City and Boulder Community Health Partner on Back-to-School Transportation Safety Fair

Event aims to support safe travel for young community members.

The City of Boulder, in partnership with Boulder Community Health (BCH), invites the community to attend a Back-to-School Transportation Safety Fair on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, from 12 to 2 p.m. The event will be held at the Meadows Branch Library, located at 4800 Baseline Road in Boulder.

The event will focus on preparing elementary school-aged children in our community for a safe return to school. A limited amount of free bike helmets and helmet fittings will be offered, as well as free face painting, ice cream and information about bike and pedestrian safety. Helmets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis and advance registration is required.

BCH, with support of the Boulder Community Health Foundation, is excited to partner with the City of Boulder at this event to distribute free helmets to children and families who may not be able to afford them. BCH Trauma Services and Injury Prevention staff and volunteers will be there to assist children and their parents to ensure the helmets fit properly.

“A properly fitted helmet is important for children and adults to protect our heads and brains in the event of a crash. You should always wear a helmet when riding bikes, scooters, skateboards, skis or any sport that moves you faster than your own feet,” says Joan DePuy, Trauma Outreach, Injury Prevention Coordinator at BCH.

As part of the event, city staff from the Transportation and Mobility Department will be present to discuss the upcoming Baseline Road Transportation Safety Project. Community members are invited to share their experiences traveling along Baseline Road with city staff to help inform the project.

The project is a multi-year initiative to improve safety for all modes of travel along Baseline Road from 30th Street to Foothills Parkway, and is one of many projects the City of Boulder is working on as part of the Core Arterial Network initiative. This section of Baseline Road is one of the most-traveled corridors in the city and is home to many key community destinations and services, including housing, grocery stores, shops and health centers.

“The Safety Fair is a fun way to help younger students learn how to travel safely to and from school and it’s also an opportunity to introduce community members to the Baseline Road Transportation Safety Project,” said City of Boulder Transportation Sr. Planner Dave “DK” Kemp. “We are very grateful to our partners at Boulder Community Health, Community Cycles, Boulder Valley School District and the Boulder Police Department for helping us to support safe travel for our younger community members.”

Visit the city’s website for more event details and registration information.