Safe Routes programs were going on in Iowa, even on the holiday! West Burlington had a Bike Rodeo on the 4th. The rodeo started with a bike safety check and helmet fitting using resources from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and our rodeo toolkit. The youth learned the different hand signals, what to do at stop signs, and how to safely cross an intersection. There was even a bike race for the kids. Setting up the bike safety and helmet check was easy using the free available resources from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.
Iowa Safe Routes to School provided 25 helmets to be passed out through our partnership with the Iowa Association for Justice. They have generously agreed to fund helmets for bike rodeo or safety events that teach youth the basics of operating a bicycle safely in their community.
Families arrived in the morning and 34 kids participated, getting fitted for helmets and bikes, and learning how to cycle safely around West Burlington and beyond.
The rodeo went off smoothly with a large collection of volunteers that included law enforcement, the mayor, city council members, and community members. Police Chief Logan was teaching bike and road safety. Bickels was doing safety checks and repairs on the kid’s bikes making sure tires were pumped and ready to operate. Four bikes were also given away thanks to Bickels and West Burlington Mini Storage. Parents and kids had a fun morning learning the basics of cycling and will take the lessons they learned on bike rides with them through the summer.
Learn more about the rodeo and West Burlington’s Fourth activities here and keep up with them on their Facebook page. Want to host a bike rodeo in your community? Download our Iowa Bike Rode Toolkit today and learn how simple, rewarding, and fun it can be.
Want to help support our efforts to expand cycling education across the whole state of Iowa? Think about donating to help us achieve our matching grant.
