Pedal Power

Youth Bike Education

The Pedal Power Youth Bike Program, a joint program of Ashland Parks and Recreation and Rogue Valley Transportation District, has offered bike safety education to students in Ashland elementary schools since the 1990s.

While instruction has been both excellent and impactful for thousands of students, offerings have been infrequent, ad hoc, and overly reliant on volunteers. The Ashland Climate Collaborative has joined the effort and seeks funding to expand the program.

About the Program

The Pedal Power Youth Bike Program teaches school children how to ride bikes safely. Benefits abound — training kids to ride bikes contributes to their physical and mental well-being, aids concentration, encourages more active outdoor time, enhances social interaction, and builds confidence and coordination — skills and habits that will serve children throughout their lives.

Additionally, students who bike to school reduce congestion, save parents time, decrease auto emissions, and help their family budgets by reducing the need for a second car.

Vision

We envision a community where every student has the access, confidence, and skills to safely ride a bike to school.

Program Objectives

• Teach all students how to ride a bike safely
• Teach basic mechanical skills to adjust and maintain a bicycle
• Provide a limited number of free, used bikes to students with demonstrated need

Program Benefits

• Boost physical and mental well-being
• Bolster academic performance; active kids can better focus on schoolwork
• Build self-confidence and independence
• Promote healthy and social outdoor activity
• Increase coordination and motor skills
• Build skills and healthy habits that will last a lifetime
• Increase the number of students who ride to school, which decreases emissions, reduces congestion, and improves safety
• Reduces the need for families to own a second car, thus reducing transportation costs

Program Goals

• Increase students’ physical fitness
• Increase students’ bicycle skills and safety
• Boost the number of students who ride to school (decrease emissions and congestion)
• Boost students’ confidence, independence, and connection to their community

We currently serve 145 4th and 5th graders annually at Helman and Bellview elementary schools.

The Vision to Expand

We would like to expand the program beyond the current 4th and 5th Grade classes at Bellview and Helman elementary schools to serve more kids. We hope to include Kindergarten and 1st graders, as well as 4th and 5th graders from all public elementary schools in Ashland. This would increase the number of children served from approximately 145 to 800. Expanding the program entails:

• Replacing the aging fleet of 35 bicycles for 4th and 5th-grade students
• Acquiring 35 balance bikes for Kindergarten and 1st graders
• Purchasing an enclosed trailer to transport and store the bicycles
• Purchasing new helmets and additional equipment
• Hiring a program manager to oversee and manage the expansion

We are pursuing multiple funding sources to realize our full program vision. If you would like to support this program, please contact us!

Our Team

Aaron Michaelson

Streets for Everyone Action Team Liaison, Bike Industry Expert

Contact us