BY DEBBIE PAGE
Dozens of kids squealed and laughed as they maneuvered around the model village, complete with stop lights and traffic signs, during the third annual Community Bike Ride on Saturday at Troutman Town Hall.
The event is the brainchild of Town Planner Andrew Ventresca, an avid bike rider who wants kids to safely pursue biking as well as learn how to maintain their bikes and make basic repairs.
Kids could also ride on the trails through ESC Park for a more adventurous experience. Coloring stations with bike safety messages and free helmets and bike bells were also available.
May is National Bike Month, so Ventresca wanted to promote the activity.
“It teaches kids life lessons, and from my standpoint as an adult and for mental health, it clears my mind and keeps me in shape,” he said.
Biking is an excellent way to improve children’s physical fitness, joints, balance, and mobility and to develop skills such as attention to their environment, independence, self-confidence, responsibility, and social connection. Riding bikes also gets kids off the couch and out into the fresh air to reduce stress and anxiety that many youths now experience.
Ventresca has been instrumental in developing an ambitious bike/pedestrian plan for the Town of Troutman to keep the town walkable and promote outdoor activities and social interaction. He has secured grants to build further infrastructure, including extensions to Troutman’s greenway, with the dream of eventually connecting it to Statesville and Mooresville.
A number of bike safety tips were shared with the kids and adults, including the importance of wearing a correctly fitted helmet to prevent head injury, adjusting the bike seat to fit the rider, and checking tires and brakes before riding.
Ventresca also advised riders to wear bright or florescent clothing or to add flashing lights and reflectors to their bikes; night riding should be avoided for safety reasons. Riders should also be in control of the bike and place books or other items in a bike carrier of backpack.
Riders must stay aware of their environment, looking for hazards such as vehicles, parked cars or opening car doors, potholes, broken, glass, leaves, gravels, and dogs. Bikers should make eye contact with drivers as much as possible and use hand signals to indicate turning movements.
Ventresca reminded cyclists to ride with the flow of traffic, obey all traffic laws, signs, and lights, and look all ways before turning. Riding in a predictable straight line can also help drivers avoid a collision.
Using bike lanes and bike paths where available is advisable. Children younger than 10 should not ride unsupervised on roadways.
Riding on sidewalks may be prohibited in some areas, but if riding on a sidewalk, cyclists must watch for cars leaving or entering driveways, stop at corners, and alert pedestrians by shouting they are passing on the left or by using a bell or horn.
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