Margate Police Officer Jessica Fane helps a student adjust the chin strap of his helmet.
MARGATE – The city’s public schools held its first-ever Bicycle Rodeo Friday, June 14 to prepare students for summer safety as they ride their bikes on busy Margate streets.
With the influx of summer visitors to the normally quiet shore town, it becomes even more important to teach children how to property follow state laws for operating a bicycle, officials said.
“This is a great thing for Margate,” said Mayor Michael Becker, who stopped by the Eugene A. Tighe School playground to see the school district, Police and Fire Department operation. “It’s obvious that one of our problems is bicycle safety. This is a big step to ensuring our kids have a safe summer.”
Becker said the city had discussed ways to promote bicycle safety for about a year before city and school district officials collaborated on what they hope will become an annual end-of-school-year safety program.
“I’m glad they were able to put it together. It’s a good start, and we hope to do more,” Becker said.
The PBA and FMBA split the cost of purchasing flashing wheel-lights for 44 fourth graders to put on the valve stems of their bicycle’s front and back wheels so they are visible to motorists if they ride at night. The public employee unions also covered the cost of a pizza party held at the end of the event in the Decatur Avenue playground across from the Margate Police Department.
The students rotated in groups through four stations set up in the school yard.
Officer Jessica Fane explained the rules of the road and encouraged students to tighten their bicycle helmets, walk their bikes through intersections, and be sure to have a bright light to ensure visibility at night.
Students brushed up on their bike riding skills by following the path of an obstacle course, including completing a figure-eight. At the stop sign area, students demonstrated how to stop, dismount and walk their bikes through intersections.
Marc Steinberg of the Margate Bike Shop at 12 S. Essex Ave. had his crew there fixing any broken reflectors, inflating tires and making adjustments to seat heights. Several parents brought their bikes for inspection as well.
Margate police officers registered every bicycle and provided a sticker showing that the bicycle is registered, which will help get bicycles returned to their rightful owner if they are ever lost or stolen and recovered.
Bob’s Bike and Surrey Rentals of Ocean City provided two surreys for students who are not able to ride their own bicycles, and committed to providing them every year the event is held, according to Dawn Bascelli of the Mayor’s Office.
After stopping at all four stations, students received a police escort as they rode their bikes to Historic City Hall at 1 S. Washington Ave. where they took a tour of the Historical Society Museum and Commission Chambers, where city government holds public meetings.
“I was never in this building,” one student said as she looked up at the murals in the reception area.
Students were fascinated that the museum displayed an actual jail cell where criminals were held before they went off to county jail.
According to Bascelli, who helped to coordinate the event, the idea of holding a bicycle rodeo started last year when a resident attending a Board of Commissioners meeting suggested the city needed to improve bicycle safety.
Superintendent Thomas Baruffi said he was happy to see the district hold the rodeo, which was something he helped to organize in other school districts.
“We are hoping the kids go home and discuss what they learned today with their parents,” Bascelli said. “We did this in the schools to help it be a structured event for our children, who are the most at risk to the dangers of bicycle riding during summer.”
Bascelli said the city hopes to expand the program to the community.
Before children left for the school day, they were provided extra batteries for their flashing tire lights and a laminated bookmark containing bicycle safety rules.
Bascelli said the bookmarks would be distributed to the public at the Margate Bike Shop and other retail outlets.
Dawn Bascelli shows the bookmarks containing bicycle safety rules which will be distributed to the community.
