DIS kids invited to 'Bike to School with a Cop' on August 26
When it comes to bike safety on Daniel Island, this is where the rubber meets the road. The Charleston Police Department, Cooper River Cycles and the Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) are hoping to roll students into the new school year with a few lessons designed to promote safe biking practices.
On Friday, August 26, Daniel Island School students and their families are invited to “Bike to School with a Cop.” The program kicks off at 7 a.m. at Pierce Park Pool with bike and helmet inspections by Cooper River Cycles and safety tips from Team 5 officers. Juice and bagels will also be provided.
“I was amazed by the amount of children who ride their bikes to school every day,” said Sgt. Chris Morrell, who started working for Team 5 on the island last January and is helping to organize the August 26 event. “We wanted to do something starting with the littlest kids. We decided that standing up in front of them and giving them a lecture on safety rules, they’re gonna tune us out in probably two minutes. We figured, let’s do something fun!”
At 7:30 a.m., kids, officers and other community members will ride down Pierce Street together to the school.
“We’ll follow different safety guidelines, stopping at stop signs…and crossing with the crossing guard as we walk across the street,” continued Morrell. “…When we were looking at different programs we could do, we were trying to find something outside the box and I couldn’t find anything, anywhere like this event. So we thought this would be a great, brand new initiative!”
Organizers of the event are largely targeting elementary school-aged children in hopes that by building habits early, the lessons will stick. Gage Cooper of Cooper River Cycles has assisted with other bike safety events in the past, but he believes this one will be even more effective.
“Rather than just going to a parking lot with cones, they’ll actually be riding the route they are going to ride and crossing at the same road they cross every day,” said Cooper. “I think we’re just trying to do the ‘monkey see, monkey do’ thing. Show them how. The crossing guards are very adamant about keeping people stopped and crossing the right way, and they do a great job, but if the kids don’t follow that, or if they don’t know they can cross at this road or that road, then it’s kind of a lost cause.”
Cooper said that since his shop opened up on the island about a year and a half ago, he has had lots of customers come in with bikes that aren’t safe.
“Tires that aren’t inflated, loose handle bars - it’s just the little things that can make a big difference in safety right off the top,” he added. “Brakes that work. Tires that roll and stop…So we’re just trying to bring awareness to how to ride safe and how to get to school safely each day.”
With a number of bike and pedestrian accidents involving kids on the island over the years, Sgt. Morrell is confident the event will help curb further problems.
“A big part of our job is traffic safety on the island,” he said. “This is our biggest goal - to not only build a safe environment for the children to ride and safe habits, but also maybe just an interaction with us, too. And give them a chance to see us face to face and have fun with us, instead of just seeing us on the normal basis.”
“Events like this are vital to the safety of our community for a multitude of reasons,” added Marie Delcioppo, DINA Safety Chair. “First, Sgt. Morrell is not only re-enforcing safety practices that children are learning at home and school but is also leading by example. Furthermore, we know that the tighter the bond between law enforcement and residents, the safer the community is. Sgt. Morrell and all the officers at Team 5 are doing an incredible job at developing that solid relationship — and this event is a fine example of that.”
If all goes well for the upcoming event, organizers hope to plan a similar program in the spring of 2017.