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Do you need a license to ride? Ithaca residents, business owners, youth, and family-serving agencies are partnering with Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program to coordinate a safety education initiative to be kicked off during Ithaca’s Earth Week celebrations in April to help answer the question. Is a shove down the driveway or sidewalk all you need to learn? Cyclists and motorists both need to know the rules of the road. At their first meeting, many strategies and options were discussed regarding ways to design an effective awareness/educational initiative that would contribute to a safer cycling community. The group decided to focus on promoting cycling as an affordable, healthy, safe, and fun activity that families can enjoy. Activities will be planned that will provide opportunities for youth and their parents or other adults to learn about basic bike mechanics and the rules of the road, including helmet use and basic cycling skills. It is hoped that events will provide hands-on experienc that will be fun, and result in participants reaching out and helping others. The group’s accomplishments to date include sharing researched educational resources available, identifying target audiences/locations for skills events in Ithaca, preparing press releases, identifying parents/PTAs of target age groups to be informed of upcoming activities, and preparing information for adults interested in taking a cycling skills course. The first public group effort will be a series of safety inspection and skills development stations prior to the Bike Parade planned during Earth Week in Ithaca. For more information about how you can get involved by giving your time, sharing a skill, or sponsoring a bicycle safety education activity, contact Dana Palmer, Cooperative Extension Educator, at 272-2292, or dlp10@cce.cornell.edu #30# |
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