Cool Your Carbon Day

Vallecito's Cool Your Carbon campaign is designed to help parents, students, teachers, and staff reduce our carbon footprint on the planet by finding alternatives to the automobile for getting to school. On the first Wednesday of every month, everyone in the Vallecito community is urged to walk, bike, carpool, or take the bus to school, with various fun activities to increase participation.

Below are some tips on bicyclist safety skills for this month's day.

Tips for Biking in the Rain

1.  Remember that caliper (hand) brakes lose their effectiveness when the bike's rims get wet.  Be sure to test your brakes often and dry the rims by applying the brakes when necessary -- especially after going through a puddle or wet section of road. Check the brakes often and brake well before intersections. When going downhill go slowly and carefully, ensuring that rims are dry by applying the brakes.

2.  Paint on the road becomes extremely slick when the roads are wet. Crosswalks, limit lines, turn arrows and other paint on the road can cause your bike tires to lose all traction when it is raining. Avoid sharp turns on painted sections of the road.  Brake before you get to the paint at an intersection. Generally, treat paint on the road like ice!

Bicyclist Safety Skills

Riding a bicycle is a major step towards independence and mobility for children and, like walking, is a skill that can be used throughout a lifetime. Supervised practice time on the bicycle is the most important way for children to gain riding and safety skills. It can also instill confidence and create better riders as well as better future drivers who are more aware of bicyclists on the street.

Before riding to school, children first need to have sufficient bicycle handling skills, including the ability to:

• Ride in a straight line.
• Ride in a straight line while scanning the situation ahead, behind and to the side.
• Stop quickly using the bicycle's brakes without swerving, falling or colliding with anything.
• Swerve in a controlled manner to avoid a hazard or collision.

When children have these skills, they should learn and be able to demonstrate the following safety behaviors before riding to school:

Preparing for the ride

• Dress appropriately. Wear brightly colored, close-fitting clothing. Tie your shoes and secure long laces and loose pant legs. Do not wear headphones.
• Wear a properly fitted helmet.
• Ride a bicycle that fits. When seated on the bicycle, both feet should be firmly planted on the ground and hands should reach the handlebars.
• Ride a bicycle that is in good condition. Tires should be firm, brakes should prevent tires from rotating when pushed, chain should not droop or be rusty and the seat and handlebars should be tight.
• Do not carry anyone else on the bicycle. A bicycle with one seat is a bicycle for one person.
• Do not carry anything in your hands. Use a backpack, basket or panniers to carry school supplies and books.
• It is best to ride only in daylight. If riding when it is dark, use headlights, taillights and reflectors and wear bright clothing with reflective material.

During the ride

• Choose the route with the fewest streets to cross. Avoid busy and high-speed streets.
• Before entering the street, look for other vehicles to the left, right, in front and behind.
• Keep paying attention to your surroundings. Watch for other vehicles and hazards, such as potholes and parked motor vehicles, along the route.
• Watch for vehicles turning into or exiting at driveways.
• Stop at all intersections and check for traffic before crossing. When possible, cross at locations where adult school crossing guards are present. It may be best to dismount and walk your bicycle across large or busy intersections.
• Ride in a straight line with two hands on the handlebar unless signaling.
• Follow all traffic laws. If riding in the street, ride in the same direction as motor vehicles on the right hand side of the street about two or three feet from the edge.
• Use hand signals when turning and stopping.
• Obey traffic signs and signals.
• Always check in front and behind for traffic before changing lanes, crossing intersections or turning. If riding on a sidewalk or path, ride slowly and be prepared to stop quickly.