The Bicycle Rodeo

The bicycle rodeo goes these programs one better, teaching the same safety skills by focusing on the fun of cycling. In rodeos, which require little more than a large open space, some chalk, traffic cones and a few bikes, participants try out different on-bicycle tests. In one, riders may have to ride a certain distance as slowly as they can without falling; in another, they turn in a circle while signaling; in a third, they ride an obstacle course. One person at a time tries each challenge (so that bikes can be shared), and mastery is emphasized rather than competition.

Bicycle rodeos have become common around the country in the past decade as an effective way to teach safe biking, as well as to bring a community together. They can be run on a small, courtyard scale, or be an all-day affair with hundreds or even thousands of participants. Ample instructions exist for organizing rodeos. Transportation Alternatives members have run several successful rodeos around New York City.

Bicycle education can also be taught in local YMCAs, Parks Department facilities and other community centers such as Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, which has expressed an interest in conducting classes. Transportation Alternatives member Mary Frances Dunham, an expert on bicycle education, has taught classes through the Girl Scouts.

For older students, bicycle education could be made an optional section in Physical Education courses. It could also be a focus of high school extracurricular clubs that combine bicycle safety instruction with advanced cycling techniques.