Share the Road – Buses and Bicycles from Chicago Bicycle Program.
“What does the EBBC Bicycle Safety course teach bicyclists about sharing the road with buses?” “What training does AC Transit provide their drivers about sharing the road with bicyclists?”
EBBC & AC Transit are collaborating to make sharing the road safer and less frustrating for all.
During an ACTIA holiday party discussion with Chris Peeples, AC Transit Director, and Maya Carson, a founder of Cycles of Change, Maya asked, “what are the essential skills we should share with young bicyclists about riding on bus routes?” Chris offered to contact Michael Flocchini, AC Transit Driver Trainer, to arrange for the kids to visit the bus yard to sit in the driver’s seat and get a perspective of the blind spots around buses. I offered to contact Jason Serafino-Agar, EBBC’s lead Bicycle Safety instructor, to help build a collaboration between the professional trainers from the bus and bicycle realms. Our first meeting will take place in January. We hope to develop new materials for the Bicycle Safety classes and AC Transit is looking to refine their exisiting bus-bike driver training. Our conversations have most recently been about the Chicago video. All agree that it represents an excellant training tool–for bicyclists and bus drivers. I hope you enjoy it and urge viewers to comment on how we might tailor a similar production specifically for our East Bay audiences. -Robert Raburn