newsletter | April 2018 Newsletter
Get Ready, 
May is National Bike Month!
Plan Your Walk and Bike to School Events, We  Can Help!
  • May is National Bike Month!
  • National Bike to School Day is May 9!!  
  • National Bike to Work Week is May 14-18!!!
  • Bike to Work Day is May 18!!!!
Whether you bike to work or school; ride to save money or time; pump those pedals to preserve your health or the environment; or simply to explore your community, National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride.

Plan Your Event
Participants kicked off last year's ride in record breaking numbers! Thousands of students pedaled their way to school during the 2017 Bike to School Day celebration! Over 3,000 schools across the country, from Maine to Hawaii participated.
Visit  walkbiketoschool.org for event ideas and how-to resources.

Free Handouts and Materials
Walk and Bike to School Days ­- weekly, monthly or one time - are  fun community events.  Register your events and order free incentive materials here!

Looking for Inspiration?
Check out our blog at mainesaferoutes.wordpress.com to see
great examples of Maine schools promoting biking and walking.

Adults too! 
Get the tools to inspire and plan community wide  participation for all ages.
I Pledge to be An Attentive Driver

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month
Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system-anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.

In 2017 alone, over 4,000 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers - that's 10% of the total annual roadway fatalities.

Ending Distracted Driving is Everyone's Responsibility!
Group Walking Route Mapping Tool

For Walking School Buses or Bike Trains - this tool allows you to map your routes and designate all stops.
Enter a starting point then click on the map at "bus stop" to map a route to that point. The tool displays mileage, time, and calories burned. Both moving speed and person weight are adjustable in order to obtain accurate results.  
See "Create Group Shared Routes" for WSB applicability. 
It's Bike Swap Time!
 
Where: University of Southern Maine, Portland 
When: April 22 (drop off sales April 21) 
Join the Bicycle Coalition of Maine at the 2018 Great Maine Bike Swap!  Choose from hundreds of bikes in all price ranges and of all types including children's bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, and hybrids! You can also sell or donate the unused bikes you have around the house and garage. 
We're here to help you strategize, answer questions, and support your community as you make plans for walk and bike activities this school year!
 
The Maine Safe Routes to School Team

In This Edition


Darcy Whittemore
Education Program Manager
207-956-6537
darcy@bikemaine.org

Erik daSilva
Education Program Coordinator 
207-956-6539

Shannon Belt
Education & Outreach Coordinator (Greater Portland)
207-956-6528
 
Patrick Adams
MaineDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager
207-624-3311

Resources, Funding, & Timely Opportunities

Riding for Focus Grant
Support your middle school with everything needed to get students on bikes and riding.
Rolling Deadline

Wilderness 1st Aid
CBC is partnering with NOLS Wilderness Medicine to teach you the wilderness medicine skills you need to recreate with confidence in the backcountry.
May 12-13, Biddeford

Upcoming Trainings

Apr 25, 3:30pm &
May 23, 3:30pm
The course will give you the tools to help your friends, family, students, co-workers, and community ride and walk more safely.

May 18-20
The LCI training seminar focuses on teaching and demonstration techniques used with future students both on the road and in the classroom.

What We're Reading

Teach your students to travel safely!  
The Maine SRTS Program  offers free bicycle & pedestrian safety education to schools, rec programs, and other youth organizations. The training covers 8 key points for young pedestrians and bicycle drivers. Adult education is also available.  
Contact Erik daSilva with questions.