The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
OPD teaching kids bike safety
Bike Rodeo brings community organizations together to ensure children know how to ride safely
The Oneida Police Department once again gave children a hands-on course in bike and road safety.
The OPD has partnered with the Oneida Parks and Recre- ations Department, the Oneida Rail Trail Committee and Chris Winfield of Reference Bicycle to teach kids the importance of bike safety and maintenance.
“It’s important to get your bike inspected regularly for safety. You want to make sure the brakes are good, the tires are inflated and you can stop when you need to stop,” Winfield said. “I think the Bike Rodeo will help kids understand how their bike operates, as well as how well they handle it.”
Among the skills and lessons taught, children were told of the importance of stopping at stop signs and checking for cars and riding to safely avoid obstacles on the road. Officer Joseph Mccormick watches Caleb Mannix, 5, of Oneida cross a fourway intersection after stopping and looking for cars at the Oneida Police Department Bike Rodeo on Saturday, June 9, 2018.
Kyler Dandignac, 41/2, of Wampsville, was one of the children attending.
“The officers helped a lot. You have to look at the end of the driveway for coming cars,” Kyler said.
The OPD’s Bike Rodeo was once a common occurrence over the years, Police Chief Paul Thompson said. Every year, the OPD would hold an auction for unclaimed bikes or bikes that just didn’t have an owner and they would use that money to fund their bike rodeo, buying food, drinks, T-shirts, riding gear and more.
“Due to the financial crunch of 2008 and 2009, we really couldn’t recapture that money for the rodeo,” Thompson said. “We’ve gone back to the basics of bike safety.”
“The police used to do it for years. I remember doing the Bike Rodeo as a kid,” said Patti Meakin, Oneida Parks and Recreations account clerk.
Winfield said he brought his tools to help perform any basic maintenance. Lt. Steve Lowell helped children get a better fit for their helmets and from there, children were sent on an obstacle course to train them to be better cyclists.
While it’s not against the law, Juvenile Aide Officer Christopher Bailey said he and other officers do see people riding without their helmets or cutting in front of cars.
“If they fall and hit their head, there’s a chance they’re going to get hurt pretty badly,” Bailey said. “We’re hoping to instill some ideas and basic education and add to what their parents are teaching them.”