MARQUETTE – From 10 am to 1 pm on May 31st, the City of Marquette will be bringing back the Bike Rodeo and Safety Fair, an event which teaches children about bike safety. The event will be held at Marquette City Hall at 300 West Baraga Avenue, and is free and open to all children ages five to twelve.

“Through a series of skills and obstacle courses and mock scenarios, (children) will learn proper pedal positioning for strong starting and stopping, basic hand signals, hazard avoidance, and how to scan for traffic while maintaining a straight course,” said Eric Paupore, planning and zoning technician for the city of Marquette.

“This will help instill in them the confidence to safely use our community travel routes like the bike path, sidewalks, and streets. All registered riders who attend the event will be given a brand-new bike helmet, headlight, taillight, and more! Also included in our event is a Safety Fair that will hold demonstrations of equipment and emergency vehicles by some of our community’s first responders.”

Learning bike safety is especially important in a city like Marquette, where biking has become a popular hobby as well as mode of transportation.

“In our community, we pride ourselves on our bike path and our trail systems,” said Paupore. “With the recent boom in e-bikes, it is critical that we show children how to safely use these routes to reduce bad behavior and unsafe riding habits, to promote confident and safe riding, and most importantly, to reduce incidents of trauma.”

E-bikes have become a bit of a controversial topic in Marquette over the past couple of years due to their speed relative to other users of the bike path.

“Too often we see children and adults make risky moves and display bad behavior on bikes,” said Paupore. “We hope to provide children with some of the most crucial safety equipment (helmets and lights) and to introduce them to some important skills that often get overlooked as we learn to ride bikes. We want this safety message to reach children when they’re young so that they will carry these skills throughout their lives and to promote a safer experience for all.”

“I’d also like to share that this event is only possible due to our incredible sponsors and event cooperators who are our local leaders in safety and cycling,” said Paupore. “We will have our local professionals on site to help us run skills courses, conduct helmet fittings, and to promote a positive experience to our community youth.”

The Marquette City Bike Rodeo and Safety Fair is sponsored by many local organizations and businesses, including several local bike and sports stores.

“The City of Marquette is committed to improving the quality of life for residents and improving the bikeability of the city, and we’re beyond grateful for all the support we’ve received in putting on this event,” said Marquette City Planner David Stensaas.

Though the event is free, pre-registration is required, as the event has a capacity of 100 cyclists. This event typically has a wait list, so the city asks that any parents who find that they cannot attend the event cancel their registration slot so that another child might participate.

Those looking to register or hoping to find more information can visit www.marquettemi.gov/bike-rodeo/

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 542. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.