The only dubious athletic achievement I can claim is that I learned to ride a two-wheeler at the age of 4. I grew up in a small village in Ohio where the streets were flat and the traffic was sparse. I practiced taking off from the end of a concrete step, riding about two house lengths away to the next concrete step and back. This should not be mistaken as the mark of a precocious athlete. Rather it was a burning desire to outdo (or at least match) my older brother in any new skill he learned. My bike riding career was nearly cut short by several misadventures that illustrated how much more maturing my frontal cortex (never protected by a helmet) needed. In one spectacular daring feat, I closed my eyes while cycling down our street just to see how far I could get. Into a nearby elm tree was the answer. And in another moment of childhood hubris, I rode the same bicycle down a set of concrete steps in a game of Cops and Robbers. That episode scared me enough to dial back some of my desire to learn any other
bike acrobatics.

As an adult, I started riding in earnest again. My friend Bill Metzger, the original photographer for this publication, and I spent a couple of summers riding all over western Pennsylvania trading stories and jokes about life. Bill would map out 30-to-50-mile rides for us on country roads that largely followed railroad tracks to avoid hills. We religiously wore our helmets, obeyed the traffic laws, sucked down copious quantities of water from BPA filled plastic water bottles and mostly had a grand time. The one exception might have been the time Bill took a header, landed in a ditch and broke his thumb. As a much older adult with slower reaction times, my riding is restricted to the trails. I am even eyeing a pedal assist bike to save my sore knees.

Topography and traffic make pedaling safely around Mt. Lebanon more challenging. The younger kids in my neighborhood mostly wear helmets, and their parents are often in the street supervising them. But then, there are the middle schoolers and teens. Convinced of their invincibility they cast aside uncool helmets to ride at breakneck speeds on their bikes and now, they have added electric scooters. My old lady brain shudders at the harm they could bring to their precious barely formed frontal cortexes and possibly other people as they motor along often oblivious to other traffic both pedestrian and motorized.

As the school year gets underway, it seems a good time to remind everyone about the rules around bicycles and scooters. In short, electric bicycles (minimum operator age 16) with pedal assist that cannot exceed 20 mph when powered by electric only are permitted on sidewalks or streets. Regular bicycles can be ridden on sidewalks or the street as well. No bicycles or scooters can be ridden on sidewalks in Uptown, the Beverly Road or Castle Shannon Boulevard business districts. Foot traffic only, please. Electric scooters are not allowed on sidewalks or streets. They can only be ridden on private property. MLPD has prepared educational materials about the rules of the road which are in place to help keep us safe and comply with PA State and Municipal laws.

When my children were middle schoolers and teens they toed the line pretty well. I helped with many activities in town and routinely interacted with the police, firefighters and even public works. My kids were convinced that they were being continually watched for the slightest of infractions. I never tried to dissuade them. I have seen repeated warnings on Facebook about kids riding recklessly. When you see dangerous behavior, you might consider dialing 911 and summoning the police. A police warning beats repeated parental admonitions and might just prevent a serious accident.