SAN DIEGO–The San Diego County Bike Coalition, a countywide organization advocating for the rights of all people on bikes, rolls out the new year with a series of adult education courses to encourage central San Diego residents to become confident riders and improve bike-handling skills.
The Bike Coalition hopes its classes along El Cajon Blvd. will help people choose life by bike while being safe and informed about sharing the road.
In coordination with the City Heights Community Development Corporation, the Office of Traffic Safety and the San Diego Police Department, certified bike instructors will teach monthly bike-education classes from February through September at the Copley-Price YMCA on El Cajon Blvd.
Intermediate classes will teach adults who already ride bicycles to become comfortable riding on a road with consistent car traffic. Advanced, two-day classes will help experienced bike commuters refresh their skills by combining classroom learning with on-the-road experience.
Classes will be taught by instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists and will cover rules of the road, safety tips, riding gear, how to fix a flat tire, how to ride with children, how to park and lock bikes and how to choose a bike route.
“We’re looking forward to helping bike commuters in central San Diego in multiple ways,” says Bike Coalition Education Programs Manager Michelle Luellen. “For those already riding, we hope to teach them the safest ways to ride on the road. For those not currently riding but interested in getting around by bike, we will help them feel comfortable pedaling on the road.”
Identified last year as a risky corridor for people on bikes, El Cajon Blvd. has become one of several areas of focus of the local Vision Zero campaign that advocates for zero traffic deaths in San Diego by 2025. The Bike Coalition continues to work with concerned stakeholders on improving infrastructure and safety in a known area of concern for pedestrians and cyclists.
“If we can teach people in our communities to get around by bike, we see that as a success for them, their families, their neighborhood and San Diego County as a whole,” says Executive Director Andy Hanshaw.
Classes continue on Saturday, March 26 and occur on varying dates each month through Saturday, September 17. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
To view a full schedule of the classes and register, email kevin@sdbikecoalition.org. For more information on the San Diego Bike Coalition, visit www.sdbikecoalition.org.
