Cyclists need safe spaces

SAFETY for TT cyclists will be a priority for newly-elected president of the TT Cycling Federation (TTCF) Larry Romany.

Romany, a previous president of the TTCF and the TT Olympic Committee, replaced Robert Farrier earlier this week. Yesterday, speaking at the media launch of the National Criterium Championships, at Mike’s Bikes, in Woodbrook, Romany said safety will be on his agenda.

“At Christmas time most kids get a bike at some point and what happens to those bikes (is) they ride for a little while (and stop). When I was young, we would ride on the road because there was not much traffic then. You will find now most people ride in their own yards or their own areas where they live. In cycling, we would like to create safe spaces, so that is one of the things that I would like to look at, creating safe spaces for kids to actually come out and ride.”

Romany, giving more details of his plans for safe spaces, said, “What we are looking at is finding spaces of maybe large corporations who have these large car parks that are empty on a weekend that we could use to bring kids in and teach them and give them the opportunity to ride.”

The new TTCF president said all children enjoy competing in races and car parks will give them the opportunity to do that in a safe environment. “When you see kids get together in a street on a bike the first thing they want to do is ride a race. They not interested in roaming all over the place.”

Former national cyclist Michael Phillips has also been trying to make cycling safer in TT. Phillips, now a cycling promoter, has been closing a section of the Diego Martin Highway with help from the Ministry of Works for sporting events, on a Sunday morning, including cycling.

Romany also wants to help young cyclists earn scholarships as over 20 universities in the US offer scholarships in cycling.