Objectives:
Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Estimate current levels of walking and biking activity in their community.
- Explain how and why people decide to walk or bike.
- Plan strategies to increase walking and biking activity.
- Recognize various "at-risk" highway user populations (i.e., the young and the elderly) and how the risks to these groups can be managed through the promotion of walking and biking strategies.
Pre-Instruction:
|
Components |
Activities |
|
Motivation |
Find someone in your community who regularly uses his or her bicycle for commuting, shopping, or other non-recreational trips. Ask this person to talk to your class about their experience as a person who is able to get along without being overly dependent on an automobile. |
|
Objectives |
Present and explain the four lesson goals listed above (V-2-1). |
Information Presentation:
|
Components |
Activities |
|
Information Sequence |
Outline the presentation of the lecture (V-2-2). |
|
Information |
Illustrate how much biking and walking people actually do. Summarize the factors that influence an individual's decision to walk or bike (V-2-3). Point out that there are many different strategies that can be used to encourage more bicycling and walking (V-2-4). Discuss how people who are transportation disadvantaged (i.e., children, older adults, and the disabled) can benefit from improvements to the biking and walking systems. |
|
Example(s) |
Use the graphics from the text to highlight how much biking and walking people already do. |
Student Participation:
|
Components |
Activities |
|
Practice |
During the class period, ask students to write down their travel activities for the day by mode. Ask them to consider which trips might have been replaced by a bicycle or pedestrian trip. Engage the class in a discussion of their results. Probe individuals as to why they believe that some of their trip-making could not have been done by walking or biking. |
|
Feedback |
Provide comment and feedback to the class as appropriate. |
Follow-Up:
|
Components |
Activities |
|
Enrichment |
Assign reading for Lesson 3. Ask the students to look for pedestrian and bicycle accident statistics from some national database (e.g., U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (http://www.bts.gov). Have them bring to class the most amazing or surprising statistics that they find. |
|
Review |
Lesson Objectives:
- Estimate current levels of walking and biking activity in their community
- Explain how and why people decide to walk or bike
- Plan strategies to increase walking and biking activity
- Recognize the risks of certain special user groups and how these risks can be managed through the promotion of walking and biking strategies
Lesson Outline:
- How much biking and walking do people actually do?
- Factors that influence walking or biking decisions
- Strategies that can be used to encourage bicycling and walking
- Benefits for the transportation disadvantaged from improvements to the biking and walking systems
Factors Influencing Walking/Biking Decisions:
- Distance
- Time
- Attitude
- Situation
- Safety
- Destination
Strategies to Encourage Bicycling and Walking:
- Build on existing support
- Press the transit connection
- Expand the current role of non-motorized transportation activities
- Monitor changes in bicycle design
Lesson Summary:
- People are already biking and walking
- There are a variety of reasons why people choose to bike or walk or not bike or walk
- There are many ways to encourage bicycling and walking in the community
- Bicycling and walking help to maintain independence and mobility for the transportation disadvantaged