Little Compton Cub Scouts Team Up With Police To Learn Bike Safety [VIDEO]

The Little Compton Cub Scouts collaborated with the town to hold a “Bike Rodeo” promoting road safety on Monday evening. The event, which was held at the Little Compton Public Safety Complex, featured a safety talk from D.A.R.E. Officer Sue Cressman and an obstacle course of simulated road hazards. It culminated in a mile-long bike ride into town that, for at least a few of the participants, was their first experience riding on the road.

The event consisted of 8- and 9-year-old Cub Scouts and their siblings, hailing from Little Compton and Tiverton. Following Cressman’s talk on road rules and helmet safety, the children road their bikes through a mini-obstacle course full of fake road hazards, ranging from Stop Signs and school busses to sudden animal crossings. Several Boy Scouts also lent their support in running the event.

New Cubmaster Mike Rousseau was thrilled with the proceedings. 

“This is our first time," he said."We’re hoping to make it an annual event in the future. I think it’s good for the community. There isn’t a broad safety talk available anywhere.”

Sarah Wheeler, a Little Compton resident whose son Austin took part in the event, concurred.

“I think it’s pretty cool” she said. “My son is a new bike rider, and this is helping to teach him the rules of the road.”  

Additional attraction came in the presence of Tiverton’s Coastal Cycles Bike Shop. A representative of the shop made an appearance, doing free bike inspections and giving out free bike horns. There was also a free raffle, based primarily on attendance, with prizes ranging from Supersoakers and Frisbees to water bottles and bike horns.

“All they’re interested in is the supersoaker” said Rousseau with a laugh.

This year marks the first year the local Cub Scouts have run throughout the summer, and the rodeo fulfilled the scout’s monthly event quota. According to Rousseau, “Bike Rodeos” are not uncommon among Cub Scout organizations across the country. In fact, he claims to have gotten the idea from the website of a Cub Scouts group from Juneau, AL.

“It’s very inexpensive and so important," Rousseau noted. "These kids are just getting on that road." He added that he hopes to expand the event in the future. Potential plans include inviting the Girl Scouts and opening the event to the public next year.

According to Officer Cressman, it was an easy decision to get involved.

“Mike and his wife came in and asked and it was a no brainer for me” she said. “It combines two things I like: bikes and kids, and its an important cause to get behind.

In addition to delivering the safety talk, Cressman lead the single-file bike ride that concluded the event.

“They did awesome” Cressman said. “It’s a good lesson for them. They had to be aware of their surroundings, the person in front of them, the person in back of them, as well as the vehicles passing by.”

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