Franklin Road Wins Award for Outstanding Bike Week Activities
By ROB FAULKNER
Franklin Road Elementary School has won the Bike to School Week Award for the Hamilton region from Smart Commute for outstanding work done to promote active and sustainable school travel.
Smart Commute Metrolinx gave out 2016 Bike to School Week Awards at the Smart Commute Awards ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 24. Each GTHA region was also recognized for their accomplishment.
Principal Sue Neville credited teacher Lisa Clarke for Franklin Road’s success, adding that “it really was amazing to see the number of bikes at the school rise so dramatically each day of Bike to School week.”
To help students who needed a bike, the school partnered with a group called Start the Cycle who started a Bike Lending Mobile – 10 students rode 100s of kilometres using their bikes, helmets and locks for the initiative.
As the power behind the pedals, Clarke explains that she is an avid cyclist whose coach Melanie Cave Poel encouraged her to participate in 30 Days of Biking in April (from Dundas to the central Mountain school), as well as Bike to School Week.
“Bike to School Week was the perfect opportunity to encourage our students to take an active route to school, and share the love of bike commuting,” said Clarke, who loves starting and ending her work days by bike and wanted students to share the same health and brain-boasting benefits.
At the start of the week, Franklin Road had 39 riders – they received stickers each day and a ballet for a draw. Grade 1 students, using their math skills, tallied and graphed the number of bikes at the school. Students made bike-friendly announcements, as Clarke and her helpers overcame challenges like the lack of bike locks (friends could share) or bikes to ride. She also tweeted their progress.
By Friday of bike week, 76 riders were cycling to school. New Hope Community Bikes helped teach safe cycling. And the week ended with an assembly sharing the amazing skills students gained thanks to New Hope at the pump track. Students won helmets, locks and bike gear in the raffle – and the cycling culture at Franklin Road now has momentum.
“Our biking community continues to thrive,” Clarke said. “I am thrilled that, even this week, we have a fence lined with bikes despite the chilly temperatures.”
Clarke’s tweets led to a great partnership with Charles Burke from Start the Cycle and the local non-profit has adopted Franklin Road as a pilot project to encourage cycling, she says. They help provide helmets, bikes and locks through a lending library, ensuring students can ride even they if lack some key pieces of gear. Clarke expects the partnership to expand further in 2017.
In addition to the participation by Franklin Road, Hamilton was celebrated for signing of the Active and Sustainable School Transportation Charter. The City, HWDSB and HWCDSB signed this charter on International Walk to School Day, October 7, 2015.
In Hamilton, 15 schools and more than 1,036 students participated in Bike to School Week activities.
Updated on Monday, November 28, 2016.