Bike Friendly Richardson

Safety is one of our biggest concerns for cyclists in Richardson. Along with having more awareness, better designed infrastructure and safer routes one of the best things that will keep cyclists safe on the road is being better educated. Whether you are new to cycling around town or a seasoned commuter, there is always something new to be learned with a good bicycle safety course.

Fortunately for us, there are some really good options near by. I am the recent graduate of both the the League of American Bicyclists, Traffic Skills 101 course (hosted by BikeDFW) and Cycling Savvy DFW‘s bicycle empowerment courses. Both are excellent resources for anybody wanting to become a better cyclist and make more valuable and safer decisions while riding. You can read my reviews here and here.

Traffic Safety 101–
This course is run by local League Certified Instructors and is designed to teach everything from Bicycle Parts, Adjusting Your Bicycle, Pre-Ride Safety Check, Bicycle Handling Basics, Bicycling in Traffic, Emergency Maneuvers and Crash Avoidance. Instructors are local cyclists who understand the different cycling skill levels and work to help you improve yours. Rumor has it, there will be a Traffic Skills course in Richardson in the very near future. Check back soon for details.

Cycling Savvy DFW-
This is a course designed to help cyclists become more confident on the road by empowering them with tools for riding in traffic. Like the TS101 course, they teach you some of the basic handling skills and emergency maneuvers. What’s different is their program is carefully designed to help you explore proven methods for safely and confidently navigating anywhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex by bicycle. You will discover that riding on certain roads isn’t as difficult as you may have imagined. They are starting up their fall season, so click here to see their schedule.

One thing that I’ve learned by taking both of these courses is that they are not designed to convert you into a Vehicular Cyclist and force you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. Instead, they give you the ability to make the right decisions with your bicycle commutes as well as a better foundation to a safer more confident ride. If anything, they’ll help you break all of your bad riding habits that may be putting you in danger.