Education

On Saturday, October 21st, BikeWalk NC joined with the Governor’s Highway Safety Program and other partners in presenting the Safety City exhibit at the North Carolina State Fair.  

Safety City is an exhibit that educates fairgoers about safe driving behaviors, and is a joint effort between state agencies, law enforcement and nonprofit organizations. BikeWalk NC staff and board members spent the day engaging with fair attendees from around the state on the importance of safely sharing the road with vulnerable users, and highlighting the partnership between BikeWalk NC and GHSP for the NC Friendly Driver Program.

Individuals of all ages that stopped by the exhibit also had the opportunity to test their knowledge of roadway safety by taking the online Bicycle Safety Quiz, an educational tool provided by BIkeWalk NC to teach adults, children, motorists, and truck drivers how to share the road safely.

A special thanks goes to Executive Director Terry Lansdell, Program Manager Laila Horton, and Board Members Kenneth Withrow, Bruce Tretter, and Deana Acklin for their work staffing the booth and engaging with fairgoers throughout the day.

Created by AARP Livable Communities with the League of American Bicyclists, the AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit is a free, 32-page, information- and image-filled guide that can be used by cycling advocates and local leaders to assess and improve the safety and accessibility of a community’s streets and paths for all users, including cyclists.

The bicycling tool kit provides a step-by-step approach to observing and documenting the safe or unsafe bikeability of a location. The results of a community bike audit can educate local decision-makers and provide them with the needed data, solutions and strategies for achieving change.

To learn more about creating safe streets for cyclists and how to use the AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit in your community a webinar will be hosted by the League of American Bicyclists on October 25 at 3-3:30 p.m.  Registration for the webinar can be found HERE.

We would like to once again thank those that were able to attend the 2023 NC BikeWalk Transportation Summit. We feel that the combination of the intimate venue at Catawba College and the content covered by our outstanding presenters made for an informative and fun event.  

For those of you that were unable to attend the Summit in person this year, fear not; all sessions were recorded, and we are excited to share that the production and upload of these videos is now complete and they are available to view on the BikeWalk NC YouTube Channel.

We hope that you take advantage of revisiting information shared in these presentations, as well as sharing them with others unable to attend the summit, or anyone you feel would benefit from the content covered in these sessions.

Join panelists from the UNC Highway Safety Research Center for an interactive discussion about funding for projects that support bicycling, walking and rolling in North Carolina.

After reviewing funding streams and resources for navigating these sources, panelists will share details about some of the newer USDOT funding programs, including Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) and Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods.

Interactive discussions and polling will be used to exchange perspectives, success stories, and challenges with respect to securing funding for active transportation projects.

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a broad term encompassing any type of program or infrastructure that helps people shift their travel behavior away from single-occupancy vehicles and toward healthier, more sustainable travel choices. Centralina Regional Council, NCDOT, and partners are collaborating to plan and launch a TDM program for the greater Charlotte region – and you can help!

This two-part session featuring statewide experts in TDM and active transportation will include the following:

• Part 1 – A “TED Talk” style session delivering a quick primer on TDM.
• Part 2 – An interactive, “focus group” style session centered on behavior change.

Audience participation through interactive polling and facilitated conversation will help guide the efforts of TDM planners in the Charlotte region. This is your chance to learn all about TDM while making your own contribution to an active transportation future in our state’s largest metro!