To the editor: I was pleased to read the recent cover article on children riding their bicycles to school. The numbers are impressive and it gives me hope. That being said, there is so much more to be done, as you pointed out, when it comes to safety and education.

As a Barrington resident who uses his bicycle as much as possible for transportation needs (I like to say that my life is “car-lite”) I have daily encounters with bicycle riders who, I’m afraid to say, fail to understand basic rules of the road.

For example, riding against traffic. I have seen more than a few families (not just children) out for a ride doing exactly that and it is extremely unsafe and, I believe, illegal. Walk facing traffic but ride your bicycle with traffic and obey all traffic laws.

As a bicycle rider you are operating a vehicle. You have every legal right to be on the road BUT you also have the responsibility to follow the law for your safety and the safety of others. How do we educate children who almost universally appreciate the fun and freedom associated with riding a bicycle?

The League of American Bicyclists www.bikeleague.org (Founded in Newport, RI on May 30, 1880 as The League of American Wheelman-Yes, you read correctly, 1880) provides outstanding information and support to educators and anyone else wanting information on safe bicycle riding. Their “Smart Cycling Quick Guide” is pocket sized, easy to read and filled with colorful illusions. It is inexpensive (available in bulk) and together with their on-line videos can be used to create a worthwhile and meaningful lesson plan, easily incorporated into Physical Education or Health Education class.

Asking parents to discuss safety with their children is a start, but a formal lesson plan will likely be more effective since many parents need education, too.

Education is power and the bicycle (the most efficient mode of transportation ever invented) has the ability to cure so many social problems (personal health, environmental, and financial). What better place to start than in our schools?!

Bryan Lorber

Barrington