Parramore Kidz Zone Volunteer Ride
We will leave from the parking lot of the Dollar General on Howell Branch and Lake Howell roads at 7:30 AM. The 9.5 mile ride to the event will take between 45 and 50 minutes at a speed that will accommodate volunteers who choose to ride mountain bikes or hybrids. The pace will be ~15mph. There will be brick streets involved.
If you'd like to ride from home and meet us on the route, please let me know so I can look for you. You can use mapmyride to plan an intercept course and calculate your mileage. Keep in mind the return route will be different.
To give Mighk and I an idea of how many volunteers to anticipate, please RSVP in the PKZ RSVP thread on the message board.
Wear your BOBbies jerseys!
The PKZ Pedaling 4 Pride Bike Ride:
What You Need to Know
Who: This is a FREE event of the Parramore Kidz Zone, an organization committed to improving the lives of children in the Parramore neighborhood through recreation and education. PKZ director Toni Shinn expects at least 100 kids to show up for the ride; expect some parents and other adults to participate as well. The Orlando Police department will have a number of bike officers on the ride, and the Orlando Fire Department will also send 2 or 3 bike EMTs.
Why: The goal of this ride is to bring the neighborhood together and help the kids have a good time. Bicycling education is a goal, but there will be no formal education or training. The ride presents the opportunity for experienced cyclists to share their knowledge with the kids (and the adults!) and to serve as positive cycling role models.
When: The ride will start at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 28. There is no set finish time; riders can take as many laps of the 5-mile loop as they wish.
Where: The ride will start at the Jackson Community Center, at the corner of Westmoreland Avenue and Carter Street (just south of the SR 408 Expressway). The ride will then stop at the New Image Youth Center, the Boy and Girls Club, the Callahan Neighborhood Center, Hurst Chapel, and the Downtown Recreation Center to pick up kids along the way. The route is a 5-mile loop that runs from Parramore over into Thornton Park, around Lake Eola, and back into Parramore. Streets will NOT be closed and intersections will NOT be controlled by OPD. As you may know, Parramore is a low income neighborhood and crime is a concern. But this is a daytime event, and there will be ample police presence.
What: With this location you should take some special precautions. Broken glass is a problem on the streets, so bring a bike that has tires that can handle that. Parking at the Jackson Community Center is limited; I recommend biking to the event, either from home or from a comfortable distance away in a place where you feel comfortable leaving your car. Obviously you won’t want to leave your bike unattended anywhere. Don’t be surprised (or offended) if the kids ask you how much your bike cost.
There will be a post-ride barbeque at the Jackson Center, and secure indoor bike parking will be available.
How: We don’t want this to become a typical mass start ride in which bicyclists take over the road and annoy motorists. Such rides present no opportunity to teach kids how to bike properly. Instead, we will be picking up kids along the way at the locations mentioned above, and allowing the traffic signals to naturally split the cyclists up into smaller groups. As an experienced cyclist it is very important that you portray a positive example! Look for opportunities along the ride to share your knowledge with the kids, but don’t be overbearing about it.
If you have questions not answered by the above, please contact:
Mighk Wilson, Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator
METROPLAN ORLANDO
407-481-5672 ext. 318
mwilson@metroplanorlando.com
