Over the past two weeks we have been lucky enough to have Policeman Matt (Spartacus) and Jess from Sport Manawatu teaching us about road safety and cycling.
We had four sessions
-Bike and Helmet Checks
-Cycling Skills
-Intersections
-Road Ride
We learnt our ABC's of bike checks. A- air pressure in tires, B- Brakes (at least two working breaks) and C- chain check to make sure they are not rusty or clogged with mud.
We also learnt that our helmets need to be tight and how to move our ear buckles under our ears. Spartacus suggested when we leave our helmets with our bikes we do up the straps and hook it over to stop the helmets from not fitting.
During Cycling skills we learnt the basics of riding a bike. Did you know the safest place for us to be while riding is the middle of the road so cars can see us? We also learnt that if a car has it's indicator that does not always mean it is turning. We discussed some ways to tell if it was actually turning such as watching the driver, if the car is slowing down and if the car is moving over to let traffic behind past. One helpful tip for us was to wind our pedal into the 'power position' before starting.
At the intersections lesson we learnt how to use a roundabout, the difference between a stop sign and a give-way sign, and who to give way to on a T intersection. We got to practice this on a 'road' Spartacus made up for us on the Quad.
Finally we got to ride on the road. Everyone was nervous and excited. We got to put into practice all that we had learnt. Our trip took us on a loop around the block where we went through a Stop sign, walked across a right turn then practiced it and through a give way. We got to watch drivers at a roundabout and clapped everyone that indicated off the roundabout. It was surprising how many drivers were not sure what to do. It made us realise that we can not trust anyone when we are riding our bike on the road.
We all feel more confident checking and riding our bikes now and we have learnt many road safety skills and rules.
