Chicopee Police teach bike safety to children at bike rodeo

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - The Chicopee Police Department is promoting bicyclist safety by putting on their Bike Rodeo for kids to learn the rules of road when they are pedaling on city streets.

“I’m having fun and I’m learning more about bike safety,” said Makenna Gechins of Enfield, Connecticut.

Young bike riders in Chicopee got the chance to learn the best safety practices when taking their bikes out on the road from Chicopee police officers at Williams Park on Saturday.

Chicopee Police Public Information Officer Travis Odiorne told Western Mass News that with school about to end, Chicopee Police anticipate more kids will want to ride their bikes around town.

This crash course gives them a chance to show them the best ways to avoid getting into an accident.

“With school ending pretty soon, we want to get kids more aware and be aware of their surroundings when they’re out on their bikes,” said Officer Odiorne. “It also gives us the opportunity to show them the proper way to ride their bikes on the sidewalks when they’re out and about.”

Some of the safety courses included bike helmet fittings, a bike safety inspection provided by Bob the Bike Guy, bicycle registration, and an obstacle course where police on bikes helped navigate these young riders through a course of what they could encounter on the street.

“We have a stop light that was just created for us that our DPW made for us,” Officer Odiorne told us. “The kids are acknowledging the stoplight, learning when to go, when to stop. The course is set up so that the officer can ride through with them so they can teach them how to use their hand signals at stop signs.”

One kid who rode through the course told Western Mass News how much they learned about bicycle safety.

“Always be safe on your bike, and always check both ways before you cross the street,” Gechins said. “They inspected it, then they checked my helmet to make sure it was safe.”

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