Thursday, October 1, 2026
"The district lends itself to people wanting to get outside and be on their bicycles," said Nassau County Legislator Patrick Mullaney. "And it's a shame because a lot of people don't even understand the rules of the road."
Mullaney, the Long Beach Police Department and the Kiwanis Club of Long Beach coordinated the third annual bike safety rodeo on May 17, helping more than 70 local children, from 4 to 12 years old, learn how to ride with safety in mind at all times.
Rosana Egan, secretary for the Kiwanis of Long Beach, explained that resurrecting a bike safety program, which hadn't been formally organized in nearly two decades, was a gathering of several serendipitous factors.
"I said we want to do something for the kids, and I was talking to Pat Mullaney one day, and I think one of the committees he was on was about 'safety,'" Egan said. "So I said to him, 'Hey, we're Kiwanis, we do things for kids. What do you think about a bike safety thing?' And he loved the idea."
Egan and the Kiwanis connected with the City of Long Beach, LBPD and enough groups to facilitate the event in 2024. Initially, the Rec Center parking lots were used as the training ground. This year, the fenced-in basketball courts were converted into an obstacle course with cones, stop signs and designated lanes for bicyclists to traverse.
LBPD officers explained basic hand signals — stopping, right turn, left turn — before supervising riders driving their own bikes through the controlled path. Participants were also able to register their bicycles with the police department, which could facilitate a return in the event of a stolen and recovered bike.
Everyone finishing the course earned a certificate of completion and had an opportunity to enter a free raffle for one of five new bicycles purchased by the Kiwanis, with assistance from the Long Beach Bicycle shop. The Kiwanis also provided 80 new bike helmets — properly fitted by members of the Long Beach Fire Department — which were customized with provided stickers while a Long Beach Bicycle expert gave the bikes on hand a basic tune-up, checking essentials like air pressure and brake quality, to ensure riders and rides were leaving the event in better shape than they arrived.
