RENO –– Thirteen-year-old Miguel Fonseca had an easier time of lifting up a bike on a practice rack at downtown Reno’s CityCenter bus station than 10-year-old Korina Cummins. Both, however, equally understood the principles of properly placing a bike on the front of a bus if they ever needed to abandon their bike for a bus ride.

Safe Kids Washoe County held its fourth class of a six-week bike camp series last week for a program called Ready to Walk ‘N’ Roll Summer Camp. The program began in June to teach kids the basics of safe bicycling, walking and self-sufficiency in their neighborhoods. The program has taken classes of about 10 kids on average on rides and field trips to learn how to practice proper bike safety.

“They’ve taught us the ABCs of bike-riding,” incoming Sparks Middle School student Fonseca said, referring to those basic procedures of checking a bicycle before getting on the road, including checking the air in the tires, properly working brakes and ensuring the chain is connected to the gears.

On Thursday, a group of nine kids biked to the Regional Transportation Commission’s CityCenter on Fourth Street in Reno to learn how to communicate to a driver that they want to hoist a bike onto a bus rack. Then, they practiced to develop their skills.

“Teaching kids about alternative modes of transportation is good for the community because it’s important for air quality, low congestion and traffic control,” said Carol Perry, RTC’s trip reduction specialist, who led last week’s group of kids in a discussion at CityCenter. “It’s also good for employees (to ride their bikes and the bus) because they arrive to work promptly.”

She described the different RTC buses, including some incoming articulated or accordion buses the agency will be introducing to the public soon, as well as the difference between the Sierra Spirit, Ride and Rapid buses.

Perry said among young people, there has been a shift in the number of teens trading in their driver’s license for a bike from age16 to even into their 20s, partially because they have become environmentally aware and health-conscious.

Melissa Krall, who works with REMSA and is the coordinator of Safe Kids Washoe County, said in addition to visiting with the Reno Bike Project group every day, the kids also have had the opportunity to learn about various careers. She said earlier last week the kids had a chance to visit Renown Regional Medical Center where they learned about the pediatrics department and the equipment hospital staff use, as well as CareFlight, ultrasounds and backboards for wheeling in patients.

“I liked seeing new things,” Bennett Elementary student Cummins said, also referring to the sights she saw biking around the Truckee Meadows.

The camps are based at the Sun Valley Community Center and run a week at a time Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There are two camps remaining, with one happening between today and Friday and Aug. 23 through Aug. 27.

There is no cost to students because the camps are funded by the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety, which gave a $33,500 grant to Safe Kids Washoe County. However, the youth have an opportunity to earn a bike, bike lock, helmet and backpack to keep.