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| Introduction |
At this station, students practice three skills.
- Riding in a straight line and stopping in a controlled manner
- Executing right turns at a corner after checking for cross traffic
- Avoiding obstacles in a controlled manner without excessive swerving
The goal of this exercise is to teach students to ride
predictably, while checking for cross traffic and communicating
with other road users.
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| Station Leader Instructions |
- Explain to the students what they'll be doing at this
station and why it's important. Work out partners for
children without bicycles. Students without bicycles can
participate by walking through the course, but be sure to
space them out and allow enough time so that the following
bicyclist doesn't overtake walking children.
- Have the students straddle their bikes. Ask a volunteer
to demonstrate hand signals with their backs to the children.
Let the students quickly practice right, left and stop
signals while holding their handlebars with their other
hand. Ask them if just using a hand signal makes it
safe to turn. (Answer: No, they must check for traffic.)
- Instruct the students how to ride through the course.
Children "get it" more quickly while you point out what
they'll be doing.
- "Ride up on the left side, staying in the bike lane."
- "Just before you get to the other end of the course,
signal a right turn, look for traffic (left, right,
left), and then make the turn."
- "When you come back up the other side, you'll have to
avoid these obstacles while still staying in the
bike lane." (Show sponges.)
- "Finally, signal a stop, then brake to a safe stop at
this line." Show them the line at the end of the course.
"Get off your bike (or, if sharing a bike, turn your
bike over to your partner) and wait in line for another
try."
- Have students start through the course well spaced.
The station leader should stand in the middle of the
course, observing. As each child comes back toward
the start, offer specific praise and guidance on what to
work on next time.
- Focus first on control of the bike (staying
in the lane, keeping a safe distance from the other
riders, making a controlled turn, avoiding sponges
and braking to a safe stop.
- Also make sure they check for cross traffic by
looking left, right, left. Gently remind those
who forget that they don't have to stop, since there
is no stop sign here, but it is an intersection
and they must look to be sure it's safe to turn!
- Finally, encourage proper use of hand signals,
but remember that control of the bike must come
first. Signals let other people on the road know
what they plan to do, which is good, but some
third graders have difficulty controlling their
brakes one-handed. Praise progress and urge them to
keep practicing at home.
- Near the end of the group's time, re-emphasize
that riding predictably and checking for traffic
saves lives.
- When it's time to rotate to the next station,
make sure the children walk their bikes.
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| Volunteer Instructions |
At least two volunteers are needed at this station.
- Volunteer at the beginning of the course.
- Organize the students into a line and space out
walkers and bike sharing partners.
- Start students streaming clockwise through the course
several bike lengths apart.
- Make sure that they stop safely when they come back
to the end of the course and get out of the way
while waiting for their next turn.
- After the first run-through, gently remind all but
the most flustered cyclist to use their stop signal
if they forget.
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- Volunteer at the opposite end.
- Help with the hand signal demonstration (with your
back towards the students). Also demonstrate what
the students do here by walking through while the
station leader explains — this really helps the kids
"get it".
- Help keep students on course as they turn since they
tend to turn too soon at first.
- Gently remind those who forget to check for traffic
by saying: "What's the most important thing to do before
turning?" Commend those who remember to look left, right
and left first.
- Help children remember to use signals properly
once they have control of the bike and have good
traffic checking skills.
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| Hints |
Here's a brief refresher guide to hand signals.
- Right Turn
- Make an "L" with left arm OR extend right arm
straight out. Either is legal in California. For
some children, using the same arm for all signals
works best, but experienced cyclists prefer the
right arm out signal.
- Left Turn
- Extend left arm straight out from shoulder.
- Stop
- Hold left arm out with forearm down at a 90-degree
angle.
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Signals should be given before making the turn
or putting brakes on. Third graders should have
both hands on their handlebars when turning for
better control.
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| Station Layout |
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