They've got a ticket to ride

By DEVIN WEEKS

Staff Writer

HAYDEN — A small gang of little bicyclists approached Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Doug Goodman.

They stopped at a line drawn on the ground.

"STOP" was written in chalk.

“If this is your driveway, and this is the end of your driveway, and the street starts here,” Goodman said, gesturing to the markings on the pavement, “you’re leaving your house, and you come to the end of your driveway, what are you going to do?”

“Look both ways to see if there’s anybody coming,” one little girl said.

“Very good. You’re going to stop and look both ways.”

But kids, don’t go anywhere yet: Another car — or something else — might be coming right behind.

"What if there was a rabid squirrel and it was chasing the car? Do you want to get hit by a rabid squirrel? No, that’s bad,” Goodman said. "There could be a rabid squirrel or another car. So the car goes by, and then you look again after every car to make sure it’s clear."

Goodman, whom the kids called “Deputy Doug,” delivered a message of safety wrapped in a bit of humor Wednesday morning during the annual bike rodeo and safety event in the parking lot of the Hayden Library.

About 125 youngsters with bikes, siblings and parents in tow made their way through the rodeo, where they received helmets and helmet inspections, tune-ups, goodie bags and heard about how to be safe while riding their bikes. An obstacle course, manned by Goodman, gave the kids a chance to navigate around objects to practice evading danger.

This was Goodman's third year helping with the rodeo, an event that is close to his heart because of his concern for children.

"I think a lot of it is having that opportunity to shape their lives," he said. "You change the trajectory of their lives; every adult has that ability to change the trajectory of a kid's life, whether for good or for bad.

"Kind of like Spider-Man, 'With great power comes great responsibility,'" he said. "I want to be sure I steward that properly and make sure that when I interact with the kids, that trajectory moves up, and also that I model good stuff."

Happy mom Christina Sears of Hayden brought her daughter, Isla, 5, to the bike rodeo. Isla smiled from beneath her new pink helmet.

"It's good," she said shyly.

"This is great," Christina said. "We're getting outfitted for summer bike safety. New helmets — we didn’t expect that, and then making sure our bikes are safe with a free tune-up."

Kari Rediger of Dalton Gardens brought her sons, Garrett, 7, and Colton, 6.

"It is pretty awesome. They needed helmets, and that was a huge blessing,” she said. “They grow so much over the winter.”

She said a fireman told her 6-year old how important it was to wear a helmet. It was a lesson she was glad he heard, as sometimes he rides without it.

"It was very nice to have a fireman tell him to wear a helmet," she said.

The event was coordinated by several area agencies, including the city of Hayden, Kootenai Health, the sheriff’s office, local bike shops and nonprofits.

The rodeo began about 10 years ago when longtime Hayden Meadows Elementary bus driver Robert Nelson decided to have a community event to teach young cyclists the importance of road safety. With the tune-up, new helmet and swag bag, this event saved each rider at least $60 and provided priceless information.

"I’ve seen a lot of close calls with kids riding home from school," he said. "I try to address those hazards on our rodeo course."

Kootenai Health injury prevention coordinator Wendy Ferguson said the hospital saw about 25 bike-related injuries last year. Just less than half were not wearing helmets, and she would like to see that figure keep decreasing.

She said there was no comparison to how she felt watching these kids leave the rodeo and knowing they'll be safer this summer.

"When you see all the kids going away and they all have a helmet on and there’s air in the tires, that’s good stuff," she said.