As well as being a great form of exercise and outdoor recreation, riding a bicycle is one of the first skills that provides children with a sense of personal freedom and independence. At the same time, parents and carers want to know their children are riding safely and following road rules such as wearing their helmets.
For reassurance and advice about current road rules and bike safety, community members are invited to a free NSW Bike week event at Tiningi Youth Centre, 139 Colonial Drive, Bligh Park on Thursday, 26 September 2019 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, including a free sausage sizzle for carers and children.
As part of this special Bike Week event, qualified staff will be on hand to give free ‘kids’ mechanic lessons’ on how to fix or change a flat bicycle tyre, including a free bike check.
Children and adults need to bring their own helmets and bicycles. While this is a free event, bookings are required through Eventbrite.
Please book one ticket per carer/child team for the mechanical lessons. General tickets without a mechanical lesson are also available to allow for catering for the free sausage sizzle. At 3:30pm, there will also be a free ‘magpie deterrent’ workshop with bike helmets.
Hawkesbury City Council is proud to host the local NSW Bike Week event at Tiningi Youth Centre, the Mayor of Hawkesbury, Councillor Barry Calvert said.
“NSW Bike Week provides an opportunity for our local community to participate in organised bicycle events in a safe and supported environment,” he said.
“This year, Council is partnering with two diverse after-school groups: Merana Aboriginal Community Association For the Hawkesbury Inc. and Bligh Park Community Services Inc. at Tiningi Youth Centre.
“Carer and child teams will learn how to improve their cycling and road safety skills, and I’m sure children will enjoy the free
mechanical lesson too, so that they can learn how to care for their bicycles.”
The key objectives of NSW Bike Week are to:
- encourage new riders and increase the use of local cycling infrastructure for transport and recreation
- provide a safe and secure environment for new and less confident cyclists to improve their cycling skills
- educate a diverse (age, gender, ethnicity, location) range of people about road safety and road rules
- promote cycling as a convenient, fun and safe mode of transport for short trips.
NSW Bike Week runs across NSW from Saturday, 21 September to Sunday, 29 September 2019. The NSW Government initiative aims to raise the profile of cycling as a healthy, easy, low cost and environmentally friendly transport option for short trips.
