I thought this article from Grist was pretty good. Its a model followed by Bikes Not Bombs, also Boston Bikes, and Hub on wheels. All to great results. I would go one further and say that if you want to empower anyone give them a bicycle. Its basically free/low cost transportation, and in a city like Boston that could be the difference between being able to take a job or not. Also having a bicycle saves you a significant amount of money on T-passes, gas, insurance, etc, which is also very important to lower income people.
Not only that but the sense of empowerment can go a long way towards giving people the confidence to thrive when they may be facing challenges.
Cycling has a reputation for being a white man’s sport, hobby, and mode of transportation. It’s an image rooted in truth — white people accounted for about 80 percent of the cycling population in the U.S. as of 2009 — but it’s far from a complete picture. From 2001 to 2009, the rates of cycling among African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians grew far more than among whites.
Ed Ewing is working hard to keep that trend going. He’s the director of diversity and inclusion for the Cascade Bicycle Club and co-founder of the Major Taylor Project, a program that uses cycling to empower underserved youth in the Seattle area. The program is named after Major Taylor, the first African-American to win a cycling world championship race.
I sat down with Ewing at his office to talk about his work, his history in bike racing, racism he’s experienced as an African American cyclist, the importance of diversity, inclusion, and equity in cycling and bike advocacy, and much more. Through the course of our conversation, Ewing dove deep. He discussed the systemic issues of race and discrimination, policies like neighborhood redlining, and poverty that shape the lives of the students he works — and he explained how cycling is connected to all of it.
Today’s hipsters and their fixie bikes are not the first to embody the too-cool-for-school persona of the cyclist. In the 1970’s, counter-culture types in the mountains north of San Francisco took to careening down Mount Tamalpais. They were riding for adventure, for exploration, and as a way to interact with the landscape; they were not riding for exercise. Sarah McCullough, whose PhD dissertation at UC Davis explores the history of mountain biking, explains how this group of renegade cylists invented the sport.
FEATURING: Sarah McCullough, Cultural Studies, UC Davis
We are a production team specialising in web documentaries and have completed a short film on Havana bicycle culture which we believe may be of interest to Boston Biker.
The documentary provides an insight into Cuban bike tradition and the mechanics who help keep the hundreds of Habaneros who still rely on bicycles on the road.
A bicycle revolution took place in the country in the 1990s during the five-year ‘Special Period’ of austerity, when Cubans embraced them as an alternative mode of transport. Once cars returned to the island, the country’s bicycle culture took a hit. Now, new bikes are difficult to come by and parts are not readily available, yet many Cubans still use bicycles daily and, despite the limited resources, a handful of mechanics provide a service to those who rely on their bikes in their everyday lives.
I think there are a lot of stories in this data, but the one that really stands out is MORE BIKES! This town is just exploding with new riders. Are you one of them? Have you started riding since 2007? Have you noticed things improving? I feel like every year I see more and more riders, more and more good behavior, and more and more people riding year round. BICYCLES!
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Since 2007 Boston has seen a 78% increase in cycling. Below you can find data from 2013, as well as data dating back to 2007. Click on each image to view a larger version.
Counts are conducted each Fall during the hours of 7-9am and 4-6pm. Thank you to all those who have volunteered their time throughout the years.
Questions, comments, or concerns? Please contact Najah Shakir at [email protected].
TweetThe main issue you will confront if you get into a dispute with police over bicycle prohibitions is whether the prohibition is supported by law. Often it is not. Example: the ramp from Commonwealth Avenue to Route 128 northbound and … Continue reading →
TweetThe main issue you will confront if you get into a dispute with police over bicycle prohibitions is whether the prohibition is supported by law. Often it is not. Example: the ramp from Commonwealth Avenue to Route 128 northbound and … Continue reading →
Made these lovely RTJ fist and gun pin set. Hand carved in wax, and then cast in lead free pewter. Because these are made by hand you can do fun things like add an extra small pin so that they sit just so (also means they have “customized” brass back plates to accommodate the extra […]
One of my customers sent me this amazing picture of my feather badge installed on their (awesome!) bike. Check out Manofmultnomah (here and here), apparently Chris King took some interest in it as well. Want one of your own? Buy it here, or here... Continue reading →
TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
TweetSometimes, the best way to gather ideas and feedback is to let people draw on some maps. Last night, at the Bike Network Open House, pedallovers unveiled a draft for their upcoming plans for a more connected biking network infrastructure … Continue reading →
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