NCDOT awards city bicycle helmet grant

News-Topic, Lenoir, N.C.
·2 min read

May 4—LENOIR — The city of Lenoir has received a second bicycle helmet grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). The city will give away the helmets during the Lenoir Bicycle Festival in June.

The city received 100 helmets from the grant last year, and will receive another 100 helmets this year. The free helmets are a mixture of toddler boys and girls and small, medium, and large sizes in red, yellow, and blue.

City staff will give away the helmets during the second annual Lenoir Bicycle Festival being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, June 3, in downtown Lenoir. The city's police department will host a bicycle safety class during the festival. Anyone who participates in the bicycle safety class will receive a free helmet, while they last.

"We're looking forward to hosting the Lenoir Bicycle Festival again in 2023, and we're excited to have some bicycle helmets to giveaway this year," Lenoir Mayor Joe Gibbons said. "I want to thank NCDOT for offering this grant, and I want to thank all the state's residents who buy the 'Share the Road' license plate, which helps fund this program. We really enjoyed the first Bicycle Festival last year, and we hope a lot people come out for round two."

The Lenoir Bicycle Festival is a celebration of bicycles. This year's festival will be held on World Bicycle Day.

There will be a lot of free activities during the event including a free-ride lane around downtown and a bicycle safety class. There will also be obstacle courses and a time trial with prizes. Visitors can try out the Impossible Backwards Bicycle, and kids will love the Touch A Trucks. Bicycle shops and community group vendors will be on site, and there will be drawings for lots of prizes.

The "Share the Road" License Plate is available to everyone who registers a vehicle in North Carolina. Proceeds from the sale of each plate go toward the NCDOT Integrated Mobility Division's Bicycle Helmet Initiative. To read more about the "Share the Road" License Plate, visit www.ncdot.gov/divisions/integrated-mobility/safety/Pages/share-road-plate.aspx.

The Integrated Mobility Division administers state and federal funds for public transportation, bicycle, and pedestrian programs. The division's mission is to provide leadership for safe, affordable, and innovative multi-modal transportation throughout North Carolina.

Go to https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/BikePed/Pages/Bicycle-Helmet-Initiative.aspx to find more information.