Young cyclists take part in Bike Safety Rodeo

BONNYVILLE – On Saturday, nearly 50 youth and parents got the opportunity to learn about cycling safely from the experts while having fun on a mock course located in the Bonnyville Youth Club parking lot. 

As students head back to school the Bonnyville RCMP detachment and Victims Service Unit (VSU) partnered up with the Bonnyville Youth Club to remind families and youth important tips for staying safe while traveling on a bike. 

Sasha Johnston, the executive director for the Youth Club said, the simulation was designed by the RCMP and the VSU to mimic kids riding their bikes around town while taking into consideration other drivers on the road and what to do in order to stay safe while cycling.  

The afternoon event also included a family BBQ and door prize entries for youth who completed the course. Three lucky winners took home a bike and gift card to purchase a helmet and other equipment needed to operate a bike safely, said Johnston. 

For the last seven years the Bonnyville VSU program run the Bike Safety Rodeo in June, however due to the pandemic the event was cancelled early this spring and last year.  

However, in order to provide resources to students as they head back to school, Debbie Winstone the program manager for VSU worked with community partners to bring back the event.   

“The children still have the opportunity to ride their bikes for another month or two and has provided them with safety tips for those who are riding bikes to school,” Winstone told Lakeland Today. 

According to Winstone, the biggest errors made by cyclists are not wearing helmets and the assumption that because a cyclist can see a motor vehicle, the vehicle has spotted the rider. 

She says, for drivers a common error is not giving enough room for cyclists to be safe while riding on roadways. 

Overall, organizers felt the event was well received and were pleased with the turnout at the new location next to the library. Johnston added, for the organizations and businesses that pitched in to make the event possible it, it was because they saw added value to having youth and families equipped with the tools to be able to cross the road safely, understand crosswalks and to be looking both ways as they walk their bikes across roads and intersections.