The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current, June 01, 2009, Page 4, Image 4

NeWS
4 • The Southwest Portland Post
June 2009
Bicycle rodeo teaches children to ride safe on Southwest streets
By Allison Rupp
The Southwest Portland Post
Over 30 children from Southwest
Portland gathered at Bridlemile El-
ementary School with their parents May
16 to participate in a Bicycle Rodeo and
Safety Fair.
The event, sponsored by Southwest
Neighbors Crime Prevention and Public
Safety Committee, was free to the public
and featured safety training and inspec-
tions, a bike and accessory swap, and
bike obstacle courses.
The committee had sponsored a
smaller version of the event last fall
at Capitol Hill Elementary School that
drew only a handful of kids and parents.
Kids practiced obeying traffic signals
outside Bridlemile Elementary School
during the bike rodeo. (Post photo by Al-
lison Rupp)
This spring, says Commit-
tee Chair Nancy Hand, they
committed greater resources
to advertising to ensure the
rodeo would be a success,
especially since the approach
of summer puts more kids on
the road.
Indeed the playground out-
side Bridlemile Elementary
was teeming with kids and
bikes of all sizes on the hot af-
ternoon, each rushing to com-
plete the series of bike safety
stations and fill a completion
card with stickers. At one sta-
tion, participants practiced
yielding to one another while
biking in circles. At another,
they obeyed traffic signs di-
recting them to “slow” or
Participants in the Bicycle Rodeo and Safety Fair practiced yielding to other bikers with the instruc-
“stop” when riding.
One of the most popular tion of bicycle officers from the Portland Police Bureau. (Post photo by Allison Rupp)
areas of the bike fair was the
helmet fitting. Trauma nurses from
kids brought with them, addressing 19
kids arriving at the station were wear-
Legacy Emanuel Hospital partnered
different questions like “Is the bike the
ing helmets that were not tightened
with Oregon Health & Science Uni-
right size for the rider?” and “Does the
enough, and some even had cracks
versity (OHSU) to donate 30 helmets
rider wear glasses?”
forming—a sure sign that it is time to
for the rodeo. OHSU nursing student
Two bicycle officers from the Port-
get a new helmet.
Kevin Shores was on hand to ensure
land
Police Department also came to
Shores volunteered at the bike ro-
each child received the right size helmet
the
fair
to teach safe biking practices
deo as part of his Community Health
for his head and demonstrate a proper
and
the
rules of the road. Officer A.
curriculum, which also includes ride-
fit. Photos of bike crash victims in the
Caspar
from
Central Precinct, who lives
alongs with Loaves and Fishes (Meals-
trauma unit were on display as very real
in
Southwest
Portland with his own
On-Wheels) drivers. Loaves and Fishes
reminders of the danger of a collision.
kids,
has
conducted
a number of com-
is a charity that delivers meals to home-
When fitted correctly, a helmet should
munity
meetings
in
the area to teach
bound seniors and the disabled. Shores
even prevent a delicate object like a
bike
safety.
said he is lucky to get to interact with
watermelon from breaking, Shores
“Now that the weather’s getting bet-
the community in areas that interest
explained while dropping a helmeted
ter,
kids are going to be on bikes. They
him and have fun while doing it.
melon onto the concrete. Many of the
need
to be knowledgeable about the
Volunteers inspected the bikes that
hazards in the area and know they’re
not immune,” he said.
The good news is that high-impact
crashes between kids and cars are few;
Sergeant Robert Voepel can’t remem-
ber the last time he saw one. But even
though kids ride at slower speeds than
adults, their smaller size means that
drivers don’t always see them. Luckily,
75 percent of fatalities can be avoided
with a helmet.
Southwest parent Jackie Waller at-
tended the rodeo with her 7-year old
daughter, who recently started to ride
without training wheels, after reading
about it in the Bridlemile Elementary
bulletin.
“We discovered that the chin strap
was too loose on her helmet,” Waller
said. “And she learned the different
hand signals. I’m glad we came.”
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Trauma nurses from Legacy Emanuel Hos-
pital donated 30 helmets for the bike rodeo
in partnership with OHSU and ensured
proper fit for the recipients. (Post photo
by Allison Rupp)