Laredo mayor proclaims June 2025 Bicycle Rodeo and safety day as officials urge helmet use, driver caution

Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino on Saturday proclaimed “June 2025 Bicycle Rodeo and Summer Safety Day” at Divine Mercy Park, marking the third annual bike rodeo and summer safety fair organized by the Laredo Police Department and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

The proclamation and accompanying demonstrations aimed to teach children and adults bicycle and pedestrian safety skills and to encourage motorist caution. Jose Espinosa, public information officer for the Laredo Police Department, opened the event and said, “we want to welcome everyone to the city of Laredo Police Department and TxDOT third annual bike rodeo and summer safety fair.”

Event organizers described a program of hands-on safety activities intended to reduce crashes and improve rider behavior. The fair featured a bike obstacle course, bike inspections, helmet fittings and rentals, a law enforcement expo, free child ID cards, traffic-safety education, a heat-stroke prevention display, child passenger safety seat inspections, a seatbelt rollover simulator and impaired-driving goggles.

“The City of Laredo would like to focus on bringing this awareness to the youth because, really, when you learn these skills, you build good habits,” Trevino said in brief remarks during the proclamation reading. The proclamation text included recommended rider behaviors — ride single file, follow traffic signals, use hand signals and display proper lighting — and urged motorists to leave at least three feet of space when passing bicyclists.

Assistant Chief Ricardo Gonzalez of the Laredo Police Department, a former bike-patrol officer, stressed the changing driving environment and the need for vigilance. “Riders need to be extra vigilant, be aware of their surroundings because of all the distractions inside a vehicle,” Gonzalez said, adding that helmet use and following the rules of the road are central to keeping children safe.

TxDOT traffic safety specialist Blanca Trevino Castro said the event grew from a TxDOT safety initiative started in spring 2023 and expanded in partnership with Laredo Police Department staff and the Laredo District Traffic Safety Coalition. “What binds us together is a common goal for safety,” she said, noting that TxDOT uses grant funding and public education campaigns alongside enforcement to improve safety on local roads and state highways.

Councilmember Dr. Tyler King, representing District 6, said the park location and nearby sidewalks support safe walking and biking and thanked TxDOT for its work on sidewalks in new subdivisions that he said will improve access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Organizers encouraged parents to take advantage of park facilities, to fit helmets properly and to educate children about roadway signs and crosswalk safety. The press conference ended with an invitation for participants to use the fair’s services and for residents to join the proclamation observance in June 2025.

The mayor’s proclamation and the event’s education components do not themselves create new laws or regulations; they are an executive proclamation and a community-safety program sponsored by the city and TxDOT.