The now defunct Manteca Bicycle Club that bit the dust in the mid-1990s held various group rides including two organized events — the Crossroads of California Century and Pedaling for Pumpkins.

In the final years the two fee-based organized rides were used to generate funds for bicycling helmets that were distributed to Manteca youth that did not have one.

Doctors Hospital partnered with the club matching the funds they raised to ultimately allow the distribution of more than 400 cycling helmets in conjunction with outreach efforts of the Manteca Police Department.

What prompted the organized effort between the police, the non-profit bicycling club, and the private sector hospital was an uptick at the time of serious car versus bicycling collisions on Manteca streets involving youthful riders.

At same time, there was a bicycling fatality on North Ripon Road east of Manteca where an adult cyclist on a racing bicycle struck a jogger in the country road.

The jogger survived with minor injuries. The cyclist was not wearing a helmet and ended up hitting his head in an inopportune manner that created a traumatic and fatal brain injury.

The Manteca Police effort involved the community service officer at the time, Rex Osborn, organizing bicycle safety assemblies of first through fifth grade classes at every Manteca Unified School District campus in the city.

I was part of that effort.

Osborn had me dress in my cycling garb, bring one of my bicycles, and — most importantly — four helmets that had given their all to protect me.

It included one that did it’s job when I struck a loose dog that ran into my path on a downhill country road as I was cycling down at 40 mph.

The talk about the need to wear helmets wasn’t the main attraction for the kids. It was the attendance of Betty Bear, the Bulletin mascot that had her own weekly newspaper aimed at kids inserted in the Bulletin’s Sunday edition.

It was also an opportune time for Rex to announce that police officers — and community resource officers — were going to start issuing kids “tickets.”

The “tickets” were good for a burger and fries at Burger King.

Officers would “issue” them when they came across kids that were following the rules when they were bicycling which basically meant they had to comply with the California Vehicle Code just as vehicle drivers did.

Today, the mid-1990s seems like the Dark Ages.

There were 55,000 less city residents and a lot less vehicles.

There were no on or off ramps at Union Road so if a hundred or so bicyclists illegally entered the 120 Bypass at Main Street they’d have to pedal all the way to Airport Way and do so in the outside freeway lane instead of an auxiliary lane.

And social media was still in its infancy with not a kid attached 24/7 to a smartphone.

Here we are today with some youthful riders seemingly have graduated to Hell’s Angels in training with how they regard traffic laws while riding in a pack.

A free “ticket” for a fast food burger and fries would put the issuer back $8.

As much as you’d like to think that community education outreach to youth would effectively rein in most reckless bicycling behavior,  it ignores the fact this is the e-bike age where kids can zip in and out of traffic faster than those on fat tire bicycles.

The lure of social media to rack up likes and the natural impulsiveness of youth requires a bit more effort.

It is why the City Council might want to cut off the proverbial snake’s head before the mob mentality of today’s version of “group rides” gets someone seriously injured or killed.

These are loosely orchestrated events that have more in common with flash mobs than bicycling per se.

If legal precedent allows, advertised group rides that are for “all comers” and will use public streets in a manner that will impede vehicle movement should be subject to special event permits.

Loosely organized rides advertised on social media that can easily attract 100 riders or more are destined to impede vehicle movement.

No reasonable person is going to expect 100 riders or so to go single file down streets or stop at stop signs and red lights.

At the same time, posting an upcoming ride on social media for all to partake is not a gathering of friends isn’t a reasonable assumption that things aren’t going to spin out of control.

These are clearly not friendly club rides or rides done to raise funds with the latter being subject to liability insurance concerns and adhering to precise routes.

There is a clear and justified public safety concern that local law enforcement be informed in a timely manner of such upcoming rides and a general heads up about the times and routes.

It is why there should be a special permit application required if for no other purpose so police aren’t caught off guard by an impromptu bicycle event that is more like a flash mob on wheels.

The threshold could be any such event likely to attract 50 riders or more that is posted to all comers and not a circle of friends requires the submission of a special event form at least 20 days in advance.

Those that organize such “unorganized” events should be subject to fines if they fail to comply with the ordinance outlining such a requirement.

Going after the person who gets the ball rolling on such rides that are far from organized and clearly lead to endless traffic safety concern is the way to reduce their frequency.

The City of Manteca kind of does that with ordinance changes going into effect during the coming days.

Without requiring an event permit, it invites mayhem given the odds police are more likely than not to be caught flat-footed when such events pop up.

What Manteca is dealing with today is not a lack of understanding of the rules of the road as it was back in the mid-1990s.

It’s wholesale disregard for others.

This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com