WABA & Bike Arlington Team Up to Offer Bike Commuting Seminar in Spanish

On Thursday morning, more than 30 people crowded into a small room at the Shirlington Education and Employment Center (SEEC) in Arlington County to attend a Bicycle Commuter Seminar jointly presented by WABA and Bike Arlington. The big difference between this particular seminar and the other 29 that our instructors have done throughout the region this year is that this one was given completely in Spanish. The Spanish Bike Commuter seminar was given by Edgar Gil and we were invited by Andres Tobar, the director of the SEEC, and Tim Kelly of Bike Arlington. The seminar covered all of the same topics as the English version, including:

• Benefits of bike commuting
• What to do before you ride
• Choosing a bike
• Choosing a route
• Riding visibly
• Lighting and reflectivity
• Lane position and control
• Communication and hand signals
• Riding predictably
• Lawful bicycling
• Bike helmets
• Bike locks
• And more!

Additionally, Bike Arlington provided bike lights and reflective straps to attendees for free, and we handed out Spanish copies of our Safe Bicycling in the Washington Area guide, as well as bike maps of Arlington County and other relevant information. As a follow-up, we’ll be providing free helmets for the SEEC to hand out to participants. If you or your employer is interested in setting up a Bike Commuter Seminar, in either English or Spanish, please feel free to contact us for more information by calling 202-518-0524 x200 or emailing safetyed@waba.org. The Shirlington Education and Employment Center matches day laborers with employers who are in need of temporary labor. Potential workers who have the skills and background required are referred to employers who then negotiate the working conditions and wages. Workers are expected to complete the tasks requested to the best of their ability and employers are expected to be fair.