During National Bike Month, Earth Force (an environmental youth group), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Pew Charitable Trusts will hold the second national Youth Bike Summit in Washington, D.C.

The May 2000 summit will celebrate the impact that outstanding young people are having in their communities as well as bringing together leaders in transportation and bicycling to discuss options for making all communities more bicycle friendly.

The summit is planned for the U.S. Capitol and awards will be presented to the Earth Force "Get Out Spoke'n!" teams that had the best community action programs to make their communities more bike friendly. Two of the award winners from the May 1999 summit are described below.

Your community may wish to start its own "Get Out Spoke'n!" team or to replicate some of the programs recognized at the summit. For more information about the Youth Bike Summit or these award winners, contact Julie Schultz of Earth Force at 703-519-6876 or visit the Earth Force Web site at www.earthforce.org.

Success Stories

"I Can't Wait to Bike the Bridge!": Belle Hall Elementary School, Mount Pleasant, SC

A fifth grade class at Belle Hall Elementary School in Mount Pleasant, SC, has been working to see that their community builds safe bike paths on the new Cooper River Bridge, which is still in the planning stages. They surveyed 300 residents and tourists to decide whether the community wanted bicycle lanes installed on the new bridge. The information they collected was used to write letters to the editors of the local papers, give speeches in front of the Bridge Replacement Subcommittee and to educate the youth at their school. The class also met with Mount Pleasant Mayor Cheryll Woods-Flowers and presented her with an "I Can't Wait to Bike the Bridge" t-shirt and bumper sticker. Their story has been published in South Carolina newspapers, The Post and Courier and the Moultrie News. The class joined efforts with other local groups also dedicated to building bicycle/pedestrian lanes on the bridge. Together, these groups sold "I Can't Wait to Bike the Bridge" t-shirts, distributed postcards and gave away bumper stickers.

Building Bike Friendliness: Safe Kids@Woodmark, Ellicott City, Maryland

The community of Woodmark was built 20 years ago without sidewalks or bike paths and community members feel unsafe riding their bicycles. Safe Kids surveyed its community and found that 75 percent of the residents were in favor of some sort of trail or path system that would make biking safer for children and adults. The group is searching for options to create a path or trail in the community. They have spoken with the community association president, the Maryland bicycle/pedestrian coordinator, and other neighborhoods that have been successful in implementing bike paths. For the time being, the group is designing safety brochures and a safety video, starring the neighborhood kids of Woodmark. These materials will be distributed to community residents until the bike path is completed.

NOTE: Thanks to Earth Force for the stories of the award winners.