Free Bicycle Safety Classes, Family Cycling Workshops, and Kids Bike Rodeos


We offer free bicycle safety classes for cyclists of all ages. Check out the one right for you and get signed up...


Traffic Skills 101


Free front/back bike light set to every bicyclist who completes our two-day Traffic Skills 101 safety class.

Classroom Workshop:

Road Class:

Classroom Workshop Schedule:

Road Class Schedule:



"I endorse the bicycle safety education program of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and encourage all bicyclists to take an EBBC safety class. I also encourage police departments to promote these bicycle safety classes," Patrol Sergeant Shawn Maples, El Cerrito Police Department.


Download our Bicycle Safety Class Post Card to print and help us distribute. Thanks for spreading the word!



Family Cycling Workshops


Family Cycling Workshop photo
The family that rides together thrives together!
Safe road bicycling takes a lot more than balance, a helmet and a good attitude. Join the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and REI safety instructors for a morning of fun games, safety drills, skills building, and a neighborhood ride. For kids able to ride a bike and who are ready to ride on the roadways with their parents. Parents and kids must attend together and should bring their own bikes. Each child receives a free red blinky light for participating!
family cycling workshop




Kids Bike Rodeos


absolutely free at your school!

The East Bay Bicycle Coalition and Safe Routes to Schools Alameda County/Transform are offering Kids Bike Rodeos at schools in Alameda County starting in Fall 2009–absolutely free of charge! Our team of youth cycling instructors conduct a 1-3 hour fun-filled bike rodeo at many elementary schools and festivals around the East Bay. The rodeos include a bike safety course, skills building, walking and bicycling safety instruction, rides and free helmets for the kids. The Kids Bike Rodeos are for grades 3-5 approximately. We can provide bikes.

Upcoming Kids Bike Rodeos:

    Glen View Elementary School: t.b.d.
    Washington Elementary School: t.b.d.
    Malcolm X Elementary School: Spring '10
    John Muir Elementary School: Spring '10
    Searles Elementary School: t.b.d.

Completed Kids Bike Rodeos:

    Redwood Heights Elementary School: February 8, 2010 (94 kids)
    LeConte Elementary School: Thursday, December 9, 2009 (60 kids)
    Oxford Elementary School: Thursday, November 19, 2009 (63 kids)

The deadline for applying for a rodeo has passed for the Fall. Please check back in January, 2010 for our next round of rodeos. We received nine applications and are reviewing them for final decision on how many rodeos to offer this Fall. If you submitted an application, we will be in touch with you shortly. Thanks for applying.

Testimonials

    "My son David really got a lot out of the bicycle safety class -- thanks so much! We live in Fremont, and my son's biking 6 mi. to school (leaving in the dark in the a.m.), so I really wanted him to have the class. He's going to take the road class too coming up on October 31."
    Carolyn Berke, Fremont resident

    "I better understand "the rules" and my confidence is increased, which raises the level of both my comfort and safety. I appreciated the mix of lecture, demonstration, diagram explanations, video examples, and resources provided on paper to take with me. It felt empowering and supportive to participate with other bicyclists, enforcing my connection to the whole local biking community."
    Donna Khanvali, Alameda resident

    "I feel much more confident and relaxed on the road, now that I know how to position myself and how to communicate with drivers. I've noticed very experienced cyclists doing very risky maneuvers and now I know a bad example when I see it!"
    Ellen Gould, Oakland resident

Funded through grants and support from the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority, Kaiser Permanente and the East Bay Community Foundation.

EBBC has worked to ensure and promote the safety of bicyclists and their bikes throughout the East Bay for over thirty years. EBBC-sponsored, League of American Bicyclists-led Street Skills cycling courses provide cyclists with tips and strategies for surviving on busy streets. Know your rights and responsibilities and ride safely! To test your knowledge of the CA Vehicle Code as it applies to bicyclists please take EBBC's Bicycle Safety Quiz. Also, check out the variety of resources on the web (such as BicycleSafe.com.)

Improve local conditions for cyclists by reporting hazardous conditions, through convenient online form provided by the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. See Report Hazards.

Bicycle Safety Quiz

Interactive Bicycle Safety Quiz


How much do you really know about the CA Vehicle Code as it applies to bicyclists? Take EBBC's online Bicycle Safety Quiz and find out. You may be surprised.

Illustrated versions also available in brochure or .pdf format in English (172k) en Español (176k), and Chinese (LARGE FILE: 2.2mb). These color .pdf files are not suitable for B&W copies! For quantity requests, please contact the EBBC for printed color copies of the quiz produced with funding assistance from the California Office of Traffic Safety. EBBC's Bicycle Safety Quiz is copyright protected.

California Vehicle Code/Take the Lane!

"Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the
rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division." Read the CA Vehicle Code.

Section 21202(c) of the Vehicle Code expressly allows cyclists to take the lane when it is "too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane." Read more about your right to take the lane.

Doored?

[g2:233 n=1 size=200 class=right]Don't ride in the door zone! In the unfortunate event that you are involved in a crash with a car door, let your attorney know that CVC Section 22517 places the blame on the motorist. Section 22517 reads:

"No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and can be done without interfering with the movement of such traffic, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers."

Secure Bike Parking

Mark your bike to deter theft

Please engrave your driver's license number in a conspicuous place on your bike. That's right, deface the top tube. Then engrave as many valuable components as possible. Why?

Other tips to deter theft are to park near lot attendants or other "eyes"; co-lock with other bikes when possible, lock the frame and wheels (many thieves simply destroy the frame to steal components), and take your bike inside offices, stores, and homes.

Bike racks, eLockers and BikeStations

Bicyclists need safe and convenient parking. Contact your city's Public Works department to request bike racks be installed to support bicycling. Racks should be installed in all commercial districts, in parks, at workplaces and libraries . . . in short, wherever car parking spaces are available. On private property, ask the property owner to install racks. Join EBBC in contacting the appropriate agencies to advocate that BART or other transit agencies install more bike parking racks and BikeLink eLockers.

Working with the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC), the EBBC was instrumental in establishing the guarded bike parking facility at the downtown Berkeley BART Station, and lent support to the creation of the bike station at the Fruitvale BART Transit Village, the second largest BikeStation on the West Coast.

Valet Bike Parking

[g2:230 n=1 size=200 class=left]EBBC, along with the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition and BikeAlameda, contract to provide Valet Bike Parking (VBP) during large public events. Event promoters should call 510-533-RIDE (7433) no less than 3-months in advance to arrange for a site visit and parking evaluation for us estimate equipment and personell needs and prepare a bid to provide VBP.

EBBC members are invited to assist in parking and tabling at events. It's a great way to meet bicyclists, serve your community, and support EBBC. Please check the Volunteer calendar for upcoming opportunities and register for a shift so that we can plan accordingly.