Bike Ed - see how they do it
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Bike Ed is a bicycle skills and road safety education program run by teachers who have trained as instructors. Each school has the same aim for their program - to get their students riding more skilfully and safely - but how they organise the course is an individual thing. Here are some images which demonstrate how three different schools manage Bike Ed.
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At Ivanhoe Primary School, after doing some classroom based theory and skills practice in the school grounds, the Bike Ed group headed out on the local bike paths. Here they were able to hone their skills on the gravel.
The teachers, who had located some quiet streets in the area, set up a course where the students could practise how to scan, signal and turn at intersections. Before negotiating roundabouts on two wheels, small groups did "walk throughs" on foot.
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At Ivanhoe, a parent volunteered his time to give each of the groups a lesson on how to fix a flat tyre.
Ivanhoe ran their Bike Ed over five consecutive Tuesdays. For the final session each of the three groups went on a one hour ride on a loop that included a mixture of on and off road riding.
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Gardenvale Primary School's Bike Ed course was conducted over five days of one week. The students were able to build their skills and knowledge with a mixture of theory and practical activities. It concluded with an all day ride on the Friday. They were joined by two officers from Brighton Police, who directed traffic at busy intersections along the way.
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The Gardenvale group, of over 100 students, parents and volunteers, took the scenic beachside route to Gasworks Park in Port Melbourne. Here they had a barbeque.
At St Francis Xavier Primary School at Frankston, Bike Ed was offered as an after school activity, conducted over eight weeks. Because of a lack of suitable quiet streets around the school, much of the riding took place in the park opposite the school. For the final session they did a longer ride along the nearby Baxter rail trail.
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