|
By John
Andersen
In the springtime, concerns turn toward the horde of
child-cyclists turned loose upon the streets of cities and towns
across the country. In many communities, concerned agencies ban
together to hold one day of training for young bicycle drivers in
the hope of preventing accidents.
Thus is born the Bike Safety Rodeo. These events are, in many
case the only opportunities to educate parents and children about
the safety aspects of riding a bicycle on streets and roads. The
goal is to empower young cyclists with a minimal set of skills for
on-road riding. To teach them the a small subset of the rules of
the road sufficient to keep them safe. How well this works is open
to debate.
What is a Rodeo
 A Bike Rodeo is usually a bicycle safety clinic featuring
bike safety inspections (and optionally quick tune-ups), and a
safety lecture about the rules of the road (10 to 15 minutes).
This is followed by a ride on a miniature "chalk street" course
set up in a parking lot where young cyclists are shown where and
how to apply the rules. Optional activities include Helmet
fitting, prizes and drawings, and in some cases commercial
activities such as booths set up by bike shops etc.
The main focus of a bike rodeo is Cycling Safety for young
cyclists, ages kindergarten to 14 or so.
Rodeos are usually held a week or two after school is out for
the summer, perhaps earlier in warmer climates where kids start
biking to school earlier in the year. They are usually held on a
Saturday in a large parking lot where a fairly large chalk course
can be laid out with simulated streets, intersections, crosswalks
and stop signs.
The participants are usually escorted through the course by
knowledgeable adult cyclists who point out hazards, safety tips,
and explain how to apply the rules of the road that were mentioned
in the lecture.
Quite often this walking chalk talk is best handled by local
Police officers, either assigned or volunteers, who are familiar
with bicycle safety issues and who are cyclists themselves. Many
cities have Police Bicycle Patrols. These officers are frequently
interested in participating in such events, because they see
accidents, (and attend the victims) resulting from ignorance of
cyclists.
Corny Name?
The term "Bike Rodeo" may seem kind of corny, but it has a long
history, and it is attractive to the age group to which it is
targeted. The Kiwanis clubs have historically sponsored these
events over several years. Lately there has been trend for more
bicycle-knowledgeable organizations getting involved.
You would be hard pressed to get many kids to attend a safety
lecture if that was all there was to it. Having the chalk course
adds a lot of fun for the kids and condenses a lot of training
situations into a very small place where even the youngest
cyclists can be given some training in safety. "Rodeo" is a lot
more attractive than "clinic" or "lecture" or "seminar" to the age
group in question.
45 Minute EC Course?
Most kids are through the entire process in 45 minutes or so.
In that time, they can be told, then shown and even practice the
key items of effective cycling pertinent to their age group. This
is clearly not meant to be an Effective Cycling course.
They will learn about blind corners, stopping at stop signs,
staying off sidewalks, yielding to pedestrians, avoiding the
door-zone, intersections, crosswalks and driveways.
The repetitive nature of the course - lecture followed by
"doing" and some take home material, has proven to be a very good
teaching method in other fields.
The students will not be practicing in rush hour traffic, or
making left turns from a multi-lane arterial. They will not learn
the proper lane positioning (keep to the edge of the road is
almost always the message), lane changes, or instant turn
techniques. Nor will they be learning much about traffic flow, and
how it affects them and how to interact with motor vehicles.
Because of the artificial nature of bike rodeos on chalk
streets, and the short time period allowed, these skills are not
covered. Only the basics of signs, signals, stops, and some
hopeful instruction on defensive cycling. Still, it's better than
nothing and nothing is exactly what is offered in most towns to
children of this age.
Age Groups
The age group that bike rodeos try to reach are those who are
just beginning to use bikes to ride around the neighborhood in
quiet residential areas up through the early teenage years where
the bicycle serves as the principal means of transportation around
town.
It’s important to have a course large enough to include
situations for both ends of the age range. This might include some
course segments that are only offered to older riders – such as
actual on-street segments.
Stations and Activities
To keep the operation flowing and prevent herds of kids
standing around doing nothing, it is important to organize the
event with discrete "stations" through which the participants are
guided. The stations are best laid out in an open area marked off
with rope or ribbon, which guides the participant from one station
to the next.
The layout should be such that the participants will not be
distracted by a prior station, and always looking forward. This
means refreshments at the END, so you don’t have kids trying to
ride a bike with a soft drink in their hands. Often the stations
can be laid out in a line, but if the area won’t accommodate this,
use a serpentine arrangement with ribbons to guide participants
from one station to the next.
It's also important to have all parental matters (registration,
permission slips, fees etc) handled at the first station so that
the kids may proceed on their own through the other stations. It
is often desirable to have the parents accompany the kids through
each station, and indeed, this is the norm for the youngest
children. It is helpful to have the parents along so that
bicycle-fit, or helmet adjustment can be explained to the parent
as well as the participant. About age 10 or so, the kids would
rather do it themselves, and may actually learn better alone.
There is no need to separate kids by age group, until they
reach those segments that are specific to certain groups. For
example, a good "rules of the road" presenter can hold both 6 year
olds and 14 years olds attention for the brief time need to
present the rules.
The lecture station is the only station where having small
groups (3 to 8) is normal, as most other stations and activities
are one on one.
So what are the typical stations, and what does a Rodeo hope to
accomplish at each?
Let’s present them each in turn. The links associated with each
station point to resources for those activities.
Registration
At the registration station you will be signing up each
participant and obtaining the permission signatures from the
parents. The registration form should also bear the waiver of
liability. These are necessary items. The registration serves to
document the event, and justify next year’s event. It also serves
as a semblance of legal protection in the event of a fall.
The registration forms should also contain a "permission"
section where a parental signature is collected. If there are
special/optional segments of your Rodeo (such as an "on-Street"
training ride) make sure there is a separate checkbox for that
item and a place for parents to separately initial or sign.
If there are drawings or door prizes tickets for these are also
best given out at the registration stations. The two-part tickets
with numbered stubs are best for this.
Printed material for the parents concerning bike safety issues
should be made available at the registration station. (Important:
try not to send the kids through the event with papers in their
hands).
Finally a checklist form is attached to the bike for the bike
inspection station. Bikes judged unsafe are not allowed to
participate in the event. This form is used for that purpose as
well as a vehicle to get a check list back to the parents about
needed repairs.
An example of a form that serves as a single all-in-one,
Registration, permission form, waiver, safety checklist can be downloaded
here (Microsoft Publisher format). If you don't have
publisher and just want to view a sample a PDF
version is available here. This form has a tear-off that is
retained at the registration table with name/address/age
information for the Rodeo records. The other part (the largest
piece) carries the signatures, permissions, and waiver on one side
and the checklist on the other. That part is attached to the
participant’s bike, and goes through the entire course and is
marked at each station as necessary. Note: in the event of an
accident, no matter how slight, this tag must be taken
and kept by an event official. Another tag may be
substituted if the participant is able to continue through the
other stations, but in no event should the tag bearing signatures
be returned to the child or parent after any kind of accident.
This is your only proof of waiver and permission.
Bike Inspections
| After registration, the kids wheel their bikes
to the inspection stations. There are usually four
sub-stations in the bike inspection section. These are best if
staffed by knowledgeable cyclists with mechanical abilities.
Bike club members or professional "wrenches" from local bike
shops are great candidates.
The Substations include:
- A – Air and Tires
- B – Brakes
- C – Cranks and Chain
- F – Frame and Fit
|
Inspections occur right after
registration.
|
A detailed list of all the items checked at each station can be
found HERE.
Downloadable PDF
version here.
Depending on the staffing available and the number of kids
attending you may choose to do quick tune-up tasks at these
stations. Normally the only adjustment you will have time to do is
adjust seat height. However if you have enough mechanics around,
set up a couple of bike repair stands out of the traffic flow and
triage the bikes through the inspection
station.
By "Triage" I mean that the inspection stations identify bikes
that:
- Have no significant problems and can proceed
- Have serious problems that can’t be corrected here – and
may not be allowed on the chalk course – these bikes are
"Flunked" and you waste no more time on them. Refer these
bikes to a competent bike shop. Be prepared to explain to the
parents why this decision was made, (If possible, try to
provide loaners for these kids).
- Have easily repairable problems, which fit within the
scope of what you are prepared to handle at the Rodeo.
Sideline these bike to the repair stands so as not to hold up
the queue. It's best to have bike shop pro’s do any
significant wrench work as you assume a certain liability with
every thing you do to a bike.
For most of the substations, volunteers from bike clubs or
other experienced cyclists can do a more than adequate job of
inspection. These people should be prepared to explain to young
riders and their parents how to take care of the bike and what
needs fixing. They should have knowledge about good bike shops in
the area.
This is not the place to harangue the parents about "dime store
bikes". In fact, just the opposite is true. Bikes that look to be
in good shape should get verbal compliments. Try to boost the
child’s sense of pride in his/her "wheels" and encourage good care
of the bike.
Note that frame and fit sub-station most frequently finds young
kids riding bikes too small for them where their knees are almost
bumping their chins. Therefore, this substation should be staffed
by an experienced cyclist or bike shop employee, with knowledge of
the aspects of bike fit. Have due regard for the age of the child
and the child’s degree of insecurity on high seats. Often the
parents (if knowledgeable about bikes at all) have been trying to
talk the kid into having the seat raised, but such raises scare
the child. Often an outside "expert" (in the child’s eyes) can
often talk the most timid child into raising the bike seat. If so,
small raises ¼ to ½ an inch are all that is advisable. Explain to
the parent to do it again in a week or two. It’s more important
for young cyclists to be confident than it is for them to be
efficient.
Defects on the bikes that should be taken care of should be
noted on the form attached to the bike. The kids are expected take
this home and hopefully the parents will get the bike to a bike
shop.
Rules of the Road
| At the Rules of the Road station the object is
to get the basic rules covered before the kid’s eyes glass
over. An animated speaker is needed. You need someone
knowledgeable about cycling, and how bicycles fit into
traffic.
This is NOT the place for a "fear talk". This is not the
place where the principal message is "wear a helmet".
The age group usually in attendance is already starting to
ride around the neighborhood. But, except for the 13-14 year
olds, they are unlikely to be in high traffic situations. This
station does not need to cover all the fine points of
vehicular cycling, and certainly does not need to cover all
the find points of the law. There is a limit to what an
8-year-old can absorb. The Rules station needs to explain very
simple rules that kids of any age can learn: |
Alask State Bike/Ped Coordinator
volunteers at "Rules of the Road"
Station
|
- Stop at Signals and Stop signs
- Stop, or slow to a crawl before entering any
roadway or at blind intersections
- Slow vehicles keep right
- Ride with traffic, not against it
- Signal your turns (have them practice…)
- Ride predictably, no swerving or curb
jumping
- Stay off the sidewalks – adjusted for local laws
etc.
- Most importantly – just Pay Attention!
Having handouts for the parents is also a good idea. Don’t
burden the kids with handouts at this station, give them to
parents and make them available at the end of the course.
Helmet Fit
Whatever you personally believe about helmets (and here at
Bicycling Life we generally avoid the issue), you will find that
no one will sanction a bike rodeo where helmets are not advocate
to some degree. If you are not a fan of helmets you would be best
to accept the fact that they are going to be part of any bike
rodeo that is expected to garner support from a wide range of
agencies, because your bike rodeo will need that support.
It is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT that helmets
do NOT come across as the principal safety lesson of the Rodeo.
That statement does not represent my political belief about
helmets, it just a statement of facts:
- Parents, some of whom know very little about cycling,
should never be given the impression that putting a helmet on
a kid satisfies their duties to keep their children safe.
- The principal message of Bike Rodeos is the Rules of the
Road as the principal avenue toward bike safety.
- Helmets are a very poor substitute for common sense
traffic smarts, which, even 6-year-olds, can master.
- The idea is FIRST to avoid a collisions, and somewhere
near the tail end of the list (after giving up all hope of
avoiding a crash) to ameliorate collisions. Helmets work only
on that latter category.
The kids attending are in the age groups where they fall off
the bike occasionally (ok, somewhat more than occasionally), and
could probably benefit from helmet use even if teaching the rules
of the road were wildly successful.
So, helmet use must be soft-peddled as a safety measure, while
at the same time required to participate, for liability reasons if
nothing else.
As such, helmet fit is important, as most kids don’t wear them
correctly. Use these resources for the staffers of the helmet fit.
Kids tend to wear the helmet slid way back on the head rather than
on top.
Some bike rodeo’s give out helmets (if funding allows). At our
Rodeos we have done that in the past, but in recent years, we just
give the kids another ticket if they bring their own helmet (and
therefore another chance to win prizes).
The "Chalk Streets"
The Fun Part!
| Kids love the miniature streets. I’ve seen
kids go through the stations twice just to get to the Chalk
Streets section again. Here is a sample layout you can download.
At our Bike Rodeo, we have had good cooperation from the
local Police Department (Juneau Police
Department) in having Bike Patrol Officers take kids
through the Chalk Streets one on one.
The officers always wear their Bike Patrol uniforms and
have Police Bikes close by (red lights and all), but they
always accompany the participants on foot through the course
pointing out how to apply the rules of the road. |
Juneau Alaska Bicycle Police volunteers
take each participant through the course one-on-one.
Bus provides "blind corner". Pedestrian and dog peridoically
cross in front of
riders.
|
Hoofing up and down a large parking lot for four hours can be a
lot of hot work, make sure someone offers these guys and gals a
cold drink now and then.
Each officer picks up the next rider at the "Driveway". After a
short chat to build rapport, the officer takes the student bike
driver down the "street", through the "intersections" over the
"railroad tracks" etc., all the while point out how to apply the
rules of the road, and things to watch out for.
This is a win, win system. The kids get some personal attention
from "Officer Bob" in a positive situation. Here is an authority
figure helping them to ride a bike and giving them tips and advice
and praise. And the officer has a bike too!
The police send the message to parents (and drivers) that
cyclists belong on the streets. The kids get the message that they
have to follow the rules of the road just like cars. It works.
It’s popular. Kids dig it!
At the end of the ride, we have the officer sign the
registration tag attached to the bike, usually giving a passing
grade. The registration slip now has a bike inspection report as
well as a student driver report.
If you can’t solicit cooperation from your local police you can
still put on a rodeo with bike club members, firemen, etc. Then
start working on those cops!
Post-Ride Booths
Many of the agencies that help in the planning, organization
and funding of the Bike Rodeos have a message to get across. Most
of these organizations are concerned with child well being and
health. Some are State/County/City agencies, others are national
organizations such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
These agencies may have safety material they want to present
(government agencies), or they may want to recruit members (scouts
and bike clubs), or they may have something to sell (bike
shops).
You may want to have a prize table where participants can
redeem their tickets after each drawing. At our last Rodeo we were
able to give away 6 bikes due to a local store having some
"extras". Smaller items like locks and helmets, bike bags, and
gloves can also be attractive.
Commercial Booths
Some people may object to commercial activity on the site, but
as long as it is focused on bicycle safety and these organizations
contributed something to the planning or execution of the rodeo,
my personal feeling is that more is better.
Bike Shops
Bike Rodeos are a natural venue for bike shops. They may want
to have a booth to sell bike supplies (water bottles, locks,
pumps, tires) and safety gear (helmets, gloves). As an organizer
of your Rodeo, you should try to solicit more than just a
commercial booth from a bike shop. They should supply a mechanic
and a bike repair stand to the inspection stations. Don’t expect
them to perform major repairs on bikes all day for free. Allow
them to hand out advertising and promo items.
Refreshments
If you get warm weather for your Rodeo you will want cool
refreshments available. If local stores wants to donate soft
drinks they ought to get a mention on the list of sponsors.
If you can find a Good Humor vendor (or similar company
licensed to vend on the street) it will add to the event. Have
enough consideration not to invite refreshment vendors onto the
site if you are using the parking lot of a commercial
establishment selling similar refreshments.
Innovative Additions
There is no set pattern for Bike Rodeos and you can add items
suitable to your area. If you have an active bike club that hold’s
races you may want to see if you can have them put on some
"sprint" races that terminate or originate at the Rodeo. (Bear in
mind that the message the Rodeo is bike safety, and many racing
clubs have a less than glowing reputation for adherence to the
rules of the road.)
On Road Training
| In our last Rodeo, we were able to present an
actual on-street (pavement – not chalk) training ride to
participants 10 years and older with parental permission.
This was suggested at early planning meetings, and the
Police officers detailed to Rodeo took the idea to the Chief
and basically went to bat for the Rodeo. The Chief agreed.
We had a ¾ mile route where a mounted Bike Patrol Officer
(this time on bike, not on foot) took students one-on-one onto
an urban highway, through a signalized intersection, past
several busy commercial driveways and residential street
intersections. |
JPD
Bike Officer and pupil start off as the light changes
in urban on-street training ride. Ask Officers to warn
about dangers of the Right Hook at intersections like
this.
|
The return trip required a vehicular left turn back onto the
highway, more intersections and finally a pedestrian crossing at
the same lights they had previously navigated on the bike.
The Police Department took a certain risk in this endeavor. The
idea of a kid involved in an accident while under the supervision
of a police officer has "law suit" written all over it. But the
course chosen had wide shoulders, good sight lines and was as safe
as you could reasonably expect of any city street. (Which, after
all, is pretty darned safe, especially with everyone trying to
follow the rules of the road).
Several parents remarked that the street ride was the main
reason they brought their kids to the Rodeo. It was a total
success, and one we look forward to repeating next
year.
Off Road Course
Bike safety includes more areas than just the street. If your
location lends it self to some off-road trails or bike paths these
might be incorporated into your Rodeo for more realistic training.
After all, bike paths generate a lot of accidents, yet most young
cyclists (and their parents) believe that they are safer there
than in the streets.
Off road hazards that younger riders are likely to encounter in
their first summer of unsupervised cycling include rough down-hill
runs (and the resultant braking induced "endos"), mud, loose sand,
water, and similar terrain.
Bike Security
In cities with high theft problems you might include some
demonstrations on bike security in your Rodeo. You can demonstrate
the proper way to lock a bike, where to lock bikes, how to carry
locks, what kinds of locks work best, etc.
Expecting Miracles
Do Bike Rodeo’s really work? Do they make any
lasting impression on young cyclists? Do they reduce
accidents?
At this time there does not appear to be sufficient evidence to
make any great claims for the efficacy of bike rodeos. There are
no studies that I know of which document the success or failure of
these programs. Such a study could be as simple as emergency room
or ambulance check-box asking child-cyclist accident victims if
they ever attended a bike rodeo. But don’t hold your breath, there
is enough paperwork in the medical arena already. On the other
hand, they seem to have enough time to ask if the kid was wearing
a helmet….
Many competent vehicular cyclists have reservations about the
idea of bike rodeos. The principal concern is usually that "Chalk
Streets" do not translate well in a child’s mind to pavement with
automobile traffic. Curbs, gutters, potholes, stop signs, and,
yes, real motor traffic are all missing. So are the dynamics of
real intersections, real driveways and other road users.
Sure the course is fun. But "Fun" is not the point. The real
lesson may be lost in the fun.
This may be a somewhat uncharitable characterization of a
well-meaning program. Kids have an active imagination and
translate much more of the pretend world to the real world than
adults realized.
Still, many cycling and safety organizations have abandoned the
idea of "Chalk Street" rodeos altogether in favor of on-street
training, usually in calm neighborhoods near schools.
According to Eve DeCoursey, Executive Director of Hawaii Bicycling
League's "BikeEd Hawaii" Program
"We do NOT attempt to duplicate traffic situations by
drawing intersections on paved playgrounds. We have found
simulation to be minimally effective when teaching children
about proper behavior on roads and interaction with traffic.
We take the children (who have been deemed to have good enough
bike handling skills) RIGHT OUT ONTO THE SECONDARY ROADS
adjacent to their
school."
| Hawaii’s success in getting bicycle education
into the schools is a fine example for other areas. Other
school districts combine cycling into physical education,
where, unfortunately, it is often taught by Phys-ed majors
with little or no formal cycling training. |
"Nobody ever died from not
knowing how to play flag football. Yet we spend tax money
teaching kids its nuances in gym classes, while bicycle safety
is still foreign to most school curriculums." — Don Cuerdon
(quoted in The Quotable Cyclist edited by Bill Strickland, pg.
164.) |
America is a risk-avers nation, and public schools are perhaps
the most risk-avers of institutions. Public school administrators
have succumbed to the popular myth of dangers of bicycling. The
fact that football is 38 times more likely to result in a hospital
visit than is cycling seems lost on them.
As a result, other than in a few innovative locations such as
Hawaii, there is no formal training available for cyclists of
grade school age.
Bike Rodeos are most kids' first and only exposure to bicycle
safety training. In the absence of anything better, a Bike Rodeo
is fairly easy to organize, and relatively inexpensive to execute.
A small group of 6 to 10 interested parties can generally organize
a Rodeo.
In most cases, rodeos are the only event you will
ever get the parents to attend, if for no other
reason than that rodeos are typically not
hosted by schools. Parents can't just send the child to school and
wash their hands of bike education. Parents have to bring
their children to rodeos. Don’t overlook this opportunity. Parents
constitute a large percentage of "those motorists" that cyclists
share the road with every day. These drivers should be encouraged
to reflect upon the fact that soon their child will be out on
those same roads.
If there is no formal bicycle training program in your schools,
you might try and organize a Bike Rodeo. By getting
community agencies and organizations thinking about bike safety
training you are building a defacto consensus that such training
is needed. By having several hundred kids show up, parents
in tow, you are building a constituancy for better and sider
coverage. When a disbelieving school board hears from a
convinced Chief of Police the odds of getting a formal program
introduced can only be improved. | 
Bicycle Rodeos
