Sixty-five children from a West Hartford neighborhood took part in a bike safety event Friday, learning skills to help them safely navigate their streets and eventually bike independently to the Center and Bishops Corner.

By Mia Jaworski

Neighborhood residents organized an event held Friday on Linbrook Road in what they call the “Horseshoe” neighborhood in part in response to a crash involving a parent who was hit by a vehicle last spring while crossing Fern Street after dropping a child off at daycare, according to neighbor Danielle Moghadam. The incident prompted residents to find ways to make their streets safer for children who travel by bike, scooter, or on foot.

“We want our kids to be able to safely go from our neighborhood to the Center or to Bishops Corner,” Moghadam said. The neighborhood is bordered by Fern Street to the south, North Main Street to the west, and Trout Brook Drive to the east, and close enough to walk or bike to either commercial area.

The neighborhood is also home to the Montessori School and the American School for the Deaf, bringing more children and families into the area.

Moghadam said pedestrian safety has been a concern, particularly along North Main Street, even where there is a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon.

“I stood at the crosswalk on North Main and no one really stops,” she said. “I waited for 15 minutes and the crosswalks aren’t really respected.”

She said residents have found it difficult to get the town to implement additional safety measures on its roads, but believe they can make changes within their own neighborhood.

“It’s a challenge to get any real safety measures put in there, but we can make changes within our neighborhood,” Moghadam said.

The event began at 4 p.m., with families arriving shortly after children left school during their first week back, rolling in on bikes and scooters with helmets on.

The event was held in partnership with Safe Routes Connecticut and Bike West Hartford. Bridget Moriarty, the state Department of Transportation coordinator for Safe Routes Connecticut, led a bike safety presentation and checked each child’s bike or scooter.

Children learned the “ABC” bike safety check: air, brakes, and chain. Organizers taught riders to check their tires for enough air, test their brakes, and ensure their chains are tight.

The children also practiced maneuvering and weaving through cones. Instructors encouraged them to repeat the course as many times as needed to build their confidence and control.

Another activity involved tossing bean bags while riding, which gave children practice taking one hand off the handlebars while looking straight ahead – a difficult skill for newer riders.

Helmet safety was also emphasized. Organizers taught children to wear helmets with snug straps, allowing no more than two fingers underneath and keeping the helmet positioned properly around their ears.

In addition to the safety activities, the event – which was attended by 65 children – also included opportunities for children to decorate their helmets, bikes, and scooters.

Moriarty said Safe Routes Connecticut will hold another event Sunday during Center Streets near LaSalle Road for residents interested in learning more about bike safety or organizing a similar event in their neighborhood.

For Moghadam, the effort is about creating a more pedestrian- and bike-friendly culture in the neighborhood.

Having grown up and lived in New York City, she said she is accustomed to a different relationship between pedestrians and drivers.

“Drivers and people don’t have that pedestrian-centered sensibility that I grew up with,” Moghadam said.

According to Maggie LaLima, also an organizer of Friday’s event, neighborhood residents have been mobilized and organized to focus on safety since the spring, have attended the Pedestrian and Bicycle Commission, and have been pushing for “a raised crosswalk or full stoplight at high-risk intersections, and broader traffic-calming measures – with particular concern for the North Main bus stop serving ASD students, which currently has no crossing guard.” While it has not yet been installed, the most recent list of planned Vision Zero projects indicates that a raised crosswalk along with a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon will be installed on Fern Street at Montclair Drive.

Friday’s event gave families a way to take pedestrian and bicycle safety into their own hands while giving children the skills to navigate their neighborhood more confidently. Residents hope those skills will help make it easier for children to travel through the neighborhood independently as they continue to push for safer streets.

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