BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — An East Side Youth Bike Rodeo was held on Wednesday evening to teach kids the importance of basic bike safety.
Charnice Mcmillion-Martin, who is a parent, says an event like this is just what the community needs.
“Kids don’t really know the proper precautions to riding a bike,” she says. “This is such a benefit to the community because kids and parents are able to learn about bike safety and how to stay protected while riding bikes within the community.”
The coordinator of the East Side Bike Club is George Johnson. He says he’s glad to be part of this mission for the youth of Buffalo.
“Because in the East Side of Buffalo it’s lacking a lot of things and we feel as though to come right into the community let’s go right into the community and go where the people are and we can educate them as much as possible about biking and the safety of riding.”
Others say this is an opportunity for kids who may not even have a chance to pedal a bike.
“We advocate to make sure that black and brown kids have access to bikes and they can also have fun riding their bikes and do so in a safe kind of way," says Noemi Waight.
Adam Ianni with GoBike Buffalo speaks about the safety measures.
“You have to be aware of your surroundings and be aware of your lane of travel. If an inconsiderate person has parked your right of way then you have to travel into another lane of traffic,” he says. “There will not be enough time for you to signal so it benefits all of us to be aware of those risks and hazards.”
Parents say the lessons their children are learning could save lives.
“We want to make sure that he knows how to do it right and GoBike and East Side Bike Club and everyone else has been really good teaching that kind of stuff,” says a parent. “I'm old enough when I was a kid, I didn't have to wear a helmet. We’ve rode on the sidewalk in the suburbs so it's a whole different situation now so we want to make sure that our kids are safe.”
This was the first of three scheduled East Side Youth Bike Rodeos, you can find more information in the graphic below.
