Behind every great cycling community is a highly productive team of organizers, constantly working to provide innovative resources and programs that ensure everyone is riding safer.

The 2013 recipient of the CCG Foundation Bike Safety Fellowship, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA), performs this type of on-the-ground work in the greater Washington DC area.

Here are some of the above-and-beyond educational efforts WABA provides to make cycling even safer in their community:

Motorist Awareness: WABA works with public transportation and bus fleets to increase drivers’ awareness of cyclists on the road. While educating all motorists can seem like a daunting task, focusing on these drivers is especially important. Buses and cyclists often share lanes, and those buses will also need to cross bike lanes to pick up customers.

Educator Resources: Teaching the next generation of cyclists safe and proper habits creates a safer future for everyone. WABA provides tools to parents, teachers, and community leaders for every aspect of personal bike safety, including fitting helmets, administering safe riding courses, and teaching bicycle law.

 Bike Share Member Safety Courses: This year WABA and Bethesda Transportation Solutions are teaming up to make cycling even more accessible in Washington DC.  Members of Capital Bikeshare (the Hubway or CitiBike of Washington) will be able to sign up for a free “Intro to City Cycling” course where participants will learn about bike infrastructure, coexisting with other vehicles on the road, and some best practices for urban riding.