Kidical Mass May 21st

Kidical Mass Atlanta - Let’s Get Kidical!

 

Kidical Mass is a legal, safe and fun bike ride for kids, kids at heart, and their families. The rides are meant to be family friendly bike rides through a community. All types of bikes, trailers, trail-a-bikes, Xtracycles, longtails, bakfiets, Long Johns, tandems, folders, trikes, and whatever rolls are welcome! We celebrate and aim for family fun on bikes! It’s another reason to pedal around town with your family.

Bring a smile, a friend, your bike and another family*.

*Helmets are required and legally required for the kids in Georgia.

By law in Georgia, all children 16 and under must wear a helmet. We like to see parents and caregivers modeling that behavior as well as safe riding practices for the kids.

For the first Kidical Mass in Atlanta we will have bicycle pins, Kidical Mass spoke cards, SoPo stickers, drinks, and treats.

How do we do Kidical Mass?

We want our rides to be comfortable for families just starting out and biking on city streets for the first time but we don’t shy away from traffic just because kids will be riding. There is comfort in numbers, not just on a group ride like this but also in the day to day world of riding in the city. A ride like this is meant to help families feel that comfort by having a group to ride with and hopefully they will incorporate it into their daily transportation choice.

Some of our basic guidelines:

• Have fun!
• Personal responsibility (obey traffic laws and no group movements through stop signs and lights)
• A short fun route that doesn’t involve busy streets but utilizes a mix of residential streets, off street paths, and bike lanes
• Some ’street presence’ so we are seen and recognized out there
• Get the kids involved! Have them do artwork, tell their friends, and most importantly- come to the ride!
• This is a slow-paced social ride (avg. 1-10 mph)
• Have fun! Ring your bells, bring noise makers, wave to people we pass, yell out Happy Saturday!

We are a family friendly law-abiding ride. The purpose is to teach kids, parents and caregivers safety skills and provide a ride in which to practice them. We are creating awareness for the growing presence of kids and families on bikes and the need for all road users to respect other users of the road. We are also bringing together families who bike in an effort to provide a positive community experience that will show children how much fun riding your bike can be!

We encourage all parents to take responsibility for all young cyclists so everyone feels safe and comfortable on the road. However, you should still be very aware of your own child’s location and behavior as you are ultimately responsible for your child’s safety.

The ride will stop as many times as necessary to make sure the group stays together since it’s safer and more fun that way! Atlanta is a hilly area, so we will regroup. Since we are not stopping traffic or blocking traffic this may mean it’s the slowest ride you’ll ever take.

We want you to ride with us. You can join us along the route at any point, so you don’t have to ride the full route. Also you can stop at any time, take a break, walk your bike, and meet us at the end location.

We could always use additional volunteers, kids or no-kids, who can help with the ride. If you would like to volunteer to help out and/or ride as a ‘sweeper’ who stays in the back of the pack to make sure no one is left, please let us know, it would be much appreciated.

If you want to get involved, volunteer, and for more info check out the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition site and info, also check out http://www.kidicalmass.org/.

Where is the next Kidical Mass? You tell us! Get involved with the planning and ride somewhere fun. Email the ABC with suggestions and details.

When: Saturday May 21, 2011 10:00 AM through 11:00 AM

Location: Harmony Park on the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur, GA; (at the corners of East Lake Dr, Oakview Rd, and Mead Rd)

Ride to Little Shop of Stories (133A East Court Square), Decatur Square

The Route:

From Harmony Park we will ride North on Mead Rd, left on Leyden St, right on 3^rd Av, right on East Lake Dr, right on Parkwood, right on E Parkwood Rd, right on Upland Rd, right on W Ponce de Leon Av, and end in front of the Old Courthouse in Decatur Square. From there we will walk around the Old Courthouse to Little Shop of Stories.

We will be in Decatur Square which has green space and picnic tables, pack a picnic; there are also many shopping and dining options in the Square.

The route is 2.5 miles, http://classic.mapmyride.com/route/us/ga/decatur/253130329561469343.