May 2024 Edition

May is National Bicycle Month, a nationwide effort led by the League of American Bicyclists to encourage more people to get out and ride bikes. Bike Month began in 1956 and is a celebration that highlights the many benefits of cycling, with an emphasis on cutting down on car trips by replacing them with bikes. During Bike Month there are several days we'd like to highlight:

May 5: National Ride a Bike Day

May 13-19: Bike to Work Week

May 17: Bike to Work Day

One important thing to remember when cycling is that regardless of your age you should always wear a properly fitted helmet; instructions on how to fit a helmet are available here. If you don't have a helmet, the TPO can professionally fit and provide one to you free of charge; contact Pamela at PBlankenship@r2ctpo.org.

Make Every Ride Count with the Bike Month Challenge! 

Brought to you by Love to Ride and the League of American Bicyclists, the #MakeEveryRideCount initiative aims to champion bike riding while harnessing the pedal power of bike riders to make biking better for everyone. This is a nationwide effort to support a more bike-friendly America!

• Everyone is invited - from regular riders to those who haven’t touched a bike in years (or ever!).
• Rate your routes by ‘painting’ with your finger to share how comfortable you felt on each part of your ride! Every logged ride contributes to anonymous data that helps planners make informed decisions for better biking infrastructure.
• Ride anywhere, any time! Whether it’s to work, to the store, or a spin around the park, every ride paints a picture of what biking is like in your community. 
• The #MakeEveryRideCount initiative marks the official launch of Love to Ride’s game-changing app. Or should we say ride-changing? The app not only helps to make biking better but also makes your biking experience easier and more fun!
• Information on the Make Every Ride Count Initiative and downloadable resources are available by clicking the following link: Love to Ride
• Download the Love to Ride app from the App Store or the Google Play Store.

The goals of this initiative include:

1. Encouraging widespread participation in logging bike rides and providing route feedback
2. Increasing awareness of biking safety and infrastructure needs
3. Establishing a national comfort rating benchmark that will be shared with transportation planners, vision zero professionals, and advocates

Operation Best Foot Forward

Operation Best Foot Forward is a high-visibility enforcement action to remind drivers about Florida’s driver yield law. Plainclothes officers cross streets at marked crosswalks, giving drivers enough time to yield. Failing to yield may result in a warning or a minimum $164 citation and three (3) points on their driver’s license. Studies show that when you combine enforcement, education, and engineering over a prolonged period of time, driver behavior changes.

The next Bike/Walk Central Florida Operation Best Foot Forward crosswalk enforcements will take place between April 30 and May 10. This month's theme is Parks and Trails. The crosswalk enforcement schedule for Volusia County is:

April 30:

S. Atlantic Ave & Bellemead Dr (Daytona Beach Shores)

May 1:

S. Beach St & Cedar St (Daytona Beach)

May 1:

S. Atlantic Ave & Cedar St (Daytona Beach)

May 1:

S. Atlantic Ave & Ocean Ave (New Smyrna Beach)

May 3:

S. Atlantic Ave & Winterhaven Park (Ponce Inlet)

For more information on Operation Best Foot Forward head over to the Operation Best Foot Forward website.

Distracted Driving Quiz Results

Listed below are the results from the distracted driving quiz that was in the April newsletter which shows the percentage of people who chose each answer. See how you compare. The correct answers are indicated in bold and highlighted.

1. If you are driving 55 mph, how far will you travel in 4.6 seconds?

a. 5.2 yards: 22.1% of respondents

b. 15 yards: 17.6% of respondents

c. 54.7 yards: 17.6% of respondents

d. 100 yards: 42.6% of respondents

2. Multitasking is possible because the brain is capable of doing two cognitive tasks at once.

a. True: 32.4% of respondents

b. False: 67.6% of respondents

3. The average text takes ___ seconds to type.

a. 2.9 seconds: 18.4% of respondents

b. 4.6 seconds: 26.5% of respondents

c. 10.5 seconds: 18.4% of respondents

d. 20.3 seconds: 36.7% of respondents

4. According to NHTSA, how many people are killed every day due to distracted driving?

a. 6 people: 14.0% of respondents

b. 9 people: 20.9% of respondents

c. 12 people: 18.6% of respondents

d. 14 people: 46.5% of respondents

5. How long does your brain take to refocus on your surroundings after looking at your phone?

a. 10 seconds: 14.3% of respondents

b. 13 seconds: 17.1% of respondents

c. 15 seconds: 28.6% of respondents

d. 20 seconds: 40.0 % of respondents

*Meeting held in the Airline Room at Daytona Beach International Airport, 700 Catalina Drive, Daytona Beach (parking will be validated)

**Meeting held at the River to Sea TPO office, 1 Deuce Court, Suite 100, Daytona Beach