Small Town News

Checkpoints help keep bicyclists safe

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Sussex Cyclists spearhead effort in Cape Region

Every summer hundreds of bicyclists in the Rehoboth Beach area get free safety checks thanks to the efforts of Sussex Cyclists and their partners.

"We call it branding," says Sussex Cyclists President Tony Pezone. "You can tell those who have stopped by checkpoints by the bright yellow reflective tape on their bikes."

Many of those who stop are foreign students who are working in the resort area for the summer. Although some have bikes in good working order, many pull into the checkpoints missing brakes, with flat tires, no lights, no reflectors, bent frames, and loose seats and handlebars.

"We find we are spending a whole lot more time making repairs on bikes," Pezone said.

But that's what the safety checkpoints were designed for - to make riding the busy roads of the Cape Region a little safer.

This year, other sponsors include Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), Delaware State, Police, Transportation Management Association (TMA) and University of Delaware Cooperative Extension.

For four years, volunteers have manned the checkpoints along Cape Region highways, although the program actually started seven years ago.

The first year, Sussex Cyclists, then a new organization of concerned cyclists, held a one-day safety checkpoint at Rehoboth Elementary School. The next two years, they partnered with Ocean Atlantic, which had its own program of distributing helmets to bicyclists.

"The one-day programs were really not that successful because we were not getting to most of the people," said Pezone. "That is when we decided to move out on the highway."

About 600 to 800 cyclists stop by the checkpoints each season, and about three-fourths are international students.

Although the numbers of foreign students working in the resort area are supposed to be down this summer, volunteers who man the checkpoints in June and July say tiiey don't see any changes from previous years.

"You couldn't tell. We have been busy," said Pezone.

Over the years, Sussex Cyclists has learned the routes mat most bicyclists use, and mat is where the safety checkpoints are set up - on both sides of the road: along Rehoboth Avenue and Route 1 for example.

Most cyclists are happy to stop and get assistance, but omers fly by with a wave.

At first, helmets were among the items handed out on a regular basis to nearly everyone who stopped at the checkpoints, but over the past two years, volunteers have given helmets only to those who really want them.

"We were forcing people to take helmets; we handed out thousands of them," Pezone said.

"We were trying to get everybody thinking our way, but they were reluctant to wear them."

The "they" is mostly young people and foreign students. "They come up with all kinds of reasons like they are too hot and too heavy. We don't try to argue with them anymore," Pezone said.

Even so, the mission of the checkpoints remains the same: to cut down on injuries and save lives. "Our success number is how many riders don't get hurt," Pezone said.

The checkpoints have helped to raise awareness. Bicycle crashes in the Cape Region are rare.

Pezone recalled one incident when a young man pulled up to a checkpoint and wanted to get his three-speed changer fixed, since the cable was hanging loose and did not function.

"It was a single-speed bike," Pezone said with a laugh.

The cable went nowhere because the bike was not even equipped with a derailleur. "We have seen a little bit of everything," Pezone said.

Some cyclists jump off their bikes to stop them when they pull up to die checkpoints.

But, Pezone said, the good news is that the checkpoints have become well known "Some kids come looking for us," he said.

Thanks to the efforts of the other partners, DelDOT and the TMA, students receive bicycles, safety information and maintenance during other times of the summer season at breakfasts and dinners sponsored by the Lewes-Rehoboth Association of Churches.





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